God Sees, Hears and Has Come Down.

God Comes Down

In scripture there are times, God moments, that God comes down to directly intervene for his people. Moses has one of those God moments at the burning bush.

God moments happen through out scripture. God comes to his people in response to their cries for help. He comes in response to their suffering. God, dare I say, is moved with compassion and comes down to help. Some use the argument of human suffering to point to God’s inaction, but today’s scripture tells us something different. God in the burning bush tells Moses that God has seen the oppression of the people, and has heard their cries of their distress. Yes I am aware of their suffering and I have come down.

Today we remember that God sees our oppression, God hears our cries for help, and is aware of our situations and has come down to save us. God has not forgotten us God has not forgotten you.

As we make our way to God’s table, lets remember how the deliverance of God’s people from slavery in Egypt began. Let’s remember that the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, the great I AM, in the burning bush, also come to us in our suffering. God has seen our suffering, heard our cries for help, and has come down. The God made known to Moses through a burning bush has come to us as the Word made flesh.

Colossians 1:15 NLT

15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,

Colossians 2:9 NLT

9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.

God Sees, and Hears

The stage for Moses encounter with God at the burning bush was set at the end of Exodus chapter 2. Exodus 2:23-25

Exodus 2:23–25 NLT

23 Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. 24 God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.

Earlier in Exodus chapter 2 Moses had killed an Egyptian for mistreating a Hebrew slave. Pharaoh had heard about this and wanted Moses dead, so Moses fled to Midian. It was here that Moses encounters God in the burning bush.

Amazed at what he was seeing he had to get a closer look because he had noticed the bush was burning but not being consumed. God saw Moses coming to take a closer look. God calls out to Moses from the middle of the bush. Moses! Moses! When God calls someones name twice in the Old Testament he really needs their attention.

As I read this James 4:8 came to mind draw close to God and he will draw close to you.

Moses response to hearing his voice was “Here I am”.

God stops Moses from coming any closer because the holy presence of God demands a respectful distance. In the OT it was a fearful thing to enter the presence of God. Moses is told to take the sandals from off his feet because the very ground he stands on is holy ground.

Moses response is one of fear because it was a fearful thing to encounter the presence of God.

Exodus: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition (1) Theophany (3:1–6)

The presence of the Holy God transforms otherwise “common, unholy ground into extraordinary, holy ground” (Hamilton 2011, 49), set apart to God and God’s purposes.

God is Aware of their suffering!

Sees: “I have certainly seen the oprression of my people in Egypt.”

God’s people Israel had been in slavery in Egypt for over 400 years. They suffered greatly during this time. Over 400 years naturally begin to wonder has God forgotten us?

We are reminded that God sees their oppression. God has not forgotten them. In this we can know God sees our situation and God has not forgotten us.

Hears: “I have heard their cries of distress...”

The end of Exodus 2 tells us that the cries of God’s people has reached his ears. He remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The time had come for God to act.

From this we remember that God sees our situation and hears our cries for help.

The God who created all things sees and hears us. The God who breathed life into humanity is aware of what we are going through. This same God delivered the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. This same God is with us delivering and bringing us through whatever our oppression might be.

God Has Come Down!

Exodus: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition (2) The Commission of Moses (3:7–10)

The expression I have come down refers to the manifest presence of Yahweh and his sovereign involvement in human history that decisively alters course

Exodus: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition (2) The Commission of Moses (3:7–10)

The explicit purpose of Yahweh’s advent is to rescue his people from the hand of the Egyptians.

God Works through Moses.

In this lengthy exchange Moses protests 4 times, that God should send someone else. In his first protest Moses asks God “Who am I that I should go to Pharoah?”

God’s reply I will be with you.

Moses second protest was Who are you? Who should I say sent me?

God’s reply, “ I AM WHO I AM, tell the people I AM has sent me to you. Tell the people of Israel that YHWH the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you.

The lesson we can learn from Moses many protests, is God works in and through us despite our feelings of inadequacy. God’s answers to Moses are a reminder that God goes with us. The God who made us in his image, who breathed life into us goes with us. God works in and through us despite the barriers we might put up.

In Christ God has Come down.

Romans 7:24–25 NRSV

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin.

The God who called Moses from the burning bush, who delivered his people from slavery in Egypt has come to deliver us his people from the bondage of sin and death.

Today we remember the mighty work of God around the table. The passover meal is still celebrated to this day. Remembering, what God had done through his servant Moses. Celebrating their deliverance from slavery in Egypt.

Today at this table we remember that God heard the desperate cry of his people again and came down in the person of Jesus Christ. He came not to set us free from slavery in Egypt, but to set us free from the bondage of sin and death.

Today as we gather at the table our deliverance. Let’s remember we serve a God that sees, hears us and is aware of what we are going through.