Seder 46: Exodus 4:10---Did Moses Have a Speech Impediment?

During Moses' calling at the burning bush, Moses says that he is "not eloquent," but "slow of speech and of tongue" (Ex 4:10).  Based on this statement, many have wondered if Moses stuttered or had some other kind of speech impediment.

Commentator Douglas Stuart points out that in the Ancient Near East, it was customary for people to be extremely modest when being offered an important responsibility, and that is surely what is going on here.  Moses ends up doing a lot of speaking in the Pentateuch and shows no signs of lacking eloquence or speaking skill.  As Stephen later said in Acts 7:22, Moses was "mighty in his words and deeds."

We see similar modesty from Jeremiah (Jer 1:6) and from Saul (1 Sam 9:21), for example. 

Seder 46: Exodus 3-4---Moses' Commissioning at the Burning Bush

 Forty years after Moses fled to Midian, God appeared to him in a "fire theophany" in a bush near Mt Horeb (aka Mt Sinai).  A midrash says that God appeared in a humble bush to teach Moses that "no place is devoid of God's presence, not even a thorn bush "(Exodus Rabbah 2:5).

In his fine general-audience commentary on the book of Exodus, Dennis Prager observes that not everyone would have stopped to take a closer look at the bush.  Prager sees this incident as an example of the fact that some people choose to acknowledge the miracles that are extant in the world, while others do not.  He quotes some beautiful and perceptive lines from the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning:

"Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees takes off his shoes."

Once God had Moses' attention, he announced that it was time for the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt.  Moses would be his instrument in leading the Exodus (Exod 3:7-10).  

Moses had lots of questions to ask about this plan (Exod 3:11-4:17).  In general, he wondered how he could succeed now, after 40 years "off the grid," when he had failed 40 years before.  Why would the Israelites or Pharaoh have any reason to listen to him?  

God patiently assured Moses that he wouldn't be undertaking this daunting task on his own.  God would supply anything that Moses lacked.  God patiently led Moses through the details of how the plan would work.  In particular, Moses would be working together with his older brother Aaron.

Seder 46: Psalm 103---Extolling God's Love and Forgiveness

 Psalm 103 begins and ends with the psalmist exhorting himself to praise God.  By the end of the psalm, he will also call upon all of God's heavenly host to join him.  

The psalm praises God for his forgiving nature.  God is the one "who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases" (v 3).  This verse is saying that not only does God forgive our sins, he will often graciously remove their consequences.  In context, the "diseases" here include more than medical conditions, taking in all the kinds of problems into which we get ourselves.

The mention of forgiveness in conjunction with healing reminds of Jesus' healing of the paralytic (Mark 2:1-12).  On that occasion Jesus told the man that his sins were forgiven (v 5).  When people wondered about Jesus claiming this divine prerogative, he went on to heal the man, showing that he did indeed have the authority to forgive sins.  

Psalm 103 expands upon one of the most important passages in scripture, God's revelation of his merciful nature in Exo 34:6-7.  This key passage is referred to often in the Bible--e.g., in Ps 86:15;Ps 145:8.  Psalm 103 describes God's mercy and forgiveness stretching throughout time and space---vv 11-12, 17.  It also emphasizes that God's mercy is expressed toward those who fear him---vv 11,13,17.  

Psalm 103 is referenced once in the New Testament, in Luke 1:50 during Mary's prayer of thanksgiving--Luke 1:50.