Discipleship School - Exodus 3

read the following sentence

Th ldy wnt t th mll nd prchsd th drss

The lady went to the mall and purchased the dress

What did I remove?

Test

Name of Moses’ wife

name of Moses’ father in law

what does Moses mean

how many tribes of Israel

Mannaseh and Ephraim represent which tribe/brother

king of egypt is called what

The book of Exodus is really part 2 of what book?

Genesis 15:13–16 NLT

Then the Lord said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. (As for you, you will die in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.) After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction.”

Review

because of Famine and Joseph’s position, the family of Jacob (grown children and their families) move to Egypt so they won’t starve to death . . . .The family stays in Egypt, grows and prospers!

As the years go by, the Egyptians say we have an immigrant problem, let’s make them slaves! Let’s kill the boys! . . .Family keeps growing anyway

one of these boys who escapes is Moses, he tries to help his people, but is rejected by his people and because he killed an Egyptian he has to run away from Egypt (40 years old, Acts 7)

Meets the family of Jethro, marries one of his daughters, becomes a shepherd

Exodus 3:1 NLT

One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God.

Have you failed?

are you feeling like a failure?

Have things not gone according to plans?

Be encouraged!

Acts, chapter 7 tells us that this event in chapter 3 happens when Moses is 80

I bet Moses feels this way, I don’t doubt that Moses has lost any pride he ever had, he has gone from from miracle baby, Egyptian prince . . . all the way down to 80 year old failure . . . he doesn’t even have his own sheep

but it is preparation for taking care of someone else’s sheep . . .(and we know that all things work)

with God failures are training, preparation

Moses is still important to God

Exodus 3:2–3 NLT

There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”

Normal day with an abnormal event

Bush on fire but not turning black and burning up

Exodus 3:4–6 NLT

When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.

God know who Moses is of course, calls his name and says don’t come closer, take off shoes

A lot of “don’t come any closer”, “Don’t look”, “don’t touch” when it comes to God . . . He is holy!

God identifies himself

remember they don’t have the Bible

they just have the stories passed down by word of mouth

apparently they passed down enough info to make Moses afraid to look at God

Exodus 3:7 NLT

Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering.

God has seen, heard, and is aware

Exodus 3:8–10 NLT

So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

I have decided it is time to act, and I am going to use you

It’s more correct to say, let me walk with God than God walk with me . . . .

“make sure that you have the understanding that you join him in what he’s doing . . . but too often we try to ask God to join us in what we are doing (pray before we cuss and take off our clothes)

Exodus 3:11 NLT

But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

Moses says, “wait . . . what . . . me?”

Too often we ask the wrong questions:

Wrong question: Who am I

Right Question: Who is God

What can I do?

What can God do?

Exodus 3:12 NLT

God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”

yes you, but I will be with you

and when you bring them out of Egypt to worship at this mountain that will be proof that I have sent you

the proof is in the pudding! . . . If God said it, then it will happen

if it didn’t happen . . . . then God didn’t say it

You don’t have to make excuses for prophets today

You will have thousands in your bank account by the end of the year . . . if you have $200 at the end of the year, don’t say “I had thousands to pass through my account this year”

just say, that prophet didn’t hear from God

and that means you can’t trust 100% what they say

Exodus 3:13–14 NLT

But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.”

I am who I am - God has a name, God has revealed his name

His name is not God (like I used to think)

I AM

Exodus 3:15 NLT

God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.

How do we get Yahweh?

show picture

Hebrew consonants without the vowels

We call it the Tetragrammaton - four consonants that make up God’s name. (yod, he, waw, he)

The ancient people knew the vowels because it was their language

as time passed, people started adding vowels, but they would not do it for God’s name . . . too holy!

so we are left with our best guess . . Yaweh!

it is based on the Hebrew word for “being.”(I am) It could be translated “I am who I am” or “I will be what I will be” or “I am the One who is.” The name speaks of the self-existence and self-sufficiency of God. All others are dependent upon Him for life and breath and existence. He is dependent upon no one. There is no equivalent

Again, his Name was considered so holy that they would not say it out loud, instead would use

Adonai - Lord (most often . . . and notate it so that readers would not say it out loud)

adds more meaning to not saying the Lor’ds name in vain

Jehovah is a combination of Yaweh and vowels of Adonai

We serve this God . . . .The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Moses

David

Daniel

sent his only begotten Son, Jesus

Lord vs LORD

My leader, boss vs secret name of the Lord

Exodus 3:16–17 NLT

“Now go and call together all the elders of Israel. Tell them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me. He told me, “I have been watching closely, and I see how the Egyptians are treating you. I have promised to rescue you from your oppression in Egypt. I will lead you to a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.” ’

go talk to the elders, let them know that I am about to rescue them

do thing decently and in order, not a lone ranger

Exodus 3:18 NLT

“The elders of Israel will accept your message. Then you and the elders must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord, our God.’

ask for a three day journey to offer sacrifices

???

maybe not to get them killed right away

Exodus 3:19–22 NLT

“But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand forces him. So I will raise my hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them. Then at last he will let you go. And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go so you will not leave empty-handed. Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from the foreign women in their houses. You will dress your sons and daughters with these, stripping the Egyptians of their wealth.”

I will force him to let you go

in the end, they will be pushing you out

the people will leave rich!