And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
God asks about the rod to show Moses that his contemptible shepherd's crook, despised and weak as it is, will terrify Pharaoh more than armies. The rod becomes a serpent to teach him: I need no earthly power to shake a king; My Word alone, moving through this simple staff, will make him tremble.
AI summary
Moses objects that the people will not believe him, yet God had promised they would hearken. His doubt does not square with God's word; past rejection made him fear the same again, though he was happily mistaken. The signs God appointed would convince them where bare word could not.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 4:1-9
The Lord's question is not born of ignorance but draws Moses forward to the miracle itself. Whether a shepherd's rod or a walking staff matters less than this: Moses comes not as a shepherd but as an ambassador of the King of kings, bearing authority that will command assent from Israel and terror from Pharaoh.
AI summary