Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 4:6
And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand [was] leprous as snow.
6 8. The second sign.
leprous, as white as snow ] cf. Num 12:10, 2Ki 5:27.
was turned ] an archaism for ‘turned’ (as Jer 31:18-19; Jer 34:15, and elsewhere: see the writer’s Parallel Psalter, p. 483). The Heb. verb, as in the passages quoted, is an intransitive one, and is rendered in 2Ki 5:14 (in the same expression) ‘came again.’
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Leprous – The instantaneous production and cure of the most malignant and subtle disease known to the Israelites was a sign of their danger if they resisted the command, and of their deliverance if they obeyed it. The infliction and cure were always regarded as special proofs of a divine intervention.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Exo 4:6-7
Leprous as snow.
Leprosy as emblematical of doubt
I. That as leprosy was the worst disease that could have been permitted to the hand of Moses, so doubt of the divine word is the most hurtful that can overtake the human mind.
1. Both are small in their commencements.
2. Both are progressive in their developments.
3. Both are gloomy in their forebodings.
4. Both are isolating in their tendency.
5. Both are paralysing in their influence.
6. Both are deadly in their result.
II. That as leprosy comes upon men unexpectedly, so does doubt upon the human mind. The germ of scepticism often remains long concealed in the human mind; its workings are subtle, and we know not what will be the extent of its future harvest.
III. That as leprosy could only be removed. By the Divine touch, so human doubt can only be removed by communion with God. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
Various suppositions as to the meaning of this miracle
1. Some give it a moral signification–as that the leprous hand of Moses showeth the works of the law that justifieth not.
2. Some give it a mystical signification–that the leprous hand of the synagogue of the Jews was cast off as the leprous person out of the house, and the hand restored betokeneth the Gentile Church adopted instead of the Jewish.
3. Some refer it to Christ, that He being the Hand, that is, the power of His Father, by taking our nature upon Him, became as it were leprous, that is, deformed, by His sufferings and passion, but by His resurrection and ascension His glory appeareth.
4. Some give it an historical signification–by the leprous hand they understand the miserable state of the Hebrews in the time of their cruel servitude, who in their deliverance received their former liberty.
5. Some think that the leprous hand signifieth the pollutions of Egypt, wherewith Israel was defiled, who being delivered were restored to the true worship of God.
6. That the first sending of Moses to the Israelites brought upon them more cruel treatment, but his after ministry brought them joy and deliverance.
7. That the hand being the instrument of working, betokeneth the ministry and authority of Moses, and that God would use a weak instrument to effect His will, Moses having lived a long time in banishment seemed a thing leprous and vile, yet God should in this His service make him a glorious vessel and instrument.
8. That as the leprosy is only cured by God, so their deliverance was only Gods work, and to humble Moses by the remembrance of his own infirmity.
9. As far as the intrinsic significancy of the sign is concerned, it was evidently calculated to teach that whatever is new, vigorous, vital, and flourishing, may at once be withered at the word of Omnipotence; and again with equal facility restored to its pristine condition. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
Ability for Gods service
1. Human hands weak and unfit for service.
2. Sanctified power is only attained from God.
3. Hence the worker must be humble, but not impotent or paralytic in hand. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
Soul-instruction
I. As undertaken by a Divine teacher. There are lessons for every man to learn, which heaven only can teach.
II. As employing the most impressive symbolism. The Divine teaching is always suggestive, never exhaustive.
III. As occupying but a short space of time. An eternal lesson may be learnt in a moment.
IV. As preparing for important duty. Divine instruction is never aimless. Designed not merely to make men clever, but to give them the power of moral emancipation. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
The leprous hand restored
That which happened to the hand of Moses was a picture of what had happened, and was still to happen, to the people of Israel. By going down to Egypt, the Israelites had been preserved from the injurious influence of Canaanitish customs. Through the favour of the first Pharaohs, Egypt was undoubtedly a hiding-place, in which the family of Jacob had been cherished and preserved, when it was distressed both in body and mind. But there had been a change in both the men and the times, and Israel was enslaved, despised, and held in abomination in the land of Egypt. When Israel departed from Egypt, he was like a homeless leper. But Jehovah led him once more to a hiding-place, where he was cleansed from the leprosy which he had brought with him from Egypt, and where he was set apart as a holy people and a priestly nation (Exo 19:6). It is very easy to explain why this sign was not exhibited before Pharaoh as well as the others (chap. 7.). The thing signified was of too internal and spiritual a nature, it was too closely connected with the counsel of God concerning His people to be appropriately displayed to Pharaoh. (J. H. Kurtz, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 6. His hand was leprous as snow.] That is, the leprosy spread itself over the whole body in thin white scales; and from this appearance it has its Greek name , from , a scale. Dr. Mead says, “I have seen a remarkable case of this in a countryman, whose whole body was so miserably seized with it, that his skin was shining as if covered with snow; and as the surfuraceous scales were daily rubbed off, the flesh appeared quick or raw underneath.” The leprosy, at least among the Jews, was a most inveterate and contagious disorder, and deemed by them incurable. Among the heathens it was considered as inflicted by their gods, and it was supposed that they alone could remove it. It is certain that a similar belief prevailed among the Israelites; hence, when the king of Syria sent his general Naaman, to the king of Israel to cure him of his leprosy, he rent his clothes, saying, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? 2Kg 5:7. This appears, therefore, to be the reason why God chose this sign, as the instantaneous infliction and removal of this disease were demonstrations which all would allow of the sovereign power of God. We need, therefore, seek for no other reasons for this miracle: the sole reason is sufficiently obvious.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
For whiteness. See Num 12:10. Hereby God would suggest to them how soon he could weaken and destroy the hard and strong hand by which the Egyptians tyrannised over them. It might also be done to keep Moses humble and depending upon God, and to teach him and Israel to ascribe all the future miracles not to the hand of Moses, which was weak and liable to many distempers, but wholly to the Divine power and goodness.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. Put now thine hand into thybosomthe open part of his outer robe, worn about the girdle.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the Lord said furthermore unto him,…. Continued his discourse, and gave him another sign:
put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom; within his coat, under that part of the garment next to his breast:
and when he took it out, behold, his hand [was] leprous as snow; that is, white as snow, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, through the leprosy that was upon it; it was a leprosy of the white sort, and which is reckoned the worst and most difficult to be cured, see
Le 13:3. It is highly probable that this gave rise to the story told by several Heathen writers, as Manetho m, Lysimachus n, Trogus o, and Tacitus p, that Moses and the Israelites were drove out of Egypt by the advice of an oracle, because they had the leprosy, itch, and other impure diseases upon them.
m Apud Joseph. contr. Apion. l. 1. c. 26. n Apud. ib. c. 34. o Justin e Trogo, l. 36. c. 2. p Hist. l. 5. c. 3.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Verses 6-9:
God provided a second sign, to confirm His commission to Moses. It was a simple sign, but one which Israel would regard as more marvelous than the first.
Leprosy, in its advanced stages, was considered incurable, except by Divine intervention. When leprosy was both produced and cured instantly, this could be only the power of God.
The first sign was one of supernatural power. The second was one of Divine warning.
Moses’ leprosy was “white as snow.” This indicates the disease had progressed to the most advanced stages.
There was the possibility that Moses’ audience would not accept the first two signs: the snake and the leprosy. In that event, God would send a third. Moses would take some water from the Nile River, pour it upon dry ground, and it would become blood.
Note the significance and appeal of the three signs:
1. The first: this was directed to those who were religious, who would be inclined to be fair-minded.
2. The second: this was designed to produce fear, and would move those who were harder to reach than the first group.
3. The third: this was directed to those who trusted in the gods of Egypt, who regarded the Nile as a deity. It would demonstrate that Moses’ God was more powerful than the gods of Egypt.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
6. Put now thy hand into thy bosom. By this sign Moses was instructed that what is in the greatest vigour withers away at once, at the command of God; and that what is dry is thus restored to its original vigour; in a word, the statement of Paul was confirmed by it, that God “calleth those things which be not, as though they were.” (Rom 4:17.) It was, so to say, a kind of leprosy, when Moses was banished from the court into the land of Midian, where he led his flock through wild and rough places, among thorns and brambles. After he had passed forty years like one half-dead, having no dignity or name, he regained, as by a restoration, ( postliminio) what he had lost. Therefore God now promises him that he would soon restore what He had taken away. This is the simple connection of the sign with its effect, with which sober readers will be content, without giving heed to the subtleties of others. For this was particularly needful to be understood, that all men stand or fall according to God’s will; that when they seem most strong, their strength suddenly fails, and they waste away; and, again, as soon as God pleases, they return from their deformed and failing state to rigor and beauty. In this way the holy man learnt that, as he had lain in obscurity for a time, because he had been withdrawn, by God’s hand, from the society of men, and had been cast into solitude, so he need not despair of becoming a different man by the same hand. This condition, too, in some measure, pertained to the whole body of the people; but because it better suits the person of Moses, it is preferable to retain this exposition; lest, only considering his present position, as a mean and humble shepherd, he should distrust his capacity for undertaking his office, and that he should expect dignity and boldness to be given him by God. Moreover, God did not mean to instruct Moses individually only, (as we have said,) but to raise him above the contempt of the people, that the exile by which his dignity had been marred, should not detract from his influence and authority; but, because the calling of God shone forth in him like a resurrection, that he should, at the same time, be invested with weight and reputation.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Exo. 4:6-7
LEPROSY AS EMBLEMATICAL OF DOUBT
I. That as leprosy was the worst disease that could have been permitted to the hand of Moses, so doubt of the Divine Word is the most hurtful that can overtake the human mind.
1. Both are small in their commencement. Leprosy first manifests itself as a little spot upon the skin. Then it is not accompanied by any pain. Any one, unacquainted with the malady, from seeing its first indication would have no idea that it was leprosy, and that its end would be so terrible. And so it is with doubt in reference to divine truth. At first it presents itself to the mind in a very innocent form, as a question, or as a suspicion. There is no mental grief or conflict. The soul has no idea that a terrible moral sickness is coming upon it, but regards the little indication of unbelief as an effort of investigation, and brave progress. Whereas if it was acquainted with the reality of the case it would see the first spot of mental leprosy.
2. Both are progressive in their development. That spot of leprosy does not long remain suchit grows largerspreads widerfrom limb to limbuntil the entire system is full of itand the whole man is covered with it. So it is with doubt. It does not long remain as a questionor as a suspicion of the truthit advances to great uncertaintyto dimness of moral visionuntil the mind is plunged into an impenetrable gloom. The man no longer doubts one truth, but all truth; the entire habit of his soul is rendered sceptical to heavenly things.
