What is in Your Hand?
When God’s people were enslaved in Egypt and a new, more oppressive pharaoh came to power, the Israelites’ suffering increased. They cried out to God, seeking relief. God answered by calling Moses to return to Egypt and to negotiate their release with the pharaoh.
As the Lord spoke from the burning bush, He promised Moses that the Israelite leaders would lend support, that He would perform miracles to persuade the Pharaoh to release His people and that they would have such favor with their Egyptian neighbors as to escape with loot of great value.1
Moses expressed his skepticism in a series of objections. He doubted that the Israelite leaders would believe that God spoke to him. In response to his reluctance, the Lord asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?” Moses identified it as a staff and the Lord ordered him to throw it to the ground. The staff became a serpent, then became a staff again when Moses obediently grabbed it by the tail.2
An ordinary object — a shepherd’s staff — became a powerful tool in the hands of Moses when he yielded to the call of God. With his staff, Moses parted the Red Sea, got water from a rock and led to victory in battle. It became a tool of hope and redemption.
Five thousand people were fed with five loaves and two fish offered from a child’s hand. A simple slingshot resulted in a decisive battle victory in the hands of David, as did a donkey’s jawbone in Samson’s hands. An overcoat in Elijah’s hands parted the Jordan, allowing him to cross the river on dry ground with Elisha. Two coins in the hands of a poor widow demonstrated great faith.
When we’re called to a task by God, we might offer objections about our inadequacy or the situation’s difficulty. Like Moses, we might be aware of our personal history or limitations and cannot imagine a good outcome. We hesitate. We object. We delay. God gently asks, “What is that in your hand?”
1 Exodus 3:13–22
2 Exodus 4:1–5
