All Three Snakes (Exodus 7)

Moses was called by God to free four hundred thousand slaves. God told Moses to go to the king, Pharaoh of Egypt, and say, ‘Let my people go!’ That was the plan. No weapons, no threats. (You can read this full story in the book of Exodus in the Bible)
 
Moses was scared. He did not want to. He asked God to send someone else. God got angry at Moses for this. But he did allow for Moses’ brother, Aaron, to join him and be the mouthpiece.
 
Now, in this brief reflection I just want to zero in on one thing that happened. God gave Moses a miraculous sign that he could perform in front of Pharaoh: Moses could throw his wooden staff on the ground, and it would become a snake. This was a sign that Moses could do, could use, to prove to Pharaoh that God had sent Moses to him.
 
So Moses and Aaron go Pharaoh. Pharaoh tells them to prove themselves. Aaron throws the staff to the ground and it becomes a serpent. Now, look what happened after that:
 
‘Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts.’ (Exodus 7:11)
 
Here we have a moment. God had given Moses a mission, an anointing, authority in the Spirit. The staff becoming a serpent was a sign of this. But in the battle of this mission, the enemy matched – at least on the surface, just for a few moments – what seemed to be equal power.
 
If we pause here for a moment, we see and feel a very confusing, challenging spiritual experience. All three snakes on the floor. Only one of them is the real deal, holy of God, a true sign of authority. The other two are counterfeits, deception, spiritual opposition. One is real, two are false. One is holy, two are evil. But for this moment, it is not clear which. They look the same.
 
But then:
 
‘Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.’ (v.12)
 
All came clear. Only one snake remained.
 
Don’t fear the counterfeit. Don’t fear the fake. God and his Spirit will prevail. We’re told that even the devil dresses up to counterfeit holy angels. (2 Cor 11:14) We’re in a battle, and appearances are part of the challenge. But we don’t worry. We don’t strive to prove anything. Because God will prove himself. He will call it.
 
‘The Lord knows those who are his.’ (2 Timothy 2:19)

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