3. Both are gloomy in their forebodings. What dark and terrible forebodings would naturally occupy the soul of the leper, after the first terror and consciousness of the disease had come upon him. He would feel that certain death was before himthat no remedycareskill could attain his recovery. The grim shadow of the future would ever rest upon his soul. Life would be a burden to him. And who can describe the painful forebodings which fill a sceptical mind. There are the inner reasonings of the soulthere are bitter cries for light and truth. In quiet moments the conscience reveals another lifean eternal destinytoward which the man is travelling, and the thought of its mystery fills him with awe. In fact all the doctrines of the Bible are turned by his scepticism into phantoms, which haunt him ever, and torment him with a sad prophecy of his awful future.
4. Both are isolating in their tendency. The leper had to be separated from his familyfrom his neighboursfriendscompanionshe had to go into solitude and lonelinessaway from all the active scenes of life In all probability his malady was contagious. Equally has doubt an isolating tendencyhow often has it broken up families and near friendships. Scepticism throws a man in upon himself too muchit alienates his sympathy from those who differ from him in opinionit places him without the spiritual enjoyments of the churchand renders him intensely lonely in spirit. Doubt is also contagiousit spreads not only from subject to subjectbut from person to personby speechby argumentand thus, if it does not isolate itselfthe community ought to demand its removalespecially from near the young.
5. Both are paralysing in their influence. How thoroughly paralysed are the limbs of the leper. They are withered. They are incapable of activity. They are almost useless to him. And so what a paralysing influence has doubt. It paralyses the mental faculties of man, rendering them almost incapable of a healthful and vigorous investigation of truth. It paralyses the sympathies of menrendering them almost incapable of pity. It paralyses the activity of menrendering them almost incapable of spiritual effort in the church of Christ.
6. Both are deadly in their result. In the system of the leper all vitality is destroyedthere is no play of physical energyall the streams of life have been one by one dried upits ultimate issue is the grave. Equally deadly is the issue of scepticism. It destroys mental vitality, and its sad destiny is the second death, far more awful than the first.
II. That as leprosy comes upon men unexpectedly, so does doubt upon the human mind. The leprosy generally comes suddenly and unexpectedly upon the individual afflicted thereby, although it might have been lurking long within his physical constitution. And so it is with scepticism and doubt. It comes unexpected upon the mind, it may have been hiding there for months; the thinker knows not where he has imbibed it, from what book, conversation, or series of mental reasonings. The germ of scepticism often remains long concealed in the human mind, its workings are subtle, and we know not what will be the extent of their future harvest.
III. That as leprosy could only be removed by the Divine touch, so human doubt can only be removed by communion with God. We read in the New Testament of a leper coming to Christ, and being healed by the Divine touch The coming of that wretched man to the Saviour must be typical of the ad vent of all doubting sceptical souls to him, and the result will be equally beneficial and happy. Such a mental and moral attitude will not be healed by logicby argumentby entreatyby persuasionbut only by a personal and spiritual interview with the Saviour. True prayer is the only cure for unbelief. LEARN:
1. To watch the first outgoings of the mind in relation to Divine truth.
2. Not to cultivate a captious spirit in relation to heavenly things.
3. To spend much time in communion with the Eternal Truth.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Exo. 4:6. Varied suppositions as to the meaning of this miracle
1. Some give it a moral significationas that the leprous hand of Moses sheweth the works of the law that justifieth not
2. Some give it a mystical significationthat the leprous hand of the synagogue of the Jews was cast off as the leprous person out of the house, and the hand restored betokeneth the Gentile Church adopted instead of the Jewish [Augustine].
3. Some refer it to Christ, that he being the hand, that is, the power of his Father, by taking our nature upon him, became as it were leprous, that is deformed, by his sufferings and passion, but by his resurrection and ascension His glory appeareth
4. Some give it an historical significationby the leprous hand they understand the miserable state of the Hebrews in the time of their cruel servitude, who in their deliverance received their former liberty.
5. Some think that the leprous hand signifieth the pollutions of Egypt, wherewith Israel was defiled, who being delivered were restored to the true worship of God.
6. That the first sending of Moses to the Israelites brought upon them more cruel treatment, but his after ministry brought them joy and deliverance.
7. That the hand being the instrument of working, betokeneth the ministry and authority of Moses, and that God would use a weak instrument to effect His will, Moses having lived a long time in banishment seemed a thing leprous and vile, yet God should in this His service make him a glorious vessel and instrument.
8. That as the leprosy is only cured by God so their deliverance was only Gods work, and to humble Moses by the remembrance of his own infirmity.
9. As far as the intrinsic significancy of the sign is concerned, it was evidently calculated to teach that whatever is new, vigorous, vital, and flourishing, may at once be withered at the word of Omnipotence; and again with equal facility restored to its pristine condition [Bush].
Power for Gods service:
1. Human hands weak and unfit for service.
2. Sanctified power is only attained from God.
3. Hence the worker must be humble, but not impotent or paralytic in hand.
Leprous as snow. The white leprosy was that form with which the Hebrews were best acquainted, and the most difficult of cure.
God sometimes commands His servants in order to disease and try them.
A sudden change from soundness to leprosy is Gods miracle.
That there are times and circumstances when the use of legitimate things may prove injurious.
LEPROUS AS SNOW
I. Leprous as snow. Then our moral condition is a picture of woe. What more pitiable sight than a leperwith a fearful disease running through his veins. An outcast in the world. Contemplate the sinner. His natural bias to evil. Surrounded by his vices. He is restless. He is grief-stricken. He is without virtuous friendship. Truly he presents a sad spectacle. Contemplate the worldits passion and prideits heathenismsuperstitionand crimeit is leprous as snow.
