The Commencement of The Contest Between Yahweh and Pharaoh In Egypt (Exodus 4:27 to Exodus 7:13).
Moses now meets up with Aaron and they go to Egypt to demand the release of Israel so that they may go into the wilderness and worship Yahweh. Pharaoh refuses their request and responds viciously.
a On arriving in Egypt Moses and Aaron perform their signs before the elders and begin their task in preparation for approaching Pharaoh (Exodus 4:27-31).
b They approach Pharaoh who turns on the people (Exodus 5:1-23)
c Yahweh responds to Pharaoh's behaviour with a show of authority and power, providing His credentials, and promising to deliver His People (Exodus 6:1-9).
c Yahweh's gives a charge to Moses and Aaron concerning the deliverance and details of Aaron's credentials are provided as the head of Moses' family (Exodus 6:10-30)
b After their first rebuff Moses and Aaron are to approach Pharaoh again (Exodus 7:1-5)
a They begin their task by performing the miracle of the staff becoming a snake, and their snake eats up the snakes of Egypt (Exodus 7:6-13)
Note the parallels. In ‘a' Moses meets up with Aaron and they go to Egypt to demand the release of Israel so that they may go into the wilderness and worship Yahweh. Pharaoh refuses their request and responds viciously. In the parallel Yahweh by a sign reveals what He will do to Pharaoh if he remains intransigent. He too will act viciously. In ‘b' Moses and Aaron approach Pharaoh who turns on the people, in the parallel, having been rebuffed they approach Pharaoh again. In ‘c' Yahweh responds to Pharaoh's behaviour with a show of authority and power, providing His credentials and promising to deliver His People, and in the parallel He gives a charge to Moses and Aaron to bring about this deliverance and Aaron's credentials are provided as the head of Moses' family.
Moses and Aaron Begin Their Task Of Delivering Israel (Exodus 4:27-31).
At long last Aaron and Moses meet up, and Aaron is made aware of the huge implications of their meeting. Then they return to Egypt together and commence their campaign for the deliverance of the children of Israel.
This passage may be analysed as follows:
a Aaron is told to go and meet Moses and meets him at the mountain of God (Exodus 4:27).
b Moses tells Aaron all that Yahweh has said and reveals to him the signs (Exodus 4:28).
c Moses and Aaron gather the elders of Israel (Exodus 4:29).
b Aaron speaks all the words which Yahweh spoke to Moses and does the signs in the sight of the people (Exodus 4:30).
a The people believe when they hear that Yahweh has visited His people and bow their heads and worship (Exodus 4:31).
In ‘a' Aaron and Moses meet up at the Mountain of God where Yahweh has promised to deliver His people and where they are to worship Him in the future, and in the parallel the people respond to the fact that Yahweh has visited His people, and worship Him where they are. In ‘b' Moses tells Aaron all that Yahweh has said and reveals to him the signs, in the parallel Aaron tells the people all that Yahweh has said and does the signs before the people. Central to it all in ‘c' is the gathering of the elders of Israel to Moses and Aaron without which there could be no progress.
‘And Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” And he went and met him in the mountain of God, and he kissed him, and Moses told Aaron all the words of Yahweh with which he had sent him and all the signs with which he had charged him.'
God tells Aaron to go out to meet Moses and they meet at the very place where Moses had met with God and received his theophany. There they have an emotional reunion and Moses outlines all that has taken place and what they are now expected to do.
“The mountain of God.” This is Horeb (see Exodus 3:3) where Mount Sinai was sited. It is probable that it was seen locally as a holy mountain.
‘And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel, and Aaron told them all the words which Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and performed the signs in the sight of the people, and the people believed, and when they heard that Yahweh had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.'
In a brief summary the writer tells us that Moses and Aaron now carried out God's command with regard to the children of Israel. They gathered the elders together and outlined to them what had happened, and they called the people together, possibly for an act of worship, which would be permissible. Then Aaron performed the signs before them and the people. This produced response and worship as the people ‘believed'. Hope began to fill their hearts and they bowed their heads and worshipped.
“And Aaron --- performed the signs.” He was now the front man acting on behalf of Moses, and he presumably now carried, at least temporarily, ‘the staff of God' (Exodus 4:17; Exodus 4:20). There was wisdom in this. Moses was a stranger whereas Aaron was well known to them and trusted. And he was the mouth and had the eloquence. Moses was, of course, involved. It was presumably his hand that would become leprous. But Aaron was pressing the claim on the people. How quickly the performing of the signs is passed over. The writer is in haste to move on to the main battle. The indication is suggested that the people responded immediately. At this point their hearts were open (in contrast with Pharaoh's). ‘The people believed.' Faith was always central to experiencing God's working. Compare Genesis 15:6. It was no doubt here counted to them for righteousness for all who believed.
“That Yahweh had visited the children of Israel.” They had begun to think that He had forgotten them but now they learned that He had been among them and had seen the dreadful conditions under which they lived. But the easy part was now over, Pharaoh would take more convincing.
Note for Christians.
This passage has many things to say to us. In the sign of the snake we see a picture of God's triumph over Satan (compare Genesis 3:15), and of His promise that we can ‘take him by the tail', that is render him helpless by the power of God through His word, just as Jesus did during His period of temptation in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13). He may seem fearsome, and indeed he is, but we can say, ‘the Lord rebuke you' (Jude 1:9).
In the same way our hands may be ‘unclean' and leprous with the leprosy of sin, but God can purify our hands and make them useful in His service. But only if they are yielded to Him. Many of us need our hands to be cleansed from the leprosy of sin, and to say, ‘take my hands and let them be, consecrated Lord to thee'. Only then will they be truly whole.
We may not find ourselves beside the Nile, the river god of Egypt who was opposed to Yahweh. Even many Israelites probably thought of him as powerful and invincible. But Yahweh in portent ‘slew' him and turned his waters into blood. In the same way we will have to face in our lives many things which seek to rule over us, and it will be then that we need to look to the One Who could turn the Nile into blood, and render its power inoperative. For we can be sure that He can do the same with regard to what we have to face. We know from this that nothing can withstand His power.
Like some of us, Moses was ready to make excuses in order to avoid obeying God. He was no longer used to parleying with diplomats, and not a ready speaker. But God provided him with ‘a mouth', just as He can provide us with all we need when we obey Him and carry out His will. Moses fought hard against God, but in the end he yielded and began one of the most illustrious and powerful careers of all time. God is patient with us. Fortunately He does not give up on us like we give up on Him.
And just as Moses was called on to circumcise his son on pain of death, so are we called on to make sure that we have experienced the greater circumcision, that which is without hands, in the putting off of our flesh and the transforming of our lives by coming in faith to Jesus Christ and experiencing His saving power, through the blood of Christ and by the power of His Spirit (Colossians 2:11). And that we let it carry through into our lives. For it is that which will save us from ourselves, and finally from eternal death. And we need to seek it, not only for ourselves but others also.
And finally we have in this chapter the first clear statement of the unique Fatherhood of God for those who are His. Israel is ‘His son' His firstborn', beloved and cared for and with a glorious future inheritance, in contrast with all others. That is why He persevered with them. And he still perseveres. All who believe in Christ are in the same way incorporated within God's people, become the true Israel, and can look to God as their Father. Equally certainly those who refuse to respond to Him will never know His Fatherhood.
End of note.