Message 8
We have seen that the record of the call of Moses is the most complete record in the Bible pertaining to God’s calling. When Moses came to the back side of the desert and met God there, he beheld the sign of a thorn-bush that burned without being consumed. Although this sign was marvelous, it was somewhat objective. In this message we shall consider the three signs in chapter four, signs which are very subjective.
It is important for us to see why these three subjective signs were given. At the end of chapter three, God’s calling of Moses seemed to be complete. Moses had seen the objective sign of the burning thorn-bush, and he had heard God speaking to him. God gave to Moses a full revelation of Himself. Thus, on God’s side, the calling of Moses was complete. However, on Moses’ side, it was not complete. Exodus 4:1 says, “And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.” This word indicates that although Moses had seen a most marvelous sign and had heard the voice of God, he had not been inspired or moved. For this reason, the three signs found in chapter four were given. These signs were to be conclusive evidence that Moses had truly been called by God. The principle is the same with God’s called ones today. Whoever claims to be called by God should have the mark of these three subjective signs.
It is significant that the Lord showed Moses three signs, not two, not four, nor any other number. In the Bible the number three is a meaningful number. Because God is triune, the number three is related to God’s economy, to God’s dispensation. In Luke 15 there are three parables, related to the Son, the Spirit, and the Father. But in Exodus 4 there are three signs, dealing with the serpent, leprosy, and blood.
As every reader of the Bible knows, the serpent represents Satan. In Genesis 3 we see Satan, the subtle serpent. The serpent in Exodus 4 is the very serpent in Genesis 3, the one who is called “the ancient serpent” in the book of Revelation (12:9; 20:2). It is not adequate for the called one just to know God; every called one must also know the serpent. Not only should we know how to deal with God, how to contact God, how to have fellowship with God, and how to trust in God; we must also be able to deal with the serpent.
The leprosy in the second sign is a matter of the rottenness, corruption, and uncleanness of the flesh of sin. According to the Old Testament, every leprous person had to openly declare that he was unclean. The sin signified by leprosy is not the outward sin, but the subjective sin, the sin in our flesh. It is out from this sin that there is rottenness, corruption, and uncleanness.
The third sign is that of water which turns into blood. Blood here signifies the death brought in by the world with its enjoyment. Therefore, blood in the third sign is related to the world.
The serpent, leprosy, and blood are related respectively to Satan, to sin in the flesh, and to the death brought in by the world. Those who have been called by God must have not only the objective sign of the burning thorn-bush, but the subjective signs of the serpent, leprosy, and the blood. As called ones, we need some subjective experiences, some subjective evidences, to substantiate to others that we have truly been called by God and sent by Him. These evidences are the ability to deal with the Devil, the ability to deal with the sinful flesh, and the ability to deal with the death brought in by the world. Suppose a certain person comes to you claiming that he has been sent by God. If he does not know how to deal with Satan, the flesh, and the world, you should not believe that he is a sent one. The sign of a burning thorn-bush is not adequate proof that one has been called by God. A sent one must be able to deal with the serpent, with leprosy, and with blood.
We have pointed out that Exodus is a book of pictures. What marvelous pictures are in chapter four! In these pictures we see Satan, the sinful flesh, and the world of death. If we know how to deal with these things, then we are truly God’s sent ones. It is crucial that we all know the significance of the three subjective signs in this chapter and have such subjective experiences.
When God called Moses, Moses had a rod that he relied upon. Perhaps when he was talking to God, Moses, an elderly man, was leaning upon that rod. His rod was his support. Hence, the rod signifies what we rely upon.
Moses was reluctant to accept God’s calling; he protested that the children of Israel would reject him and say that the Lord had not appeared to him. Therefore, God said to Moses concerning the rod, “Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it” (v. 3). When the rod was cast to the ground, the serpent hiding there was exposed. Even before the rod was cast down, the serpent was already there, but in a very hidden way. The Bible reveals that the serpent always tries to hide himself in something, behind something, or under something. The rod Moses relied on was actually the serpent, Satan. In the eyes of Moses, the rod was simply a rod that he could lean upon, but in the eyes of God, it was the serpent, whose aim is to usurp man.
Anything we rely upon is a rod. For example, if a brother relies upon his job, that job becomes a rod to him. But to God the serpent is hidden in that job, because from his hiding place within the job, Satan, the serpent, seeks to usurp the brother. We may rely upon many persons or things: our wife or husband, our parents, our children, our ability, our education, our property, our bank account. The Bible shows us that whatever we rely upon becomes the usurping serpent. Today Satan is usurping all of mankind by concealing himself within the rods that people rely upon.
Anyone who has been called by God must realize that anything we rely upon is a hiding place for the serpent. The usurping enemy of God may be concealed in any matter, any thing, or any person we rely upon. Throughout the years I have been learning to trust in the Lord and not to rely upon any kind of rod.
Please note that God did not tell Moses to throw away his rod. Rather, He commanded Moses to cast it down in order that its true nature might be exposed. The point here is that whatever our rod may be — our husband or wife, our education, our job, our ability, our bank account — it needs to leave our hand temporarily. If the rod stays in our hand with the head on the top, the serpent will not be exposed. But if we cast it down, then we shall see with our own eyes that our rod is actually a serpent. Exodus 4:3 says that when Moses’ rod became a serpent, “Moses fled from before it.” That rod may have been in Moses’ possession for many years, and it may have been precious to him. But when it was cast down, it was no longer lovable to him because the serpent who had been concealed within it all the while was exposed.
Verse 4 says, “And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand.” The Lord wants us to cast our rods down, not to throw them away. Do not throw away your education or your savings — cast them down. After the hidden serpent has been exposed, we need to pick it up by the “tail.” This is the best way to deal with the serpent. If you take a serpent by the head, it may bite you. But if you pick it up by the tail, it will lose its power and hang limp.
The picture of Moses taking the serpent by the tail shows that we should deal with things in a way opposite to the practice of the people of the world. What the people of the world do and have is for themselves. But everything we do and everything we have should be for the Lord. For example, when the worldly people get married, their married life is for themselves. But our married life should be for the Lord. In the same principle, when the worldly people attend college, they do so for their own interests. But the young people in the Lord’s recovery should attend college and study diligently, not for themselves, but for the Lord. This principle can be applied to our relationship with everyone and everything. All should be for the Lord.
If we have a certain thing or do a particular thing in the common way, that is, by doing it or having it for ourselves, then our rod has the head of the serpent at the top and the tail of the serpent at the bottom. But if we take the serpent by the tail, we handle it in a way opposite to the way of this world. We need to have a proper married life and a good education; however, we should not have these things in the common way, in the way of the world, but in the Lord’s way. The Lord’s way always causes the serpent to become powerless and limp.
In the 1930s I visited one of the outstanding universities in China, a university noted for its fine medical school. Many brothers in the Lord were medical students there. However, after these brothers were married, almost all of them were distracted from the Lord, mainly by their wives. These brothers did not know how to take their marriage by the “tail.”
The Bible by no means requires us to forsake our human living. On the contrary, we need to have a proper living. For example, the Bible does not forbid that young people get a good education. But the young people must learn to pick up their education by the “tail.” The young people also need to get married. However, in doing so they should not take the serpent by the head; instead, they should pick it up by the tail. This means that they should not get married according to the common way, but should get married in a way that is not common, in the way that is for God. This way is opposite to the common practice of the people of the world. All married brothers must love their wives, but they should not love their wives in a common way — that is, by taking the serpent by the head — but by the uncommon way — by picking up the serpent by the tail. In every aspect of our human living, from shopping to getting a haircut, we need to take things by the “tail.”
Anything can be a hiding place for the serpent. Even in every detail of our practical daily living, the usurping serpent is lurking, ready to bite the one who takes it by the head instead of by the tail. One who claims to be sent by the Lord must know that the serpent is hiding in every person, in every matter, and in every thing. Furthermore, he must know how to cast that hiding place to the ground and then he must know how to deal with that situation by the “tail.”
Eventually, the serpent that is picked up by the tail will become a rod of authority (4:4, 17; Luke 10:19). When Moses took the serpent by the tail, the serpent became the rod by which Moses was able to perform signs (4:17). This indicates that in the hand of Moses the transformed rod became a rod of authority. If we are those who handle every situation by the “tail,” we shall have power, authority. The rod we have then is not a natural rod, but a transformed one. Such a rod is now in an upside-down position. It is this kind of rod that is our authority.
