Exodus 4:1

My Notes

What Does Exodus 4:1 Mean?

"And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee." Moses raises his THIRD objection to the calling (after 'who am I?' in 3:11 and 'what is Your name?' in 3:13): they won't BELIEVE me. They won't LISTEN. They'll say God DIDN'T APPEAR to you. The objection is about CREDIBILITY — Moses fears he'll be DISMISSED. The Israelites will question whether God actually sent him. The authority will be CHALLENGED. The commission will be DOUBTED.

The phrase "they will not believe me" (vehen lo ya'aminu li — and behold, they will not believe me) is the CREDIBILITY objection: Moses fears that the Israelites will NOT TRUST his claim. The 'believe' (ya'aminu — trust, have faith in, consider reliable) is the COMMUNITY'S response to the messenger. The concern isn't that Moses doesn't believe GOD. It's that the PEOPLE won't believe MOSES. The divine commission requires HUMAN reception. The sent-one needs the sent-to to accept the sending.

The "the LORD hath not appeared unto thee" (lo nir'ah elekha YHWH — the LORD has not appeared to you) is the anticipated DISMISSAL: the community will say God DIDN'T appear. The burning bush didn't happen. The commission isn't real. The prophet is a FRAUD. Moses fears the most devastating possible response: not 'we disagree with your message' but 'God didn't send you.' The authority of the sending is what Moses fears will be denied.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What credibility-fear is holding you back from the calling?
• 2.What does Moses fearing the COMMUNITY'S disbelief (not his own) teach about the reception-problem of mission?
• 3.How does God responding with SIGNS (not arguments) model how credibility-objections are answered?
• 4.What authority-dismissal ('God didn't send you') are you anticipating — and what evidence addresses it?

Devotional

They won't believe me. They won't listen. They'll say: God didn't appear to you. Moses' third objection to the calling is about CREDIBILITY — the fear that the community will DISMISS the commission. Not reject the message but deny the SENDER. Not disagree with the theology but question the AUTHORITY.

The 'they will not believe me' is the CREDIBILITY fear: Moses doesn't doubt GOD. He doubts the PEOPLE'S response. The burning bush was real. The commission is genuine. But will the COMMUNITY accept it? The sent-one's concern isn't about the SENDING but about the RECEIVING. The divine appointment requires human acceptance. The commission needs the community's trust.

The 'the LORD hath not appeared unto thee' is the specific DISMISSAL Moses anticipates: the community won't say 'your message is wrong.' They'll say 'your AUTHORITY is false.' The denial targets the COMMISSION, not the content. 'God didn't appear to you' means 'you have no right to speak.' The dismissal attacks the SOURCE, not the substance. The credibility-question is the authority-question.

God's RESPONSE to Moses' objection isn't argument — it's SIGNS (verses 2-9): the rod-to-serpent, the leprous hand, the water-to-blood. God doesn't ARGUE with Moses' fear. He EQUIPS Moses with evidence. The objection is met with DEMONSTRATION, not persuasion. The credibility-problem is solved with VISIBLE PROOF. The signs will produce the believing Moses fears won't happen.

What credibility-fear is holding you back — and what SIGNS has God given to address it?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture