Exodus 4:11, commentary and pictures

At the burning bush on Horeb God met Moses to send a humble shepherd with only a rod to demand Israel's release from Pharaoh, and Moses shrank back pleading that long absence had dulled his Egyptian speech and that he was slow of tongue. By asking who made man's mouth and who makes the dumb, deaf, seeing or blind, He declares that He Himself created the mouth and is sovereign over speech, hearing, sight and the powers of mind. The question affirms that the God who chose Moses made no mistake and is able to qualify and uphold whom He calls, promising to be with his mouth and teach him what to say. Continued shrinking after that promise is distrust of God Himself, so because Moses did not fully believe, Aaron was appointed to speak for him though God would have worked through Moses alone. When the timid Moses at last obeyed in full trust, God called his best mental powers into exercise and made him eloquent, self-possessed and fit for his mission, proving He makes the weak strong who give themselves wholly to Him.

Moses' Excuse Answered

The exchange belongs to God's conversation with Moses at the burning bush near Horeb, the mountain of God, where branches, foliage and trunk burned in flame yet were not consumed and a voice from the flame called Moses by name. Moses answered Here am I, hid his face because he was afraid to look upon God, and was warned to put off his shoes because the place was holy ground, showing that humility and reverence characterize all who come into the presence of God.

The Speaker was the Angel of the covenant, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, who had heard Israel's cry by reason of bondage, remembered His covenant, and purposed to deliver Israel in a manner to pour contempt on human pride through a humble shepherd with only a rod in his hand made the symbol of divine power.

Moses shrank from standing before Pharaoh to demand in God's name that he let Israel go, pleading lack of ready speech because he had been so long away from the Egyptians that he no longer had clear knowledge and ready use of their language. He did not expect God to deliver Israel in the manner proposed but thought it would be by warfare, and deliverance in the manner God proposed looked hopeless of success to all human appearance.

By asking who made man's mouth and who makes the dumb, deaf, seeing or blind, the question asserts that the Lord made the human mouth and is sovereign over human faculties and conditions, including speech, hearing, sight, blindness, and the mind and reasoning powers. God governs speaking, hearing, seeing and their impairments, including the conditions of being unable to speak, hear or see.

The question declares that the God who chose Moses for His great work is able to qualify and uphold whom He calls for it and made no mistake in His selection of the man, so fearfulness charges Him with inability to fit Moses for the work. It answers Moses' fear that his slow speech made him unfit for his calling: the God who made the mouth could aid and qualify him for the work.

Joined to the question is the command and promise to remove his difficulties by going with him, being with his mouth and teaching him what to say, and giving success to the mission. This proves that human ability and strength depend on God and that God can enable a person to speak for Him even when that person feels unable to do so, so that a stammering tongue can serve God when joined to a close, living connection with Him.

The verse is an appeal against distrust and a rebuke of fearfulness and distrust, and to still manifest reluctance after that assurance is displeasing to God and shows unbelief, criminal despondency and distrust of God Himself, even while deliverance looked hopeless. Because Moses did not fully believe, Aaron was chosen to speak for him instead, though fully believing would have allowed God to work through Moses as promised.

Moses' sense of incapacity, inadequacy and unfitness did not mean he lacked God's call, for God had chosen him to deliver Israel. His own sense of inadequacy did not prevent him from serving as God's chosen instrument.

Made Able by Trust

When the timid and slow-of-speech Moses accepted his mission and put all his trust in the Lord, his ready obedience was blessed, the best powers of his mind were called into exercise, and he was strengthened and made eloquent, hopeful, self-possessed, and well fitted for his great work. His earlier distrust and sense of being overwhelmed by incapacity to be God's mouthpiece gave way to fitness for speaking for God once he trusted.

His change proves that God strengthens the character of those who trust Him implicitly and give themselves unreservedly to His service. A weak man is made strong and prolific of great results through faith in God's power and devotion to His service, and the hesitating and irresolute are turned firm and decided. Their nature is exalted, the mission of Christ is opened before them with new importance and glory, and they become humble collaborators with the Saviour and instruments in His hand for the salvation of souls. That collaboration brings joy and definite results in advancing Christ's kingdom.

The verse teaches that the one called must be led to see the foolishness of man's wisdom, the weakness of human strength, and his utter helplessness and inefficiency without being upheld by the Lord. He must lose self-confidence and put a very low estimate on Egyptian learning and natural qualifications. Education is not to be used to call God's commands unreasonable or impossible to human reason.

What is required instead is to obey whatever God commands without stopping to consider consequences, giving God credit for wisdom to know what He means and firmness to perform it. Advance is to be by simple, implicit, unflinching faith even when deliverance looks hopeless to all human appearance, and in that way the obedient one becomes a sanctified channel through whom God's power and loving intentions can work. A stammering tongue can therefore serve God when joined to a close, living connection with Him.

Because people are God's creation and belong to Him, no human authority may treat them as machines or wrongfully control how they serve. God entrusts them with abilities and talents, including mind and reasoning powers, to use in His service, and He will call them to account for how they use them. By redemption through Christ's blood they are His as well as by creation.