Many Christians today are talking about power. But the more they talk about power, the less power they have. They do not have the power to deal with the hidden serpent. We who are ministers of Christ have authority only by handling situations by the “tail.” For example, if a brother knows how to handle the situation with his wife by the “tail,” he spontaneously will have authority. However, I have known a number of good brothers who were gifted and qualified, but they had a serious weak point: they gave too much place to their wives and allowed them to become the head. As a result, these brothers became powerless and useless.
To be called by God and sent by Him we must learn how to handle our husbands or wives, our children, and all situations, not in the ordinary way, the common way, the natural way, but in an altogether different way — by the “tail.” If we handle a person or a thing in a natural way, that person or thing will become a hiding place of the serpent.
Moses did not use his rod in a common way. If he had used it in an ordinary way, the serpent would still have been hiding within it. But after he cast down the rod, the hidden serpent was exposed. This indicates that often we need to keep our hands off a situation and see what comes out. By keeping our hands off those things we rely upon, their true nature will be exposed. Then we shall say, “This is not dear or lovable — it is a terrible serpent.” At that very time God will tell us to take the serpent by the tail. If the rod-become-serpent is our wife, we should take her up again and love her in an entirely new way; we should take the whole situation by the “tail.”
Once you get married, you cannot give up married life. Those who do so become useless as far as the Lord is concerned. You must stay married, but not in the common way. Either to be married in the common way or to give up married life is easy. This is the reason that there are so many divorces in this country. Instead of taking either of these courses, we should take our marriage by the “tail” and handle it for the Lord.
The sign of a rod becoming a serpent is a picture of a very subjective experience. Those persons or things we rely upon must eventually be cast down and then taken back again at the word of the Lord. When young saints are disappointed with a particular situation, they may want to deal with it by throwing it away. We should strongly encourage them not to do this. Instead of throwing it away, they should keep it, not by themselves or for themselves, but by the Lord and for the Lord. Do not handle situations by your natural ability; handle them by grace. To deal with them by grace is to take them by the “tail.” May we all learn to deal with things for the Lord and by His grace. If we have learned this lesson, this is a strong sign, strong evidence, that we have been called by God and sent by Him. As His sent ones, we know how to handle every situation as if it were a hiding place for the serpent, and we know how to deal with the serpent by taking it by the “tail.” In this way we have authority.
In verse 6 the Lord told Moses to put his hand into his bosom. Moses may have thought that by putting his hand into his bosom, he would find a pearl, a diamond, or some precious treasure. On the contrary, Moses’ hand became leprous. The bosom signifies what is within us, and leprosy signifies sin (Rom. 7:17-18). This indicates that in addition to knowing Satan, we must also know the flesh. The rod upon which we rely is a serpent, but the flesh is the embodiment of leprosy. We need to know that in our flesh we are lepers. In our flesh there is nothing good, only leprosy. If we touch the flesh, we shall become leprous.
In verses 2 through 6 the Lord seems to be saying, “Moses, you asked Me for proof that I have sent you. One proof is that you know how to deal with the serpent. Another proof is that you realize that your flesh is nothing but a composition of leprosy. Moses, put your hand into your bosom and see what will come forth from you.”
There is a saying that if a person regards himself as good, during the quiet of the night he should place his hand upon his heart and consider what he really is. If you do this, you will discover how evil you are. Perhaps when you are in the company of others, you may boast of your own goodness. But when you consider what is in your heart during a time of quiet late at night, you will see that within you there is nothing but leprosy, nothing but sin.
One who boasts of his goodness is not one who has been called by God. Every called one realizes that within him there is leprosy. After Moses was shown the sign of the hand that became leprous, he knew that his flesh was the embodiment of leprosy. Moses could have said, “Before the Lord showed me that sign, I thought I was quite good. But when God told me to put my hand into my bosom and to take it out again, my hand was leprous. This showed me that in my flesh there is nothing but leprosy.”
Everyone used by the Lord in the church today must have such a consciousness concerning his flesh. To know the flesh in such a subjective way is an evidence that the Lord has called us and sent us. As the called ones and sent ones, we must bear the sign which indicates that nothing good dwells in our flesh. We are all a composition of leprosy, the embodiment of sin, rottenness, corruption, and uncleanness. If you do not believe this about your flesh, I suggest that in the silence of the night, when you are all alone, you touch your conscience and listen to what it says about you. It will reveal that your flesh also is nothing but leprosy.
