Events

The Story of Signs: A Test of Faith

Why Did God Command Moses to Perform Signs?

Exodus 4:1-9

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.'" The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” Then he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail” - so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand - "that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you." The Lord said furthermore to him, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” So he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was leprous like snow. Then he said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. Then the Lord said to Moses, "If they will not believe you or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. But if they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground."

Trusting God's power and promises, even in the face of uncertainty and impossibility, leads to a deeper understanding of His faithful character and a stronger faith in His sovereign plan.
Trusting God's power and promises, even in the face of uncertainty and impossibility, leads to a deeper understanding of His faithful character and a stronger faith in His sovereign plan.

Key Facts

Term Name

Signs

Location

Midian and Egypt

Date

c. 13th century BC

Key Takeaways

  • Signs in Exodus 4 authenticate God's authority and empower Moses for leadership.
  • Biblical signs bridge divine revelation and human response, from Exodus to Jesus' miracles.
  • Modern believers should balance openness to signs with trust in Christ's completed work.

The Context of Signs

In Exodus 4:1-9, God provides Moses with three miraculous signs to authenticate his divine commission.

The three signs - Moses’ staff becoming a serpent, his leprous hand, and the Nile turning to blood (Exodus 4:2-9) - served as tangible evidence of God’s power working through him. God required these signs both to reassure Moses of His support and to equip him to persuade the Israelites that Yahweh had indeed called him. Moses’ initial reluctance (Exodus 4:1) highlights how these signs addressed his doubts and the practical challenges of leading a skeptical people.

These signs establish a pattern in Scripture where divine authority is confirmed through supernatural acts, setting the stage for later miracles in Israel’s history and the Messianic signs foretold in the prophets.

Embracing divine authority through faith and trust, even in the face of uncertainty and doubt, as God's power is revealed through miraculous signs and wonders.
Embracing divine authority through faith and trust, even in the face of uncertainty and doubt, as God's power is revealed through miraculous signs and wonders.

The Nature of Signs in Exodus 4:1-9

In Exodus 4:1-9, the signs given to Moses function as divine validation of Yahweh's authority and a response to human unbelief.

Moses' initial doubt (Exodus 4:1) reflects the practical challenges of leading a skeptical people, prompting God to provide tangible proof through the staff becoming a serpent, the leprous hand, and the Nile turning to blood (Exodus 4:2-9). These acts demonstrate God's omnipotence and faithfulness to His covenant, affirming that His power transcends both Egyptian idolatry and Israel's spiritual frailty. By overcoming Moses' reluctance, the signs also model how divine empowerment addresses human limitations.

Theological significance emerges in how these signs prefigure Israel's liberation: they foreshadow the plagues that will break Egypt's power (Exodus 7-12) and establish Yahweh's identity as the one who acts decisively for His people. By transforming Moses' doubts into a platform for divine revelation, God underscores that true leadership flows from dependence on His strength, not human capability. These signs thus anchor Israel's collective identity as a people redeemed by miraculous intervention, setting a precedent for later covenantal confirmations in Scripture. This framework connects directly to the broader Exodus narrative, where signs become instruments of both judgment and salvation.

Divine power overcomes human doubt and fear, revealing God's presence in the most unexpected and transformative ways.
Divine power overcomes human doubt and fear, revealing God's presence in the most unexpected and transformative ways.

The Broader Biblical Context of Signs

The signs given to Moses in Exodus 4:2‑9 set a pattern of divine authentication that runs through Scripture. This pattern culminates in Jesus’ miracles, which John calls “signs” (John 2:11; 20:30‑31).

While Moses’ signs, such as the staff becoming a serpent and the Nile turning to blood, demonstrated Yahweh’s power to liberate Israel (Exodus 4:2-9), Jesus’ miracles - like healing the blind (John 9:3-7) and raising Lazarus (John 11:43-44) - reveal the inbreaking of God’s kingdom through His person. Both sets of signs authenticate divine authority, yet Jesus’ miracles uniquely disclose His identity as the Messiah and the embodiment of God’s redemptive work.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus’ signs are not mere wonders but pointers to spiritual realities: turning water into wine at Cana (John 2:11) symbolizes the new covenant, while the feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:1-14) prefigures the Eucharist. These acts, like Moses’ signs, confront human unbelief and confirm God’s active presence among His people. By tracing this trajectory from Exodus to John, Scripture underscores that signs are instruments of divine revelation, bridging the gap between the unseen God and a world in need of salvation.