II. Leprous as snow. Then our moral condition is an argument and a plea for Divine help. Would not a leper excite the pity of all who saw him. So our moral woe is a forceful appeal to the Divine mercy. Our grief is a prayer for the exercise of Divine power. Human aid is ineffective here. Men may pity the sinner. Only God can heal his leprosy. Every sinner in the universe is an object of Divine compassion. But wicked men will not allow the argument of their misery to find its conclusion in their moral reformation; they will not permit the prayer of their grief to be answered, they refuse the pardon it would obtain.
III. Leprous as snow. Then our moral conversion is a triumph of Divine grace. What a conversion for a leper to become a healthy, vigorous man. What a change in all his surroundings. How happy. How benevolent. So it is equally a marvellous transition for the sinner. Spiritual life courses richly through his soul. He is surrounded by heavenly companions, and animated by new hopes. His unrest is calmed. His grief is removed. His moral disease is healed. He is indeed a trophy of Divine grace.
IV. Leprous as snow. Then the greatest sinner is within the reach of Divine restoration. Your leprosy may be of the worst kindmay have been long continuedyet there is hope. For the sympathiser is Divine. The healer is God. Wherefore He is able to save to the uttermost, etc.
Exo. 4:7. After trial God commands His servants again in order to healing.
God answers the obedience of His servants with wonderful healing.
It is Gods prerogative alone to send disease and healing to his creatures, miraculously by His word.
SOUL-INSTRUCTION
I. As undertaken by a Divine Teacher. The Divine Being is here instructing Moses about his mission to Israel. There are many instructors of human souls in the world. God is the supreme. There are lessons for every man to learn which heaven only can teach. Happy the soul that receives the lesson of its life from God. Ministers who aim to instruct the souls of men are in true sympathy with the Divine.
II. As employing the most impressive symbolism. The burning bush. The rod turned into a serpent. The hand made leprous. The Divine teaching is always suggestive, never exhaustive. Heaven has always fine illustrations at command in which to convey truth. Hence our attention is gained. Our souls are impressed. We are made to feel that duty is imperative and responsible, and to prepare for its discharge. The pulpit would be much more effective in its work of soul-instruction if it employed more impressive imagery.
III. As occupying but a short space of time. The Divine Being was not long in giving these signs to Moses, they followed in quick succession. Heaven is spontaneous in its teaching. It can teach a soul an eternal lesson in a moment. Ministers in these days are too long in their communication of spiritual truth. They spend too much time on detail.
IV. As preparing for important duty. God is preparing Moses to achieve the freedom of Israel. The Divine instruction always has a definite result in view. It is not aimless. It is not random. It is designed not merely to make men clever, but to give them the power of moral emancipation. God teaches human souls not merely for their own welfare, but that they may make a practical use of their knowledge by striving to enhance the spiritual condition of humanity.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Exo. 4:8-9
THE DIVINE TREATMENT OF HUMAN DOUBT
I. That the Divine Being recognises the probability that men will not welcome the truth upon its first presentation to them. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, etc. If this history had not been complete before us, we should have imagined that the Israelites would at once have welcomed the message which Moses had to declare unto them, and that they would immediately have received him as their deliverer.
1. The message he proclaimed was adapted to their condition. They were slaves; he preached to them of freedom. Their lives were saddened by oppression; he announced the removal of their tyranny. They were degraded; he proclaimed to them moral elevation. In this light how astonishing is their unbelief. We should have expected that the Israelites would have gladly responded to his voice, and have followed him to demand of Pharaoh their release. Equally surprising is the unbelief of men to-day in reference to the Gospel. It announces the moral freedom of humanity, of release from the tyranny of sin, from envy, from disappointment, from degradation, and in place thereof to give enjoyment, rest, and ultimately heaven. Yet men hesitate to believe the glad news, or to receive those who bring it. Is it not surprising that men should reject a Gospel so thoroughly adapted to their moral need. See the folly of unbelief, in that it will not accept a divine freedom of soul when benevolently offered. The tendency of all unbelief is to intensify the slavery of the moral nature.
2. The message he proclaimed was wonderfully simple. It was simply a message of freedom. True, at certain points this proclamation of Israels freedom bordered on the supernatural and sublime, as when associated with the mystery of the burning bush, with the progressive revelation of the name of God, and with the difficulties to be overcome in the future; yet this was but natural, as freedom, wherever found, must inevitably be connected with mystery, as it is the work of God. Yet the message of freedom to Israel was simple. Their bondage was acknowledged. Here is a leader. They have the power of numbers; They have the aid of Heaven. What great mystery, then, in its practical side, could their freedom present? And so the truth of the Gospel presented for the credence of humanity is simple. It is but a message of moral freedom. True, there are points at which it enters into the mystery of God; but this fact ought to make the freedom more probable, as it is an indication of Divine thought and energy. But unbelief is associated with prejudice, sees difficulties in the most simple truth, and even rejects a freedom which one effort to attain would demonstrate to be true.
3. The message he proclaimed was Divinely authenticated. The Israelites were not called merely to receive the tidings of their freedom upon the bare word of Moses, although that ought to have commanded their attention, but upon the evidence of the Divine power. Moses was empowered to work miracles before them, so that, reasoning from the evidence of sense, they might attain ultimately to the evidence of faith. But miracles will not convince a sceptic. His unbelief will question their reality. Scepticism is well-nigh invincible. It is certainly unreasonable. The gospel of freedom now proclaimed to men is well authenticated by prophecy, and miracle, by its internal consistency and purity, and by its external achievements and progress. It bears Divine credentials. Yet men will not believe it. They call it fable Truly God might well tell Moses that the first sign would not win the confidence of Israel, even though the message he proclaimed was what they needed, was simple in its meaning, was well authenticated in its evidence, and sublimely grand in its destiny. Ministers of Christ know right well, and may truly wonder, that their hearers do not more often embrace the truth upon its first presentation to them, impelled not only by the woe of sin, but also by the well-authenticated grace of God.
