What is the meaning of Exodus 4:7? “Put your hand back inside your cloak” • The LORD’s command reverses the first sign (“Put your hand inside your cloak,” Exodus 4:6) and invites Moses to take a step of faith once more. • By asking Moses to act again, God shows that He not only brings judgment (leprosy) but also restoration (health), revealing His full authority over human bodies (cf. Deuteronomy 32:39; 2 Samuel 24:15-16). • This second action completes a pair of signs—staff-to-serpent and hand-to-leprosy—meant to persuade Israel that the God of their fathers is powerfully present (Exodus 4:1-5). • The reversal also foreshadows later redemptive patterns: captivity then deliverance (Exodus 6:6), death then life (Isaiah 26:19), the cross then resurrection (Acts 2:23-24). “said the LORD” • The statement reminds us that the miracle is rooted in God’s spoken word; His command carries creative, healing power (Genesis 1:3; Psalm 33:6). • Like the prophets who would later declare, “Thus says the LORD” (Jeremiah 1:4-7), Moses must rely on divine authority rather than personal skill. • God’s direct speech underscores His intimate involvement with Moses, unlike the distant deities of Egypt (Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 41:21-23). “So Moses put his hand back inside his cloak” • The verse highlights immediate, uncomplicated obedience—no argument, no delay—echoing Genesis 6:22 (Noah) and 1 Kings 17:5 (Elijah). • Moses learns that trusting God with the ordinary (his own hand) prepares him to trust God with the extraordinary (confronting Pharaoh, Exodus 7-12). • Obedience becomes the hinge on which the miracle turns (John 2:5-9; Luke 5:4-6). “and when he took it out” • The text pauses to let readers feel the suspense: will the hand still be diseased, or healed? • Miracles often unfold in stages that invite expectation, such as Elijah’s altar being drenched before fire falls (1 Kings 18:33-38) or the blind man seeing “people like trees walking” before full sight (Mark 8:23-25). • This moment teaches that results follow God’s timing, not human haste (Habakkuk 2:3; John 11:6-7). “it was restored, like the rest of his skin” • The transformation is total; no trace of leprosy remains, affirming God’s absolute power to heal (2 Kings 5:14; Matthew 8:3). • “Like the rest of his skin” emphasizes normalcy—God doesn’t leave partial scars of sin or judgment when He forgives and restores (Psalm 103:3,12; Isaiah 1:18). • To a Hebrew audience, leprosy symbolized separation from community (Leviticus 13:45-46). By reversing it instantly, God showcases His desire to reconcile and re-include His people, anticipating Christ’s ministry to outcasts (Luke 17:14-19). • The sign assures Israel that the same God who can cleanse a hand can cleanse a nation enslaved for four centuries (Exodus 6:7; 14:30-31). summary Exodus 4:7 shows the LORD reversing a lethal disease in the palm of Moses’ hand to demonstrate His complete authority, His power to judge and to restore, and His commitment to keep His promises. Moses’ simple obedience unlocks the sign, encouraging Israel—and every reader—to trust the Word that both wounds and heals, and to follow the God who alone can deliver, cleanse, and fully restore His people. |
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