We’re in the last series of 2024. We’re preparing for a new year full of hope, fear, and opportunity. Was 2024 the year that you needed? Will 2025 be the year you want? Becoming who God created us requires change—changing who we interact with, what we engage with, and how we think. Because change is uncomfortable, we often make excuses.

This series is about a key Israelite who made excuses to God, asking God to give his command to someone else. Yet, God met all these excuses with a love that surpasses understanding, confidence that never wavers, and encouragement that never fades. Our new series is called “Moses, the Imposter.” We’re diving into Exodus 3:11-4:17 to discuss the excuses that Moses feels he cannot do what God has assigned. My goal for this series is for you to know that whatever excuse you give to God, God meets it with a compassion that knows no bounds and an encouragement that never ceases.

In Part 2, we discussed Moses’ excuse of, “Who do I say sent me?” We learned that the answer is “I AM sent you.” Moses can claim his role with God and own it. He can share his story of leading with God every time. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, but it would be possible.

In Part 3, we’re digging into Moses’ excuse of” What if they don’t believe me?” Join me in Exodus 4:1-9.

Exodus 4:1-9

NASB	NLT	VOICE
1 Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’”	1 But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?”	1 MOSES: What if they don’t trust me? What if they don’t listen to a single word I say? They are more likely to reply: “The Eternal has not revealed Himself to you.” The Eternal One answered Moses.
2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.”	2 Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.	2 ETERNAL ONE: What do you have in your hand? MOSES: My shepherd’s staff.
3 Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it turned into a serpent; and Moses fled from it.	3 “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.	3 ETERNAL ONE: Throw your staff on the ground. So Moses threw the staff on the ground, and it was transformed by the snake. Moses quickly jumped back in fear.
4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand and grasp it by its tail” – so he reached out with his hand and caught it, and it turned into a staff in his hand –	4 Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand.	4 ETERNAL ONE: Reach out and grab it by the tail. Despite his natural fears, Moses reached out and grabbed the snake; and as he held it, it changed back into a shepherd.
5 “so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”	5 “Perform this sign,” the Lord told. “Then they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – really has appeared to you.”	5 ETERNAL ONE: This is a sign so the people will believe that I, the God of their fathers – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – have revealed Himself to you.
6 The Lord furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand inside the fold of your robe.” So he put his hand inside the fold, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow.	6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with a severe skin disease.	6 Now for the second sign. Put your hand on your chest inside your shirt. Moses did as the Eternal instructed; and when he pulled his hand out, his hand was covered with some disease that made it look as white as snow
7 Then He said, “Put your hand inside the fold of your robe again.” So he put his hand into the fold again, and when he took it out of the fold, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.	7 “Now put your hand back into your cloak,” the Lord said. So Moses put his hand back in, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body.	7 ETERNAL ONE: Put your hand back inside your clothes. Moses again did as He instructed, and when he removed his hand from his shirt, it returned to normal like the rest of his skin.
8 “So if they will not believe you nor pay attention to the evidence of the first sign, they may believe the evidence of the last sign.	8 The Lord said to Moses, “If they do not believe you and are not convinced by the first miraculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign.	8-9 ETERNAL ONE: If they refuse to believe you, and are not persuaded after you perform the first sign, perhaps they will be after the second sign. But if they refuse to believe you and are not persuaded after you perform the first two signs, then here is a third sign: Take some water from the Nile and pour it out onto the ground. The water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground
9 But if they will not believe even these two signs nor pay attention to what you say, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile will turn into blood on the dry ground.	9 And if they don’t believe you or listen to you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do, the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground.

Moses’s anxiety and fear were caused by his over-anticipation. He was already worried about how Pharoah and his crew would respond to him. How often do we do that? We often build up a chain of events over what could happen and then become anxious over potential positive and negative futures. God doesn’t ask us to go where he hasn’t trained us to go. We must go where he’s called us, trusting that he will supply our courage, confidence, and resources at the right time. It’s ensuring that we don’t allow our anxieties to dominate our thoughts, words, and actions, but instead trusting God with our concerns and allowing him to dominate those things so that we can go and do what he has planned for us. Our anxiety can be used for good to prepare ourselves, but it’s when it dictates our path that it becomes the problem. Submit your anxieties to God and allow him to use them for good.

A shepherd’s staff was commonly a 3–6-foot wooden rod with a curved hook at the top. They would use them for walking, guiding the sheep, killing snakes, and many other tasks. At the end of the day, though, it was still a stick. God used this as a sign to teach an important lesson. God sometimes will use ordinary things for extraordinary purposes. While it’s easy to assume God can only use special skills or things, don’t block his use on your everyday contributions. Moses had his staff. You might have your wallet, your gift card, your pantry, your stove, your closet, your job, etc. God can use you in many different ways through many different mediums. All we have to do is listen and obey.

The severe skin disease was a form of leprosy, one of the most feared diseases of this time. No cure was available, and the great deal of suffering that came with it would lead to an eventual death. This experience taught Moses that God could cause or cure any problem. He saw that God had all the power and was commissioning him to exercise that power to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. God can do anything, especially to cause and cure diseases. The intensity of the signs increased from changing the staff to curing a disease. The signs went from changing someone familiar to something personal, showing God’s ability to affect the world on many levels that would have been important to Pharaoh and his crew. Even the third sign would go to affect their environment. Taking the water of the Nile, an important river in Egypt, and pouring it on the ground, it became blood. God goes from curing problems to changing the pure to the impure.

What if they don’t believe that God sent you? Trust in his signs. Trust in his ability. God can use the basic. God can use the personal. God can use the environment. God can show himself in the basic and do something spectacular. God can show himself in your problems and achieve victory in the solutions. God can show himself in what’s normal and turn it upside down. What if they don’t believe God sent you? Trust that God will show Himself.

In Part 4, we’ll talk about how Moses is tongue-tied easily. Until then, stay blessed!

Associated Scripture

• Exodus 3:15-16
• Exodus 3:18
• Exodus 7:8-12
• Exodus 7:15
• Exodus 7:17-21
• Numbers 12:10
• 2 Kings 5:14
• 2 Kings 5:27
• Matthew 8:3
• Luke 17:12-14