II. That the Divine Being mercifully makes provision for the conviction and persuasion of men in reference to the reality of the truth proclaimed; notwithstanding their confirmed unbelief. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken to thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, etc.
1. This method of treatment is considerate. It would be considerate towards the Israelites; it recognised their degraded position, and their consequent difficulty of entering into a message of freedom, however simple in its terms. Much of the unbelief of the Gospel arises from the moral degradation of men. They consider the freedom of a degraded soul an improbability. This method of treatment is considerate toward the mental and moral condition of the race, and gives men repeated opportunities for examination in reference to the truth. The truth is not arbitrary in its demand of credence. It gives every facility for complete investigation. In fact it is often much more considerate than many who pretend to advocate its claims.
2. This method of treatment is merciful. The Divine Being might have required the Israelites to have credited the message of their freedom on the bare word of Moses; or, He might have given them one token of approval, and then have left them to their own reasonings and effort. But not so. He gave sign after sign, to convince them of the necessity and likelihood of their freedom as declared by Moses. So, we have been repeatedly urged to welcome the salvation of Christ, the glad tidings of the Gospel. Have we not had many tokens of its divinity? Truly we have. God might have left Himself without a witness, but He has not done so, and this merciful arrangement is in harmony with the holy and kindly freedom He offers to our souls.
3. This method of treatment is condescending.
III. That the persistent unbelief of men is likely to awaken evidences of truth indicative of the Divine displeasure. And the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.
1. Evidences that recall past sorrows. Moses was to take water from the river, and it should be turned into blood. This would remind the Israelites of the murder of their children in those waters. So if we are persistent in our unbelief, God can make recollections of past grief come anew to our minds with deep significance of woe, to give emphasis to the Gospel He wishes us to welcome.
2. Evidences prophetic of future woe. Who can tell the depth of meaning there would be to Israel in this miracle of the water being turned into blood? It would indicate a strange and unhappy transition in their condition, if they embraced not the message of Moses. And so God will send evidence of the truth to convince the unbelieving which shall but faintly foreshadow their end if they obey not the Gospel.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Exo. 4:8. These signs were spoken to the ear of reason, if not of sense:They will believe the voice of the latter sign. This is not, perhaps, to be understood as a positive affirmation; for the next verse intimates the possibility that they may require still further evidence. The words appear designed to express the intrinsic adaptedness of the signs to produce belief, or the effect which might be reasonably anticipated from their exhibition. The circumstance strikingly shews the extent of the Divine indulgence. The perverse rejection of the great sign alone would clearly show them unworthy of being favoured with another. But God multiplies mercies, even when judgments are most richly deserved. He gives sign upon sign, as well as line upon line [Bush].
That a true minister, notwitstanding
1. His call.
2. His spiritual preparation.
3. His knowledge of the Divine name.
4. His supreme moral powerand,
5. Intimate communion with Godis exposed to the unbelief of those whom he seeks to benefit.
Miracles at first may miss their end, and not persuade men to faith.
Second miracles may do that which the first failed to effect.
Gods word and promise alone can make miracles themselves effectual means of faith.
Miracles have voices which should command faith and obedience.
The voice of the first sign:
I. It speaks of the thraldrom of man.
II. It speaks of the inability of man to liberate himself therefrom.
III. It speaks of the agency that God has provided for the freedom of man
IV. It speaks of the strange unwillingness of man to credit the tidings of freedom.
Exo. 4:9. Take of the water of the riverthat is, of the river Nile. Thus, it would appear, was a miracle to be wrought for the confirmation of Moses calling before the Israelites, and not before the Egyptians; for in that mentioned (Exo. 7:17), the waters in the river were to be turned into blood; here the water taken out of the river, this was done before the elders of Israel; but that was turned into blood before Pharaoh, and continued so seven days, to his great annoyance.
The Nile was venerated as a divinity, under the name Hapi, cognate, if not identical, with Apis. Its waters were therefore regarded as sacred, and highly esteemed as salubrious to the drinker, and fertilizing to the soil. If Moses was endowed with the power to turn these waters into blood, it was a pledge that his delegated power should prevail over all the power of Egypt.
This sign also denoted that the time was now at hand when God would judge the Egyptians for the death of the Hebrew infants whose blood they had shed in the waters.
Some would yield to the evidence of the first miracle; others would hesitate till they had seen the second; and others would not believe till they had seen the water of the Nile turned into blood, when poured upon the dry ground [A. Clarke].
The obstinacy of unbelief:It will reject the truth.
1. In opposition to the word of Him by whom it is brought.
2. In opposition to the Divine power by which it is accompanied.
3. In opposition to the benevolent design it contemplates.
4. In opposition to accumulative demonstration.
God trebleth His indulgence to help the infirmities of His servants.
It is natural to sinful man to mistrust the wonders of God.
Such incredulity may discourage Gods wonder-working instruments in their work.
God knoweth this evil of men, and permits itbut not approves it.
God works not only strange, but terrible signs to make sinners believe.
When God giveth forth His word, water shall blood the land, not water it.
When waters are made blood-guilty, they are justly turned into blood.
Signs demonstrative of Gods power, unto His servants, are vindictive unto His enemies.
