Mensa Otabil - Reach Out Your Hand (11/02/2025)
Exodus 4:4 — 5: Then the Lord said to Moses, «Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.» He reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand. «That they may believe that the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has appeared to you.»
So God asked Moses to take back the rod that had been transformed into a serpent, and God asked him to take it by the tail. Grabbing any snake by the tail doesn’t seem like the best idea anywhere; it takes a lot of courage to do that. Interestingly, Moses didn’t question this.
It appears that there are things Moses questions and things he doesn’t question. He questions whether the people will accept him, but he doesn’t question whether he can take a snake by the tail. He is a courageous man naturally; he is a bold man and is able to do these things. However, he can’t accept rejection; he can’t get over his past failures. Sometimes you have people who are naturally courageous and strong; they can do many things, but there is one particular area in their life where their confidence is just not there.
Anyway, Moses took the snake by the tail, and it became a rod again. By this, God was demonstrating to Moses, «I have the power of life in my hands,» because the snake was a symbol of power in ancient Egypt. God is saying to Moses, «Don’t be afraid; I can bring life, and I can take life as well.» He has the power to do that. He has the power of life, and He wanted Moses to demonstrate to the Israelites that he had this power to take life and to give life, and they had to trust him to do that.
So this is the sign to show to Israel. By this sign, God also shows that He can take the common to do the uncommon; He can take the ordinary to do the extraordinary. He can do the same thing with you. The same God who did it for Moses is the God we pray to daily in the name of Jesus. If He can take the common to do the uncommon in the life of Moses, He can take the common to do the uncommon in your life.
Now, you would notice, if you’re familiar with the Old Testament, that after this first miracle of transformation, God continued to use this rod in the hand of Moses. Quite a number of miracles were done through the rod that God had transformed in the hand of Moses, definitely through the power of God, but by the symbol of the rod.
So God took what was in his hand, transformed it, gave it back to him, and said, «This is how you’re going to do your battle, and this is how you’re going to prove to the people of Israel that I have sent you.»
So, are you looking for a sign? Are you looking for confirmation? Maybe you are hoping that somebody will give you a prophecy or that you will see a vision, or something dramatic will happen for you to be assured that God will use you. All I can tell you is you can see a burning bush and still doubt God; you can see a vision and still doubt God. The only way to trust God is to trust His Word, that His Word is true, and what He has promised, He is able also to perform.
Today, we also have the rod in our hand, but the rod is not a physical rod. The rod we have in our hand is called the rod of Jesse; His name is Jesus. He is in our hearts; His name is our rod, and at the mention of His name, every knee bows. So don’t go looking for a physical rod to use to demonstrate God’s power; He has already given you the rod. He lives inside of you; His name is Jesus. Use His name to conquer and fight battles in His name.
Let’s pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, I rule over every force of darkness and evil in Jesus' name. Amen and amen.»