SIGNS AND WONDERS

 After forty years away, Moses stepped out of the wilderness and entered the land of his birth. With brother Aaron at his side, Moses gathered “the elders of the Israelites” (Exodus 4:29) and announced his mission and purpose. “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has commissioned me to lead you out of your miserable slavery to the land He promised, a land of bounty and beauty!”

I suspect that Israel’s leaders looked at Moses with suspicion and skepticism. “Who are you? Where did you come from? Why did God speak to you? How are we to overthrow our captors? The Egyptians won’t let us go without a fight, and we’re brickmakers, not warriors!”

Can you imagine Moses and Aaron quieting the crowd? “I have proof that God has sent me! Watch this!” Then Moses lifted his shepherd’s staff high above his head, and with a theatrical flourish, he tossed it to the ground. Immediately the wooden staff became a snake and began to slither away. As the small crowd of men jumped back, Moses grabbed the snake by the tail. Instantly it returned to its original form.

Surely, the Israelites must have recognized God’s presence. But, as further evidence that God had sent him, Moses performed another sign. “Watch this! This will prove that God has sent me. This miraculous sign will erase all your doubt.” With that, Moses raised his right hand. Wiggling his fingers to capture their attention, he thrust his hand into his coat. And, without saying abracadabra, he pulled his hand back out. The astonished men saw that Moses’ hand was covered with leprosy and gasped in horror. Again, Moses stuck his hand back into his coat. When he pulled it out again, the leprosy was gone.

The Bible says, when Moses had “performed the signs before the people … the people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention to them and that he had seen their misery, they knelt low and worshiped” (Exodus 4:30-31).

God used signs to demonstrate that the message delivered by Moses was accurate, that it was Heaven-sent.

Does God use signs today? Is there a fool-proof sign that the Gospel message proclaimed by the church is truly from God? Yes.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

“… think on these things” (Philippians 4:8, KJV).