Welcome to Exodus 3, where we see Moses’ transition from the palace to the pastures. In Chapter 2, we read that when he got to Midian, he met a man called Jethro and married his daughter (Zipporah). They gave birth to a son (Gershom) and were already settled in the land of the Midianites. At age 40, he had earlier attempted to be a deliverer for Israel, but it was a premature attempt. God took him to Midian to learn how to shepherd His people. He stayed 40 more years in Midian, and at God’s appointed time, he was chosen as a deliverer for the people.
Let us review…
1. GOD CALLS MOSES
Exo. 3:1-2 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
Moses’ first 40 years were spent in Pharaoh’s palace. He spent another 40 years as a shepherd, in a hot dry desert. God was training him to be a leader – a shepherd for 2 million Jews who would in many ways prove to be more difficult than sheep. After spending 40 years shepherding sheep in the wilderness, God now needs him to spend the next 40 years shepherding His “sheep” in the same wilderness.
As he went about his business, God unsettled him. He saw an amazing appearance. A bush was burning but was not consumed. It was normal for a bush to burn in the desert heat, but to not be consumed was extraordinary! God violated the laws of thermodynamics. He was intrigued, and he sought to know more…
Once God saw that He had gotten Moses’ attention, He spoke. This was another instance of Jesus’ pre-incarnation appearance in the Old Testament (Theophany) as the “Angel of the LORD”. God called him from the fire, and he responded. God told him not to come near, but to remove his sandals. The ground was holy because the Holy One was there. Wherever God chooses to reveal Himself is marked holy. For us, that “wherever” is our bodies, which He made His temple (1Cor. 6:19-20).
God introduced Himself to Moses in a very personal way. But Moses hid his face in fear. He was afraid to “look at God”. Whenever the imperfect man comes in contact with the perfect God, his imperfection will make him disqualify himself (Rev. 1:17, Eze. 1:28). But all thanks to God who “…is able to keep us from stumbling, and to make us stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy…” (Jude 1:24).
2. GOD COMMISSIONS MOSES
Exo. 3:7,10 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows… Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
We serve a God Who sees our afflictions and all the injustices against us. That should be enough to give us comfort even in the midst of mistreatment or injustice. God is aware. He is still on the throne. He is not distant, blind, or indifferent to the needs of His people. He is a God of compassion and love. God’s concern for the Hebrews and their suffering made Him choose Moses to liberate them.
God says: I have come down. The two times He did so in Genesis, it was for judgment – Babel (Gen. 11:5,7) and Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:21). This time around, He came down to deliver Israel. God says that He is the One Who will deliver Israel from Egypt. However, in vs. 10, He says Moses will deliver Israel out of Egypt. God’s sovereignty interacts with man’s responsibility. God could have done it without Moses but chose to use a man to bring about the deliverance. God is willing to work in and through human beings to alleviate the unjust sufferings of His people.
Moses’ response is worthy of note: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (v. 11) He questioned his own identity and worthiness. However, we know that if God calls a man, God would be his adequacy. The issue is not who he is, but whose he is. If God sends a man, God will be with him. Understanding this will help us maintain a “Yet Not I” posture in our assignments (1Cor. 15:10, 2Cor. 3:5-6)
Let us observe the first two ways Moses expressed his hesitation and how God answered them:
Objection 1: Based on Moses’ Insignificance
“Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh…”
Objection Answered: Based on the Significance of God
“And He said, ‘Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you…”
Objection 2: Based on Moses’ Need for Validation & Authority
“Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?”
Objection Answered: Based on the Validation of God
“I AM WHO I AM”
Exo. 3:18 Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’
God promised Moses that the Israelites would listen to him. His commission came with an assurance of success. His first attempt to speak to his brothers ended in disaster (Exo. 2:11-14). But now, not only would the elders listen to him, they would come with him before the king. They made a request to Pharaoh for a 3-day journey to worship their God. It was the first test of Pharaoh’s willingness. But the Omniscient God knew already that Pharaoh would harden his own heart, and would refuse to grant their request.
This chapter ended with God’s promises on how He’d deal with Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and the Hebrews. He promised to arrange miracles to move Pharaoh’s heart, and also to move the hearts of the Egyptians. By the time the Israelites would eventually depart, they would be blessed with silver and gold and clothing. God was determined to pay them the appropriate wages for the years of forced labour.
God is gracious and good. He is not unfaithful to forget our labours… Let us keep our focus on Him. As we continue our study tomorrow, I say…
Grace to you, Church!
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