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Chapter 4 continues with the excuses of Moses. "What if they do not believe me or listen to me?" To support Moses in this doubt, God gave him the power to perform miracles. The Lord told him to cast his rod upon the ground and it immediately turned into a snake. He picked it up and it became a rod again. Moses, still not convinced, was told by the Lord to put his hand into his shirt. When he withdrew his hand, it was white with leprosy. He put it back and it was restored. If that were not enough, the Lord told Moses that he would take water from the Nile and when he poured it upon the ground, it would turn to blood.
This helped his fear of being rejected, but he had another problem.
"Well, what about my poor speaking ability, I have never been a very eloquent speaker?" To this question, God gave Moses his brother, Aaron, to speak for him. Finally Moses agrees and he takes his wife and sons and heads back to Egypt. Two events of note occurred on the way back. The Lord became angry with Moses because he had not circumcised his sons so to appease the Lord, Zipporah, Moses' wife, took a "flint" and cut off the foreskins of her sons and God was pleased. Moses probably knew about this ordinance as he had been taught by his mother, but being raised as an Egyptian, he probably didn't put much importance upon it. Some suggest that it was the result of being married to a Midianite woman who was known for indulging their children and Moses was indulgent of her, but Zipporah knew what to do and immediately took care of it. What she said to Moses when it was all done is not completely clear. "Surely, you are a bridegroom of blood to me." Most believe she was expressing her dislike for the ordinance.
When Moses arrived in Egypt, Aaron came out to meet him and together they went into Egypt where Moses performed the signs that the Lord had given him before the Elders of Israel and they believed that he had been sent of God.
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