God’s sent ones must know the flesh to this extent. When Isaiah was called by the Lord, he exclaimed, “Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isa. 6:5). If we have been met by the Lord, that meeting will expose our flesh to ourselves. We shall know that within our flesh there is nothing but leprosy.
In these days we have heard that all the saints can be today’s apostles and prophets. But if we would be such gifts to the Body, we must know that our flesh is the incarnation of rottenness, corruption, uncleanness, and sin. It is the very embodiment of sin. None of our outward accomplishments and none of our natural abilities can qualify us to be a sent one. To be qualified we must see that in our flesh there is nothing good.
In verse 7 the Lord said to Moses, “Put thine hand into thy bosom again.” Then Moses “put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.” This indicates that Moses’ leprous hand was cleansed by his keeping the word of the Lord. To keep the word of the Lord is to obey the Lord. Disobedience to the Lord is the basic element of sin. When we obey the Lord by keeping His word, His cleansing power will be with us, and we shall be cleansed.
For the third sign, the Lord said to Moses, “Take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land” (v. 9). The river here is the Nile, which irrigated the land of Egypt. The water of the Nile signifies earthly supply and enjoyment. According to the Bible, Egypt is rich in the food and enjoyment produced by the Nile. What is produced by the water of the Nile is apparently supply and enjoyment. But in the eyes of God, it is nothing but death. All the supply, enjoyment, and entertainment of the world are death. But in order to realize this, we need to pour the water of the Nile upon the dry land. According to Genesis 1, the dry land is the source from which life is produced. When the worldly enjoyment and the earthly supply are poured out upon that which produces life, immediately the death, signified by the blood, will be exposed. If you keep the water of the Nile in a well, a vessel, or a pitcher, you will still regard this water as the source of supply and enjoyment. But if you pour it out upon the land, the death will immediately be exposed. Thus, the third sign reveals that all the earthly supply and worldly enjoyment are nothing but death. All the sports and entertainments people indulge in today are various forms of death. The very supply that the world affords us is also death.
The water of the world is not actually water at all; it is blood. The worldly people do not drink water; they drink blood, that is, death. Whatever they enjoy of the world is death. A called one must know what the world is. To the people of the world, the water of the Nile is wonderful, but to us it is blood. God’s called ones must be able to tell His people not to stay in Egypt to drink the water of the Nile, but to go out of Egypt into the wilderness to drink the water from the cleft rock.
In addition to knowing Satan and the flesh, we need to know the world. In the New Testament, Satan, the flesh, and the world are dealt with again and again. Those who have been called by God and sent by Him know the serpent, leprosy, and blood; that is, they know Satan, the flesh, and the world. According to the New Testament, Satan is against Christ (1 John 3:8); the flesh is against the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:17); and the world is against the Father (1 John 2:15). Hence, Satan, the flesh, and the world are opposed to the Triune God in His dispensation. Because of Satan, the flesh, and the world, God’s dispensation has not yet been carried out. In God’s economy as seen in the three parables of Luke 15, the Son comes to seek the fallen ones, and the Spirit enlightens them in order to bring them back to the Father. But the Devil works against the Son, the flesh strives against the Spirit, and the world frustrates people from coming back to the Father.
Anyone who is sent by the Lord must know how to take the serpent by the tail, how to deal with leprosy, and how to deal with the world with its supply and enjoyment. If we lack these three qualifications, then we have not been called by God and therefore cannot be His sent ones. In one whom God has called, Satan, the flesh, and the world have lost their ground.
The fact that Exodus 4 records these three signs is a proof that the Bible is divinely inspired. No human author would write of such things. In chapter three of Exodus God showed Moses a thorn-bush that burned without being consumed. Following this, in chapter four the Lord showed Moses three subjective signs to give him a realization concerning Satan, the flesh, and the world. This indicates that a called one must firstly have the vision of the burning thorn-bush. Then he needs some subjective experience to know Satan, the flesh, and the world.
Praise the Lord for the signs of one who is called and sent by God! We thank Him for the clear picture of these signs in Exodus 4. In these days so many saints are aspiring to be useful in the hand of the Lord. But, as we have pointed out in this message, if we would be useful to the Lord, we must know the serpent, leprosy, and blood; that is, we need to know how to deal with Satan, the flesh, and the world.