Encountering the divine presence in moments of awe and reverence, we are reminded of the profound trust required to embark on a journey of faith and redemption, as seen in Moses' humble obedience to God's call, trusting in the signs and wonders that authenticate God's power and presence, as expressed in Exodus 4:2-9 and John 2:11, where Jesus' miracles reveal the inbreaking of God's kingdom through His person, embodying God's redemptive work and disclosing His identity as the Messiah, and as stated in John 20:30-31, these signs are written so that we may believe and have life in His name, and as Moses trusted in the signs given to him, we too can trust in the signs and wonders of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, to guide us on our own journey of faith and redemption, and to deepen our understanding of God's love and presence in our lives, as we strive to embody the trust and obedience that Moses demonstrated, and to experience the transformative power of God's presence in our own lives, as we journey towards a deeper understanding of God's kingdom and our place within it, and as we trust in the signs and wonders that authenticate God's power and presence, we are drawn into a deeper relationship with God, and a more profound understanding of His love and redemption, as expressed in John 9:3-7, where Jesus heals the blind man, and in John 11:43-44, where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, demonstrating His power and authority over all creation, and revealing the depths of God's love and mercy, and the richness of His redemption, and the beauty of His presence in our lives, and the wonder of His signs and wonders that guide us on our journey of faith, and deepen our understanding of His kingdom, and His love, and His redemption, and His presence in our lives, and the trust and obedience that we must embody, as we strive to follow Him, and to experience the fullness of His love, and the richness of His redemption, and the beauty of His presence, and the wonder of His signs and wonders, that guide us, and deepen our understanding, and draw us into a deeper relationship with Him, and a more profound understanding of His love, and His redemption, and His presence in our lives.
Encountering the divine presence in moments of awe and reverence, we are reminded of the profound trust required to embark on a journey of faith and redemption, as seen in Moses' humble obedience to God's call, trusting in the signs and wonders that authenticate God's power and presence, as expressed in Exodus 4:2-9 and John 2:11, where Jesus' miracles reveal the inbreaking of God's kingdom through His person, embodying God's redemptive work and disclosing His identity as the Messiah, and as stated in John 20:30-31, these signs are written so that we may believe and have life in His name, and as Moses trusted in the signs given to him, we too can trust in the signs and wonders of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, to guide us on our own journey of faith and redemption, and to deepen our understanding of God's love and presence in our lives, as we strive to embody the trust and obedience that Moses demonstrated, and to experience the transformative power of God's presence in our own lives, as we journey towards a deeper understanding of God's kingdom and our place within it, and as we trust in the signs and wonders that authenticate God's power and presence, we are drawn into a deeper relationship with God, and a more profound understanding of His love and redemption, as expressed in John 9:3-7, where Jesus heals the blind man, and in John 11:43-44, where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, demonstrating His power and authority over all creation, and revealing the depths of God's love and mercy, and the richness of His redemption, and the beauty of His presence in our lives, and the wonder of His signs and wonders that guide us on our journey of faith, and deepen our understanding of His kingdom, and His love, and His redemption, and His presence in our lives, and the trust and obedience that we must embody, as we strive to follow Him, and to experience the fullness of His love, and the richness of His redemption, and the beauty of His presence, and the wonder of His signs and wonders, that guide us, and deepen our understanding, and draw us into a deeper relationship with Him, and a more profound understanding of His love, and His redemption, and His presence in our lives.

How Signs Still Matters Today

The biblical pattern of signs, as seen in Exodus 4:1-9, continues to shape modern discussions about divine authentication and spiritual discernment.

Signs in Scripture authenticated divine authority (Exodus 4:1-9), yet modern believers must approach claims of supernatural validation with discernment, recognizing that spiritual maturity involves trusting God's character beyond visible wonders. While Scripture affirms God's power to act through signs (Exodus 4:2-9), the New Testament also emphasizes that true faith is rooted in Christ's finished work, not merely in miraculous experiences (John 20:30-31). Overemphasizing signs risks reducing faith to spectacle or fostering dependency on sensationalism, potentially undermining the quiet work of the Holy Spirit in ordinary lives. Thus, believers should balance openness to God's activity with a critical engagement of Scripture, ensuring that signs align with biblical truth and edify the community.

Going Deeper

To deepen our understanding of signs in Scripture, further study of key passages is essential.

Exodus 7-12 records the plagues as signs of God’s judgment and power over Egypt, while John 20:30-31 emphasizes that Jesus’ miracles authenticate His identity and mission. Scholars debate whether signs primarily serve to persuade or to reveal divine truth, but both passages underscore that signs are not ends in themselves but pointers to God’s covenantal faithfulness and salvation.

Further Reading

Key Scripture Mentions

Exodus 4:1-9

God gives Moses three signs to confirm his divine commission and address his doubts.

Exodus 7-12

The ten plagues serve as signs of God's power over Egypt and liberation of Israel.

John 20:30-31

Jesus' miracles are presented as signs that authenticate His identity and mission.

Related Concepts

Divine Authority (Theological Concepts)

The validation of God's power and will through supernatural acts in Scripture.

The Exodus (Events)

God's liberation of Israel from Egypt, framed by signs and covenantal promises.

Faith (Terms)

Trusting in God's character and promises despite human limitations or uncertainty.

Glossary

places

Midian

The desert region where Moses encountered God at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1).

Nile River

Central to the sign of the Nile turning to blood (Exodus 4:9) and later plagues.

events

The Burning Bush

Moses' encounter with God (Exodus 3) that preceded the signs in Exodus 4.

figures

Moses

Chosen leader of Israel who received divine signs to confirm his authority.

Pharaoh

Egyptian ruler whose hardened heart led to the plagues as signs of God's power.

theological concepts

Covenant

God's binding promises to Israel, affirmed through signs like those in Exodus 4.

Redemption

God's liberating work for His people, demonstrated through signs in Exodus and fulfilled in Christ.

terms

Signs

Supernatural acts in Scripture that authenticate divine authority and reveal spiritual truths.

Leprosy

A skin disease used as a sign to demonstrate God's power over physical and spiritual uncleanness.

symbols

Staff

Moses' staff symbolized God's authority and became a serpent to confirm his commission (Exodus 4:2-4).