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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
The door bell rings and a man dressed as a police officer wants to come in. Having no real reason to deny his entrance, but wanting to be cautious just the same, you ask to see his badge. He says, “I don’t have one.” Question: Would you let him enter your house without further questions? Today’s message is about a badge of authority, but not one of human origins.
“So Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him. Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.” (Exodus 4.28-31).
The signs that God gave Moses (see Exodus 4.1-17) were for the express purpose of demonstrating the authority that was behind Moses as he stood before the people. These signs (miracles) were feats that a mere man could not accomplish, and would prove adequate to convince any honest person that God had sent Moses. This is not a matter of conjecture; God said to Moses, “Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign [a staff turning to a serpent], that they may believe the message of the latter sign [water turning to blood].” (Exodus 4.8). For good measure, God gave Moses yet a third sign [his hand becoming leprous and then back whole] so the people would be convinced. Moses quibbled again and tried to excuse himself from the task of leading Israel, saying “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” (Exodus 4.10). In response, God gave Aaron to Moses as his mouthpiece saying that He would be with them as they stood before others and spoke.
God further instructed Moses, “And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.” (Exodus 4.17). These facts form the background for today’s focus text as well as for the conclusion that signs were intended as the means by which God’s authority could be demonstrated in certain men. Moses did the signs for the very reason that he was given signs. Notice also the effectiveness of this method: “So the People believed…” (Exodus 4.31a).
Signs and wonders were also done by the New Testament apostles and prophets (see Hebrews 2.1-4). Their purpose had not changed between the time that God gave them to Moses and the time they were exercised by the New Testament messengers of God. Signs were still “badges of authority” in much the same way as a lawman’s badge demonstrated the authority that stands behind his actions. Moses, Aaron, Isaiah, Jesus, Matthew, Paul, and other men whose words are recorded in the Bible, needed more than a “Because I told you so,” to back up their claims; they needed to be able to perform the miraculous (that which only God could do) to prove the source of their message.
Do you find it credible that almost no one would permit a badge-less person claiming to be a policeman to enter his home without other proof of his authority? I do! There is simply too much risk involved; maybe the person posing as the policeman is an impostor and actually has no authority behind his actions! Why then is it the case that thousands upon thousands of people listen to men who claim to speak for God but offer no credentials? When a man speaks only what the Bible says, that is credential enough; when he speaks more than the Bible says, we owe it to him and ourselves to ask for his badge!
Questions:
1. When men predict a date the world will end, are they saying what the Bible says, or more than it says?
2. When men claim to have signs, but they have no new word from God, how is the purpose of signs violated? Does a man need signs to simply say what the Bible says? Why or why not?
3. According to Hebrews 2.1-4, what did the signs and wonders do regarding the gospel?
4. Why should we challenge someone who claims to speak for God? What is at risk? What types of proofs should we demand in such cases?
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