Mensa Otabil - The First Sign
- Watch
- Donate
Exodus chapter 7, verse 10: So Moses and Aaron went into Pharaoh, and they did so just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
The first sign that God commanded Moses to perform before Pharaoh was a familiar one. God started with the known; remember, God had told Moses this thing would escalate. I’ll start at the lower level and escalate. I will be increasing the volume of the miracle. So this starts with the known, not the unknown. God began with a miracle that both Moses and Aaron were familiar with. Remember, Moses had seen this happen at Mount Horeb, and when he returned to Egypt, he showed the same sign to Aaron and to the elders of Israel.
So both Moses and Aaron had witnessed this miracle worked out. Remember, the first time Moses saw the Lord become a serpent, he fled; he was shocked. God didn’t want Moses to stand before Pharaoh, perform a miracle, and be taken aback by his own miracle and flee before the snake. So God said, «I’m going to show it to you; you will be familiar with it, so when it happens before you, you will not be surprised by it.» That is the generosity of God, taking care of His own so they don’t disgrace themselves in public. He starts with the familiar.
The second thing I want you to note is that the first time this sign was performed, it was with Moses’s rod; this time, it was with Aaron’s rod. God is no respecter of persons; He is showing that He can use Moses or Aaron and that He can use Moses’s rod or Aaron’s rod. We have to remind ourselves constantly that when God uses us to do something, it doesn’t mean we are so unique and special that nobody else can do what God has used us to do. God can use other people as well and what they have as well. So He used what Moses had, and He used what Aaron had, and He used it to do the same thing. God is no respecter of persons; He can use one and He can use the other.
The third thing I want you to note is that God’s words come into manifestation, or God’s word works when we obey His commands. God commanded; it was done. The sign followed. It doesn’t come by arguing; it doesn’t come by stalling; it doesn’t come by being afraid. It comes by obedience and stepping out to do something boldly in the name of the Lord. So today, as we consider all that God has done for Moses up to this first miracle, from the day he met Him at the burning bush in Mount Horeb through to his journey, through all the anxieties and all the rejections, finally, the first sign is before Pharaoh.
What God promised to do at Mount Horeb, He has accomplished before Pharaoh. The mission of deliverance has begun, and nothing can stop it-not Moses, not the children of Israel, and definitely not Pharaoh because God has set into motion what He promised to do through Abraham 600 years earlier. He said He would do it, and now He has started doing it. I don’t know about you, but it’s encouraging to know that we serve a faithful God, and He’s able to do what He says He will do.
Let us pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, You are my confidence. Use what I have in my hand to work Your works. In Jesus' name, amen, and amen. Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.