God’s Compassion for Doubters
Weed of Doubt
The weed of doubt never grows alone. When we plant the seed of doubt in God’s word or God’s power, the weeds of fear, disobedience, and pessimism also take root and grow. Very soon our soul is overgrown and choked with these ugly weeds. Which gardener can uproot our doubt and replant our souls with faith? Let’s visit the field of Exodus 4:1–17 where God digs deep into Moses’s soul to uproot doubt and replant faith.
God Will Crush the Serpent’s Head
Moses feared that when he told Israel God had sent him to deliver them from Egypt, they wouldn’t believe him (Ex. 4:1). God therefore gave Moses a sign to prove his claims. Moses’s staff turned into a snake and then turned back into a staff when Moses was persuaded to pick it up (Ex. 4:3–4). God assured Moses that when Israel saw his power over the snake, they would “believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you” (Ex. 4:5). God used the serpent as a servant to grow faith in the Israelites, by reminding them of his promises to defeat the serpent in Genesis 3:15.
Exodus
David Murray
This journey through the book of Exodus includes 50 daily devotionals written by David Murray. Part of the StoryChanger Devotional series, this book features daily readings designed to help you learn, love, and live the Bible.
The serpent-crusher is the devil-crusher.
“God can kill our killer, but can he give us life?” That’s what the next sign points us to.
God Will Give Life to the Dead
God then gave Moses a second sign to prove his claims. He turned Moses’s hand leprous but then removed the leprosy. “‘If they will not believe you,’ God said, ‘or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign’” (Ex. 4:8). Leprosy meant death, but God would give life to their faith by demonstrating his power to give life to the dead.
Doubt is a weed multiplier, but faith is a weed killer.
“Will God do this for everyone?” The river of blood says no.
Doubt is a weed multiplier, but faith is a weed killer.
God Will Judge the World
Because Israel’s doubt was so deep-rooted, God gave Moses a third sign, that of turning the River Nile into blood (Ex. 4:9). The Nile was the life of Egypt, so much so that the Egyptians worshiped it. But God would judge their source of life by turning it to blood. It was a warning to Israel that God would judge those who are not his people. There would be life for his people but death for the world.
God can turn life into blood and blood into life.
“How does God get this message out?”
In the least expected way.
God Uses Weak Servants
Unsurprisingly Moses was terrified by the prospect of this and essentially said, “I’m no speaker. I can’t do that” (Ex. 4:10). “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak’” (Ex. 4:11–12). When Moses continued to object, God agreed to Moses using Aaron as his spokesperson (Ex. 4:13–16). God didn’t give up on Moses but gave him help to strengthen his faith.
Our powerful God speaks through powerless servants.
This article is adapted from Exodus: Stories of Redemption and Relationship by David Murray.
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