Finding Christ in the Old Testament - Exodus 4:1 - 18

Finding Christ in the Old Testament
Exodus 4:1–18

“But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice…” (Exodus 4:1)

Moses, called by God to be the deliverer of Israel, doubts not only himself but the very effectiveness of the Word of God spoken through him. In response, the Lord does not cast Moses aside but gives him signs—miraculous tokens that authenticate His commission: a staff that becomes a serpent, a hand made leprous and restored, and water from the Nile turned to blood. These signs are not mere spectacles; they point ahead to Christ, the true Prophet like Moses, who would also be rejected by many yet confirmed with signs and wonders. The staff that turns into a serpent recalls the curse Christ bore for us on the tree, defeating the serpent through death. The leprous hand healed prefigures Christ’s healing of our fallen flesh. The water turned to blood points to His blood, which alone can cleanse and deliver. Yet even with these signs, Moses hesitates. God’s anger burns, yet He provides Aaron to assist. So too, Christ does not reject the fearful or weak, but equips and sustains those He calls. In Moses’ faltering, we see the patience of God and the promise of Christ’s power made perfect in weakness.

Devotion
When God calls, He provides. Even in weakness, fear, or doubt, the Lord does not revoke His calling but meets us with signs of His mercy and tokens of His presence. In Jesus Christ, the greater Moses, we see the final sign—the Word made flesh, whose blood delivers and whose power overcomes our unbelief.

New Testament Verse:
2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”

Collect
Almighty and merciful God, who called Moses despite his fear and gave signs to confirm Your Word, strengthen us also through the sure promises fulfilled in Your Son, that we may trust not in ourselves but in Christ crucified and risen, whose blood redeems and whose Spirit strengthens; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Hymn Verse:

Glorified, I shall anew

With this flesh then be enshrouded;

In this body I shall view

God, my Lord, with eyes unclouded;

In this flesh I then shall see

Jesus Christ eternally.

(LSB 741:5 – "Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense"