What happened when Moses threw his rod on the ground at the burning bush?
At the burning bush, when Moses cast his rod on the ground, it became a serpent, and Moses fled from before it. The serpent was real, and Middle Eastern serpents can be deadly poisonous, which explains why he ran from it.
In the account, Moses had objected that the people would not believe him. The Lord asked him, "What is that in thy hand?" Moses replied, "A rod," a shepherd's staff. God told him to cast it on the ground. When he cast it down, it became a serpent, and Moses fled from before it. Les teaches that it was real, and he notes that Middle Eastern serpents can be deadly poisonous, so Moses ran from it. This sign followed Moses' protest that after 40 years away, now returning as an old lowly shepherd, the Israelites would not believe the Lord had appeared to him.