Wesley Corpus

Continues and concludes God's discourse with Moses, concerning bringing Israel out of Egypt. Moses objects the peoples unbelief, ver. 1. and God answers that objection by giving him a power to work miracles: To turn his rod into a serpent, and then into a rod again, ver. 2 - 5. To make his hand leprous, and then whole again, ver. 6 - 8. To turn the water into blood, ver. 9. Moses objects his own slowness of speech, ver. 10. and begs to be excused, ver. 13. But God answers this objection, By promising him his presence, ver. 11, 12. By joining Aaron in commission with him, ver. 14 - 16. By putting an honour upon the very staff in his hand, ver. 17. Moses's execution of his commission. He obtains leave of his father - in - law to return into Egypt, ver. 18. He receives further instructions from God, ver. 19, 21 - 23. He hastens his departure, and takes his family with him, ver. 20. He meets with some difficulty about the circumcising of his son, ver. 24. 26. He has the satisfaction of meeting his brother Aaron, ver. 27, 28. He produceth his commission before the elders of Israel, to their great joy, ver. 29 - 31. They will not hearken to my voice - That is, they would not take his bare word, unless he shewed them some sign. He remembered how they had once rejected him, and feared it would be so again. A rod - Or staff. That they may believe - An imperfect sentence to be thus compleated, This thou shalt do, before them, that they may believe. His hand was leprous, as snow - For whiteness. This signified, That Moses, by the power of God, should bring sore diseases upon Egypt, that at his prayer they should be removed. And that whereas the Israelites in Egypt were become leprous, polluted by sin, and almost consumed by oppression, by being taken into the bosom of Moses they should be cleansed and cured. The voice of the first sign - God's works have a voice to speak to us, which we must diligently observe.