God is willing more abundantly to show the truth of His word, and is not sparing in His proofs; the multitude and variety of the miracles corroborate the evidence.
Unbelief shall be left inexcusable, and convicted of a wilful obstinacy.
ILLUSTRATIONS
BY THE
REV. WM. ADAMSON
Exo. 4:6-7Leprosy!In the cabbinical books of the Jews there is a curious tradition about the growth of leprosy, that it began with the walls of a mans housethen, if he did not repent, it entered his garmentsthen it affected his body, until it spread over every part
His skin grew dry and bloodless, and white scales
Circled with livid purple covered him.
And then his nails grew black, and fell away
From the dull flesh about them, and the bues
Deepened beneath the hard, unmoistened scales.
So with unbelief, it first affects the walls of the mindthence extending its corruption to the heartand onwards through the entire inner man; until death ensues.
Exo. 4:6-7Sceptic Fears!History relates of David Hume that, having visited the family of the worthy La Roche, where the consolations of the Gospel were practically evidenced, he was afterwards heard to confess that there were moments when, amid all the pleasures of philosophical discovery and the pride of literary fame, he wished that he had never doubted
And evermore his eyes about him went,
As if some proved peril he did fear,
Or did misdoubt some ill, whose cause did not appear.
Spencer.
Exo. 4:6-7Doubt-Paralysis!We may as well, says Shepherd, expect a singing bird to be vocal in a receiver where it has little or no air to respire, as expect the genuine exercise of real goodness from the paralysed doubter. As leprosy is the destitution of those physical powers by which sound health can be sustained; so doubt of Divine truth is the destitution of those efficient principles of which the moral and spiritual life can be sustained. The experimentalist may display a vessel from which air has been more or less exhausted, and may tell us that there is nothing pernicious in it, but if we discover a deficiency of support for animal and vegetable life, we shall charge him with a paltry equivocation. Doubt is that air-void vessel, in which the mental, moral, and spiritual life cannot subsist
Doubt is the eternal shade by evil cast!
The vision and the faculty divine
Fail when the spirit oer its empire vast
Throws appetite and crimes.
Harris.
Exo. 4:6-7The Divine Touch!In healing the leper by a touch, our Saviour not only showed His power, but claimed a right that belonged only to the priest, and asserted His own exemption from ceremonial defilement; while in saying I will, be thou clean, He assumed a still higher prerogative, and pointed to a more thorough purification of the whole nature:
He took a little water in His hand
And laved the sufferers brow, and said, Be clean!
And lo! the scales fell from him, and his blood
Coursed with delicious coolness through his veins,
And his dry palms grew moist, and on his lips
The dewy softness of an infants stole.
His leprosy was cleansed, and he fell down
Prostrate at Jesus feet, and worshipped Him.
Willis.
Exo. 4:6-7The Healer!It is related that a student once visired Dr. Hodge regarding some doubts entertained by him as to the divinity of Christ, when the venerable man of God at once counselled: The best way to remove your doubts and guard yourself from future and greater troubles is to have Christ in you: learn His lifeto trust in Him moreto love Him more; become identified with Him, and your doubts as to His Divinity will disappear:
Abide in me, I pray, and I in Thee;
From this good hour, Oh! leave me nevermore,
Then shall the discord cease, the wound be healed,
The life-long bleeding of the soul be oer.
Stowe.
Exo. 4:6-7Sinner Leprous!What a pitiable, repulsive sight! We pass by a leprous stone unnoticed; it is unconscious of its state, and meant to be trampled under foot. But rising, says Trench, to a step higher in the scale of creationto an unclean, leprous plantwe become conscious of a slight emotion of dislike; because we see that which might have pleased the eye disfigured. But a leprous human being excites our loathing more than all. It presents our nature in a light so disgusting, that it lessens our pity for him if he be miserable, and excites in us ideas of disease, contamination, and pain:
Depart, and come not near
The busy mart, the crowded city, more;
Nor set thy foot on human threshold oer;
And stay thou not to hear
Voices that call thee in the way.
But a leprous soula sinnerhow loathsome above all things! It is the most unclean object in the universethe soul and essence of pollutionthe spectacle which appals angelic hosts and excites deep abhorrence in the mind of God.
Exo. 4:6-7Nil Desperandum!The healer is God; and who can tell what God can do? A man utterly despairing of his souls salvation thought that he might as well be in the woes of hells abyss at once. He therefore went to a river, designing to throw himself in; but as he was about to commit the mad deed, he seemed to hear a voice saying to him, Who can tell? His thoughts were arrested, and thus began to work on what he had heard. Yes, who can tell what God can do? Who can tell what purposes God will serve in my recovery? By such thoughts as these, it pleased God to enable him to shake off the delirium of despair, and to throw himself into the arms of hope in Christ as able to save to the uttermost.
He camea leper all unclean and foul:
He left, as fresh as freshest infancy.
So come I to Thy feet, unclean in soul,
So leave I, Lord, cleansed and restored by thee.
Exo. 4:6-7Illustrations!Robert Hall, on one occasion, when criticising a sermon in the hearing of the preacher, said: Yon have no likes in your sermon! You tell us what they are, but not what they are like. As Hood says, there can be no doubt that for the purpose of teaching, one illustration is worth a thousand abstractions; a sentiment reciprocated by a famous judge of the Supreme Court, who exclaimed to a divine: I am glad that you employed that touching story to illustrate your thought. Analogies are the windows of speech; through them truth shines. Ordinary minds fail to perceive truth clearly, unless it is presented to them by expressive imagery, which appeals both to the reason and to the imagination. It is Salter who says that illustrations are like the painting on canvas which, while it charms the eye, also interests the mind. They resemble the incense which flamed on the Jewish altar, and which, while it arrested the eye with its cloudy pillar, regaled the senses with its fragrance
Wherefore, it is wise and wellto guide the mind aright
So to talk of spirit by analogy with substance:
And analogy is a truer guide than many teachers tell of.
