“Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.” (Exodus 4:20 NKJV)
While tending the flock of his father-in-law, Moses had a dramatic supernatural encounter with God that set him on the path of His divine purpose in life.
But before Moses finally agreed to undertake the divine mission to return to Egypt to deliver and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, God had to perform some miraculous signs to convince Moses and strengthen his confidence in God.
The first of the miraculous signs was the turning of Moses’ shepherd staff or rod into a snake when he cast it on the ground before God.
Exodus 4:1-4 – RSV
1 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you.'”
2 The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”
3 And he said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.
4 But the LORD said to Moses, “Put out your hand, and take it by the tail” –so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand.
Before Moses cast his rod on the ground before God, it was only an ordinary dry wood, staff, or stick with which he tended the flock of his father-in-law. However, after Moses had willingly surrendered his rod to God, it ceased to be an ordinary rod or staff.
Although God continued to refer to it as Moses’ rod, Moses never once called it his rod after his dramatic encounter with God. Moses had entirely and permanently relinquished any claim he had to his rod. Therefore, he rightly called it “the rod of God.”
What a lesson for us today!
The rod of Moses represented his whole life. It symbolized his ambition, vocation, wisdom, skills, status, strength, or might. His rod was his identity, instrument, weapon, or defense in the desert.
Therefore, when Moses willingly cast his rod on the ground before God, he surrendered or presented his life to God.
Although Moses was unsure of God’s intention in asking him to cast his rod on the ground, he did. This shows Moses’ willingness or mindset to die to himself – to abandon, forget or renounce his ambition, vocation, status, skills, wisdom, or strength.
It takes such a willingness, disposition, or mindset to be extensively used by God!
Moses, having surrendered his rod to God, though God never took it from his hand. Yet, Moses ceased to see it as belonging to him or as an ordinary shepherd’s staff, and thus he never used it again for a common purpose – tending the flock of his father-in-law.
After his divine encounter with God, Moses began to see his rod (a symbol of his life) as holy and supernatural – no longer an unholy, common, or ordinary rod for tending the flock. Therefore, Moses chose to refer to it as “the rod of God” (Exo. 17:9).
Like Moses, having surrendered your life to Christ, it ceases to be yours, and you must treat it as such.
The Scripture amply testifies to this truth.
1 Corinthians 6:20 – NKJV
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Romans 14:7-8 – NKJV
7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 – NKJV
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
After his supernatural encounter with God, Moses returned to Egypt with a firm conviction that what he held in his hand was no longer his former ordinary shepherd rod but a holy, divine, or supernatural rod.
Exodus 4:20 – NKJV
20 Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand. (NKJV).
With the rod of God in his hand, Moses wrought great exploits, signs, and wonders in Egypt that confounded and humiliated Pharaoh and all the sorcerers, magicians, and wise men in Egypt. He brought out the children of Israel from Egypt, thereby fulfilling his divine purpose in life.
Just as Moses began to see, call, regard, and treat his rod as the holy rod of God after surrendering it to God, having surrendered your life to Christ, you also must begin to see, call, regard, and treat yourself as sacred and holy to God – no longer as a common, unholy, natural, or ordinary person.
Anything consecrated to God ceases to be common, unholy, natural, or ordinary but sacred, holy, divine, or supernatural.
As a born-again believer who has willingly and unreservedly yielded his life to God, you must now begin to see and call yourself who and what God said you are now in Christ, not who or what you used to be before surrendering your life to Christ.
Having been joined together with Christ, you are now one spirit with Christ (1 Cor. 6:17). Therefore, as Jesus is, so are you now in this world (1 John 4:17).
In Christ, you are now a new creation. You are righteous, holy, and anointed. You are a king and a priest to God.
The Scripture amply testifies to this truth.
2 Corinthians 5:17 – NKJV
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
1 Corinthians 6:11 – NKJV
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
2 Corinthians 5:21 – NKJV
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Colossians 1:21-22 – NKJV
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.
Revelation 1:4-6 – NKJV
4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,
5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
If Moses had gone to Egypt to challenge Pharaoh with a mindset that what he held in his hand was simply a common or an ordinary shepherd rod, he would have doubtlessly failed and died in Egypt.
If you fail to begin to think, speak, operate, and live according to your new and divine spiritual position, status, authority, and identity in Christ, you will be unable to accomplish God’s purpose for your life.
Beloved, you are now a joint heir with Christ. Christ’s authority, wisdom, power, wealth, and grace are available (Rom. 8:17). You are presently seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6). You are anointed and sealed with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 1:21-22).
You are the temple of God, and you are carrying about the fullness of God in your born-again spirit, just as Christ did while He lived physically in this world (Col. 1:19, 1 Cor. 3:17).
You are no longer a mere flesh or an ordinary natural person. Therefore, like Moses, stop seeing or regarding “your rod” (your life) as natural, ordinary, or common, but as sacred, holy, divine, or supernatural.
Arise today and begin to do mighty exploits and wonders with “the rod of God” in your hand.
Prayer: My Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for opening my eyes of understanding today to the truth that having surrendered my life to You, I am no longer a mere, common, or ordinary natural man. Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me live and walk daily in the light of this truth, in Jesus’ name. Amen.