For an eternal instant the staff continued to writhe and hiss in Moses’ grasp until God miraculously transformed the reptilian rod back into hardwood. But I ask you, do you think Moses ever leaned on his rod the same way again? I don’t think so. In fact, the Bible refers not to Moses’ staff, but “the staff of God” (Ex. 4:20).

On the one hand, Moses depended on the rod as a tool of the Lord. On the other hand, it was probably never too far from Moses’ mind that the rod could very easily turn into a serpent that would certainly bite him given half a chance.

When leaning upon the rod meant reliance upon his Heavenly Father, I’m sure Moses leaned hard. When leaning on the rod meant depending upon his own resources, I imagine Moses kept a light grip on the tail of his staff.

After all, no one likes to get bitten.

“Throw it down Moses. See it for what it is: a substitute for dependence upon Me. Now, pick it up Moses, but be careful; it will bite.

You must depend on Me, not your resources. I want to be your Source and Sufficiency.” This is the message Moses received via his wriggling rod.

Next blog is about Initiative and Intent