Similitudes are scattered round to help usnot to hurt us;
MOSES in his every type, and the greater than a Moses, in His parables,
Preach in terms that all may learn the philosophic lessons of analogy.
Tupper.
Exo. 4:6-7Definite Result!Look at that parent bird picking at the nest which she has built for her tender offspring! See how she breaks off one twig after anotherexciting her brood to leave their nest and soar on high amid the sunshine of heaven. And if they will not leave it, she will break it further and further until it is utterly broken up, and they are forced to fly or fall. They would prefer to linger in downy ease; the mother would teach them to fly. Her aim is definiteher purpose one. So God teaches; and never without a design worthy of Him self. And that design is His own glory in mans everlasting good
Oh! I doubt not through the ages one in. creasing purpose runs,
And the thoughts of men are widened with the process of the sun.
Tennyson.
Exo. 4:8-9-Human Folly!One can hardly conceive a poor way worn wretch, as he lies on the arid waste, panting with blackened lips and swollen tongue, striking the kind travellers flask from his hand, and spilling the precious water among the blistering sands. The slave boynow an African bishopexulted gleefully when a British cruiser snapped the fetters from his youthful limbs and bore him to free Liberia. Can folly surpass that insensate madness which makes the sinner spurn the clear, cool, crystal drops of life, and perversely traverse the wilds of sin? Can madness outrival that supreme folly which leads the bapless bondsman of sin to hug the chains of condemnation, and obstinately kiss the fetters of wrath?
Woe; woe to the sinner who lives in his sin,
Unrighteous without, and unholy within:
Each thought of his heart, and each look of his eye
Is tainted with sin, and his doom is to die.
Hunter.
Exo. 4:8-9Unbelief and the Bible!An infidel said that there was one thing which marred all the pleasures of his life: whereupon a friend enquired of him what it was. He quickly responded, I am afraid the Bible is true; if I could know for certain that death is an eternal sleep, I should be happy; but the thought that, if the Bible is true, my soul is lost for ever, stings me like a thornpierces me like a sword.
The avenging horror of a conscious mind,
Whose deadly fear anticipates the blow,
And sees no end of punishment and woe;
But looks for more, at the last gasp of breath;
This makes a hell on earth, and life a death.
Lucretius.
Exo. 4:8-9First Sign!Few but have observed a startling picture suspended on the walls of our metropolitan and suburban railway stations. It is a lionwith shaggy mane, and eyes glaring half with anger, half with fear. Around its agile form are the meshes of a net.
1. That net speaks of the thraldom of the monarch of the forest.
2. That net speaks of the inability of the lion-king to free himself. And,
3. That net speaks of the agency by which the wild beast is to have liberty; for a tiny mouse is busily employed nibbling the meshes one by one. None can mistake the expression of that animals eyeits eagelness to escapeits gleesomeness as it feels one mesh after another give way. Alas! That picture does not speak of what the voice of the first sign does:unwillingness to believe in freedom:
He is the freeman whom the truth makes free,
And all are slaves beside. Theres not a chain
That hellish foes confederate for his harm
Can wind around him, but he casts it off.
Cowper.
Exo. 4:8-9Obstinate Unbelief!Away at sea, the mariner will sometimes come upon a bottle floating upon the wide waste of waters. For monthay, yearsthe waters have been surging round and round it, and yet not a drop is within. So it is with our hearts, unbelief closes them so that that the water of life cannot fill them; and no matter how numerous and copious mercys showers, they remain persistently sealed. The Orientals have a proverb
The cocoa-palm leaves infidels without excuse,
For nine and ninety are its common uses;
In hardened carelessness they wait a hundredth use,
Until some new discovery introduces!
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(6) His hand was leprous as snow.The worst form of leprosy was called by the Greeks , the white disease. When it is fully developed, the whole skin appears glossy white, and every hair is white like wool (Celsus, De Re Medica, v. 28, 12). This form is said to be absolutely incurable. It was probably from the fact of Moses exhibiting a leprous hand that the Egyptians called the Israelites the lepers, as related by Manetho (ap. Joseph. contra Ap. i. 26), Chremon (ibid., i. 32), and others.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6, 7. His hand was leprous The second sign symbolizes Israel: first, fresh and young; then, foul and weak; then, clean and strong . Leprosy is a type of ceremonial defilement . As God bid Moses put his hand in his bosom, so had he bidden Israel go down into Egypt, where they had been sheltered from the Canaanitish influences which would have arrested their national life, but where they had also become contaminated with nature-worship, and where their heathen surroundings made them ceremonially unclean. Moses Mosheh, the drawer or deliverer was to draw them forth, and thrust them into another land, where they should be a nation clean unto Jehovah.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Second Sign – The Leprous Hand ( Exo 4:6-8 ).
It was with his hand that Moses had smitten the taskmaster whom he had murdered. Now he was to be made to recognise that it was defiled, and needed purifying by Yahweh. But to Israel it would signify that although they were defiled in God’s eyes through idolatry and sin, he was now seeking to cleanse them and deliver them.
a Yahweh tells him to put his hand in his bosom (Exo 4:6 a).
b He puts his hand in his bosom and it becomes leprous (Exo 4:6 b).
b He is told to put his hand in his bosom again and it becomes as his flesh (Exo 4:7).
a If they will not believe the first sign this latter sign will cause them to believe (Exo 4:8).
