THE ROD OF MOSES A SHEPHERD S STAFF

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1 THE ROD OF MOSES God takes and often uses us with the gifts He has already given us Do you believe that?! Do you believe you have a gift or gifts God has already given you to work for Him? The Bible teaches every born-again child of God is a servant and the work of the servant is to serve the Master. You and I are servants together here for God in Pathhead Baptist Church. When Paul met Christ on the road to Damascus, he realised how futile were all his good works and achievements, - a wonderful transaction took place. Paul lost some things, but he gained much more than he lost for God took some of what Paul had already achieved in his past and began to use it for His glory. When a person becomes a Christian God often takes the ability already within the person and makes it better. Moses was an educated man, - educated in the finest establishments in Egypt, - but the Lord took him from the finery of that ancient land into the wilderness for about forty years where he became a shepherd. As a shepherd he would have had an implement that was so ordinary and so every-day. It was a shepherd s crook, - a rod. There was nothing fancy about it, it was just a rod a shepherd used. An ancient Jewish source contained the legend that Adam took, - or was given by God, - the branch from the tree of good and evil when he was driven from the Garden of Eden. Through the years it was then passed to Seth, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. On Joseph s death it was stolen but somehow it made its way to Midian where Jethro bought it. Being a Hebrew, Jethro allowed Moses to have it in exchange for marrying Zipporah his daughter. I don t think much store should be put on this story, - it is only a legend but what is more important to consider is this: the thing that Moses already had became a tool in the work of the Lord. Let s consider the rod of Moses. A SHEPHERD S STAFF Forget the legend it is far simpler just to consider that Moses cut a branch out of a tree somewhere and God used this very ordinary implement in the work He had for Moses to do. It was primarily for his work with the sheep. If he had not been a shepherd, he would have had no need of a staff but in the will and plan of God, - in preparation for the years to come, - God had him a shepherd in a wilderness with a staff.

2 2 When God called him, as Moses stood there before the burning bush in the wilderness, God asked him a very basic question, 4:2 What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. He did not have to think about it. It wasn t a hard question, - it was a rod, a simple shepherd s crook. And the next instruction God gave him wasn t difficult either, v.3 Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. All that Moses needed to serve God was already in his possession. With that rod Moses went into the court of Pharaoh to prove his God. He did not need the education he was given as a young Egyptian prince All God called him to have in his hand was a simple, ordinary, shepherd s staff and with it God used him to bring the children of Israel out of captivity in Egypt, Ex. 12:11 your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand. Just an ordinary shepherd s rod. What have you got that God could use? You might say, I don t have anything but, you do! You do have something, because God has given you at least one gift to serve Him. What is it then? you ask me. Take a look at yourself. What is there that God has given you that you can use in some way for Him? There is something. He has given you the blessing of becoming His servant and therefore He has given you something with which you can serve Him! It is most likely something that is so ordinary you might not even think of it. To some people He has given the gift of music, to some He has given the gift of opening up conversations, to some He has given the gift of a good listening ear Whatever gift He has given you, use it now for His glory and in His service just like Moses used his shepherd s staff! A NEW IDENTITY A very important chapter began in Moses life when he took his first step back to Egypt. God instructed him specifically, 4:17 thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, and we read in v.20 Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. Now do you see the new identity that is placed upon this rod? Previously it had been Moses rod now it is the rod of God!

3 3 Isn t it wonderful when God takes the ordinary things that we have and they become His?! With the rod of God in his hand God told him and encouraged him, v.21 When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand. With that rod of God he not only cast it on the ground and it became a serpent, - and even swallowed up the other serpents of Pharaoh s servants, - he smote the waters of the River Nile and they became red with blood (7:20), and then he stretched the same rod over the rivers and the streams and the ponds and the plague of frogs enveloped the land (8:5,6), and then he smote the dust and the plague of lice came (8:16,17), and he lifted his rod toward the skies and the Lord sent thunder and hail (9:23), and then when he stretched out the rod in 10:13 the east wind blew in the plague of locusts. You see this was no longer just Moses rod this had become the rod of God in his hand. It had taken on a new identity when used for God in the hands of His servant. When the children of Israel were eventually allowed out of Egypt they faced the Red Sea but Moses took the same shepherd s staff that had now become the rod of God in his hand and he smote the waters and the children of Israel passed through as on dry land (14:16). Again isn t it an absolute wonder that God can take the ordinary and even use it in an extraordinary way to His honour and to His glory! The staff that had once been used to guide the sheep was now being used in the salvation of the children of Israel out of Egypt! God can take the most ordinary person with the most ordinary abilities and use them in the work of the Kingdom. He can take what you have and give it a brand new identity that He will use and bless to achieve His purposes. God can take the staff in your hand and use it to His glory! The shepherd s staff, a new identity A BLESSING TO OTHERS The people were murmurers, - they were basically non-stop moaners! No sooner had they stopped griping about one thing until they started griping about something else. They were thirsty again but still they had no right to gripe, because God had quenched their thirst on two previous occasions at Marah and Elim (15:22-27).

4 4 However, they started again! (17:1,2) Isn t God good even when we don t deserve it! V.5 the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. There is the rod again a blessing to others, even when they didn t deserve it. And then the Amalakites came along, - they were the descendants of Esau from whom Jacob had stolen the birthright and the Amalekites had never forgiven the Israelites for what Jacob had done even though it was hundreds of years earlier! This time though, God gave Moses special battle instructions, he said to Joshua, 17:9 Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. When the battle commenced, as long as Moses could stand with his hands raised and the staff in his hands the Israelites were winning; but when his hands began to drop, the Amalekites began to win. At the end of the day, the battle was won because Aaron stood on one side of Moses and Hur stood on the other, and along with Moses they kept the rod of the Lord high. Indeed, the name they gave the place was Jehovah nissi, The Lord is my banner, - the rod had become the banner of the Lord s people. It was a great blessing to others in the hands of the man whom God had called to use it. A ROD OF PRIVILEGE What God gives us is always a gift given by grace. Without God the rod was just a rod. But, in the hands of a man driven by God it was an implement of great blessing. However, what God gives to us we must also manage correctly and sadly, there was an occasion when Moses used the rod wrongly. The people were griping again, - There s no more water we wish we had never listened to you we wish we had never left Egypt (Num. 20:2-5) and God told Moses, 8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. 9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.

5 5 But Moses wasn t pleased, - he had had enough! In a fit of bad temper he said to them all, v.10 Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. Mmh Moses, who brought the water out?! Are you putting it out that you provided the water all the time? Are you trying to take the glory away from God for all those other times the water was provided? Moses, for as long as God provided the water it was your job to fetch it! God was not pleased, v.12 Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. It sounds unfair, but Moses needed to be obedient to God as much as anyone else. Just because he had the privilege of being the keeper of the rod of God it did not mean He could expect to disrespect God s honour and it would be ignored. For this one occasion, God stopped him from leading the people into Canaan. There is a warning! Not only must we use the talents God has given we must also use them in the right way, to His glory. It is a rod of privilege, and with privilege comes responsibility. God has blessed us with favours in His grace and He awaits return on his investment. Conclusion God has given you at least one gift, - how you use it, He will require of you when you stand in the place of judgement. The best way to use the gift He has given you is with a burden on your heart for His glory to be made known through your endeavours. And surely it all starts in the place of prayer when He confirms that gift or gifts, and you recognise the burden He has given you and you ask Him to apply His grace in order that you would effectually achieve what He has for you to achieve. That is the purpose of our Bible study, - to again show God our willingness, and to ask how He would lead us, and to present ourselves as obedient servants, for His sake and to His glory.