Chapter 3:1-7
Exodus Chapter 3
Intro:
3:1- It’s a tad ironic that Moses became a shepherd considering how shepherds were apparently considered the outcasts of Egyptian society (cf Joseph’s warning to his brothers in Gen 46:34). In fairness, we don’t know if that cultural perception was still common in Moses’ day, but it is quite possible. What the KJ calls the “backside of the desert” is literally “behind the wilderness.” This isn’t just nowhere. It’s the place beyond nowhere. The “mountain of God” terminology is rather strange since this is the first time God is said to be connected to a mountain. This is pre-10 commandments. The Exodus hasn’t happened yet. Israel is still in Egypt, yet this mountain is already divinely-claimed territory. Also note that here it is not called Sinai. It’s called Horeb. Most religions throughout world history have considered mountains to be a meeting place for the gods. They’re between heaven (the home of the gods) and earth (the home of humans). The Bible presents a similar divine cosmology of mountains from page 1 (Eden) all the way to Revelation.
3:2-There’s some measure of debate around who the angel of the Lord was, and while a lot of preachers like to define it as Jesus, that’s another conversation for another day. Right now, remember that we’re reading forwards not backwards. We’re getting to Jesus, not trying to find Him in every little detail of a text written long before His incarnation. The angel of the Lord has only appeared a couple other time —Gen 16 when Hagar ran away from Abraham and Sarah, Gen 21 when Hagar was kicked out by Abraham and Sarah, Gen 22 when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, and Gen 31 when Jacob ran away from his family. So in other words, he has a tendency of coming into the story when people are away from home (maybe even running from where they’re supposed to be) and then rocking their world. This bush was some sort of thorn bush. The exact nature of the bush isn’t as important as the word itself. The Hebrew word for this type of bush is sineh, from which the mountain will later get its nickname—Sinai.
3:3- If you’ll allow me to spiritualize for a second, we often find ourselves in situations that feel hopeless and like we’re in a place beyond nowhere. “Even when you’re not where you want to be or planned to be in life, don’t ever lose your curiosity.” -from Michael Todd God often does His most amazing work in the places beyond nowhere.
3:4- The wording here implies that if Moses had not turned aside, God would not have acted. Or at very least, He might have chosen a different course of action. How many times have you felt stuck in a rut and like life is never going to change? How many opportunities have you missed because of what you didn’t take time to pause and pay attention to? This is really getting into conjecture, but I wonder if God had tried to get Moses’ attention before this. After all, a flaming bush is a pretty obvious first tactic to get someone’s attention. God’s presence there is visualized with fire. So, you’re on a mountain, a mountain specifically identified with God, and there’s a tree and a spiritual being (angel of Yahweh)—this is Eden language. Just like the first man and woman faced a test at a tree, so now does our new hero. This is like a new tree of life. And there’s another story the text is hyperlinking to as well. When was the last time God called someone’s name twice and their response was “Here I am”? Abraham, when he was about to sacrifice Isaac on Mt Moriah. So Moses is also like a new Abraham in the story. Are you getting the idea that a test is about to happen? When God appears on mountains or near trees, tests usually take place.
3:5- We’ve got a bit of anachronistic priestly language, winking at you for what’s going to come later. Moses is a priest (Levite) approaching a holy place. Why the shoes? What’s so important about the shoes? Moses was a shepherd. What do you think ended up on the bottom of his shoes all day? Yeah, that’s not clean. That’s not fitting for God’s presence. That would be like working out in the pasture or mechanic shop all day and then walking through the White House. It’s just not appropriate (no matter what your politics!). Don’t take this as prescriptive of how you need to approach God. Jesus made it so that you do not need to be worried about being clean enough to approach God (even after salvation). You don’t have to be clean to come before God. Come as you are, and let Him work on you from there.
3:6- Isn’t it amazing how God identifies Himself by His story? We try to quantify Him in terms of systematic theologies and lists of attributes. But if you really want to know someone, you don’t write out lists about them. You need to know their story. You have to get to know them personally. If you have two John’s in the room, you need to know their stories to know which John you’re talking to. We Christians like to think we’re all worshipping the same God because we all call Him God and we all read the Bible and we all go to the same building each week, but then we create a god out of our imagination of what He is like. We imagine Him to be like our impossible-to-please biological father or our high standards mother or perhaps the cool uncle who bails us out when we need a favor. But to get to know the God of the Bible, you have to listen to His story on His terms, not yours.
3:7- Notice that Moses never tells God what’s been happening. You don’t have to tell God your problems. He already knows. You can discuss them with Him. He’s already seen and is ready to work. Prayer isn’t about telling God your problems. It’s telling God that you’re now aware of the problem and are ready for His solution. A frequent theme in Scripture is God’s hearing the cries of people who have been mistreated by others from Cain and Abel on. Be careful how you treat other people. The Bible never says that God only hears the cries of the Christian oppressed or the righteous oppressed. He pays attention when anyone is mistreated.