What Does The Staff Of Moses Represent – Part 2

What Does The Staff Of Moses Represent?

In my last post, ‘What Does The Staff Of Moses Represent?’ we looked at three different images we get from one moment in the story of Moses at the burning bush. Read that post here. We read God spoke to Moses through the burning and gave him signs to show Israel and Egypt that God had sent him to set God’s people free.

We found in each analogy how God was more powerful than the enemy and the ways of this world. So, are you ready to read a few more of these intriguing analogies? Here we go.

The Fall

One of the simplest analogies we read here is Moses tosses down the staff, it turns into the serpent, which represents Satan. This is the first snake and imagery of Satan since the fall in Genesis 3. Then we find Moses following God’s command to grab the tail of the snake and it turns back into a staff. Once again, this reminds us of God’s power over the enemy. No matter how the enemy tries to make us think he has all the power, he does not. God is in full control.

Flee The Enemy

This next analogy is one of my favorites because, once again, it points us to Jesus. In this story, Moses has a very human reaction to the rod turning into a snake. He has the same reaction I would have, and that is to run. Moses tries to flee the snake and theologian Arthur Pink tells us this imagery is the same as us as we try to flee the enemy.

When we feel under attack, many of us want to run, to get away. Timothy notes in 2 Timothy 2:26, “they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

Sometimes we are like the Israelites and feel trapped. No matter what we do, we feel the enemy is having his way. Moses came as the mediator to work on God’s behalf to set the Israelites free. This points us to Jesus, who is our mediator, and came on our behalf to set us free. Don’t you love how these tie together so beautifully?

God used Moses to show His power by turning the snake back into a staff when he grabbed it. It’s through Jesus that we can take back our lives from the enemy. No matter how far we think we may have fallen, Jesus is always there and can turn everything around. I have met people who used to worship the enemy, people who attempted suicide, people who saw no way out of their desperate situations. Then, when they had no place else to turn, they met Jesus. He is waiting for us to reach out even if it’s just a single word, ‘help.’

I encourage you today to pray for whatever in your life feels impossible. Bring it before Jesus and see what He may do with it.

Staff, Rod, Scepter

Ready for another analogy? This one is powerful. In Exodus 4, the Hebrew word for staff can also mean rod or scepter. It’s said that the tossing down of this staff and turning to a serpent can also represent Jesus coming into the curse, the place we have been in since the fall. He came as a humble man and, because of the curse, was placed on the cross where the enemy believed he had won.

But God…

Moses picks up the snake by the tail and raises his staff high, representing the resurrected Christ who will once again return on His white horse to rule and rein over the Earth. Wow! This imagery of Moses, compared to Jesus, reminds me nothing in the Scriptures is by accident. Everything in the old connects with what is in the new..

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

John 3:14

The Mighty Scepter

Could you ever imagine that one brief moment in time could point us to so many things? When you read the Bible, I want to encourage you to look deeper. Seek further. Find what God might want to show you. Sometimes we need the encouragement that we can overcome the enemy’s schemes, and sometimes we need the reminder that Jesus is the one holding the mighty scepter. Before you read, always ask the Lord to reveal to you exactly what He wants you to get. You never know what those words we skim over just might show you.

Go Deeper

Want to learn more about how to read the Bible to get the most out of your reading? Watch this video. If you love it you can get the rest of the series. Watch here. This video is my gift to you.