Here in ‘a’ Moses puts his hand, the hand of God which has rendered the snake powerless, in his bosom, the seat of his life and affections, to his very heart, symbolising the relationship between himself and God. And in the parallel as a result of what occurs in the hand becoming leprous and then being healed, a symbol of his deliverance from a diseased situation, they will believe that the God Who has brought them to their situation will also deliver them from it. In ‘b’ his hand becomes leprous and in the parallel it becomes whole again.
Exo 4:6
‘And Yahweh said further to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” And he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow.’
The second thing that Moses was to do as a sign was to put his hand within his cloak ‘into his bosom’. Then, when he withdrew it, it would be seen by all to be leprous. They would see in the leprosy the mark of God and of what He could do in smiting men, and restoring them. Their position had no doubt made them feel that they were cursed by God, and there was reason for them to do so for many of them were dallying with the gods of Egypt (Jos 24:15). Here was open evidence that that curse could be removed.
But why should his hand placed in his bosom say this to them? We should note that the hand that he was to put into his bosom would just earlier have taken the snake by the tail and turned it into a staff. Thus while he might see it as branding him as a murderer they would see it as the prophet’s hand of power by which the one whom the snake represented could be defeated. (Later he will raise his hand in order to do wonders). Thus when he pointedly put it in his bosom He was thereby indicating to them his own history, that because of the attitude of his heart the hand of God in him had previously been made useless and ‘unclean’ by God, but that now it had been restored and God was with him. Its becoming leprous and being restored again may well have been seen by them as an indication that Moses, God’s hand, whom they had believed as lost, was now restored by God to fulfil His purposes.
It may well too have been a sign that God saw their hearts as sinful so that on recognising that God was coming to them as they were, they gained in confidence that he would save them.
“Leprosy”, (in Hebrew the word covers many diseases of the skin), was a particularly dreaded disease. It was seen as being a curse from God, and often incurable. It often rendered a person permanently ‘unclean’ and therefore unable to approach God. (It was not always leprosy as we know it. They did not, of course, distinguish clearly between various kinds of skin disease. Thus some skin diseases would eventually heal, which explains later legislation). And this kind that Moses had was particularly virulent as was shown by the effect, it made his hand white as snow, an effect produced by certain types of skin disease. Perhaps there was here a hint of the mark (‘sign’) of Cain (Gen 4:15) which may well have been seen as some similar disfigurement. For the sign on the hand see Exo 13:9; Exo 13:16 where a sign on the hand was later considered important for Yahweh’s people. Then it would be a sign of response and obedience. Here therefore it might well indicate the ‘curing’ of their disobedience.
Exo 4:7
‘And he said, “Put your hand into your bosom again.” And he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold it was turned again as his other flesh.’
First the giving and then the healing of this severe skin disease would be a clear indication to all that it was God Who was at work, for such severe skin diseases were uniquely seen as within the prerogative of God ( Num 12:10 ; 2Sa 3:29; 2Ki 15:5; 2Ch 26:20-21). They learned by this the important lesson, that God could make something loathsome, but that He could also make it clean. God could smite and He could heal. He had done it for Moses. He could do it for them. And just as the snake had symbolised hidden powers of evil, so we may see the healing of the leprosy as indicating God’s power to control and deal with all that was loathsome so that he could attack men and their ability to act, and then restore them as he would. And if they did see it as representing the mark of Cain on the man in the wilderness they would recognise by this that that mark had in Moses’ case been removed. Although they might have thought he was marked by his Midianite background, this would demonstrate that he was not marked by God as separated from the people of God or as a murderer. For whatever he was God had made him whole. Thus his God-empowered hand was there to deliver.
Furthermore if the snake represented the powers against which they were arrayed, the hand represented Moses’ own power and ability as bestowed by God. By himself he was weak and diseased, but let his hand be conjoined with a heart that was right and all would be well. Then God would use his hand.
Exo 4:8
“And it will happen that, if they will not believe you, or listen to the voice of the first sign, they will believe the voice of the latter sign.”
The second sign will give good reason why the people will believe in the face of two signs. Two witnesses should be accepted as valid evidence.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Num 12:12 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 4:6 And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand [was] leprous as snow.
Ver. 6. Put now thine hand. ] Here was sign upon sign, as Exo 3:12 . So low stoops the Most High to our meanness. And doth he not the same favour for us by the often administration of the Lord’s supper? Doth he not seal again and again, &c.?
Was leprous as snow.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
leprous. First occurance. Nine so afflicted: Exo 4:6. Num 12:10. 2Ki 5:1, 2Ki 5:27; 2Ki 7:3; 2Ki 15:5. (2Ch 26:20). Mat 8:2; Mat 26:6. Luk 17:12. (Ninth case, 21 individuals. App-10.)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Put now thine hand
The sign of leprosy. The heart (“bosom”) stands for what we are, the hand for what we do. What we are, that ultimately we do. It is a sign of Luk 6:43-45. The two signs, rod and hand, speak of preparation for service:
(1) consecration–our capacity taken up for God;
(2) the hand that holds the rod of God’s power must be a cleansed hand swayed by a new heart.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
leprous as snow: Num 12:10, 2Ki 5:27
Reciprocal: Lev 8:11 – General Lev 13:2 – the plague of leprosy 2Ki 5:10 – thy flesh Luk 5:12 – full Luk 6:10 – Stretch