Wilderness University - Week 2

Exodus 3:13-14

I. The Credentials He Desired (v.13)

Moses was called of God to go and do what he had desired to do 40 years earlier… deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage

Moses had a different response this time than he did 40 years ago, stating “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh?” He was now humble and God could use him

God then gave him a promise “Certainly, I will be with thee”

But now Moses asks a different question: “when I come to the Israelites, and tell them that God has sent me to deliver you, and they ask ‘what is His name?’, what should I say to them?”

Rightfully, Moses sensed he would need the right credentials before the people of Israel. 40 years prior, he thought he had the credentials because he was the prince of Egypt. 40 years of tending sheep took away his sense of self-reliance.

Also, when God revealed Himself to man in the days of the Patriarchs (Genesis 12-50), it was often associated with a newly revealed name for God

Abraham, when he encountered Melchizedek, called on God Most High (Genesis 14:22 “And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,”)

Abraham later encountered Almighty God (Genesis 17:1 “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.”)

Abraham came to know the Lord as Everlasting God (Genesis 21:33 “And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God.”) and the Lord will provide (Genesis 22:14 “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.”)

Hagar encountered the God Who Sees (Genesis 16:13 “And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?”)

Jacob met El Elohe Israel (Genesis 33:20 “And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Israel.”) and El Bethel (Genesis 35:7 “ And he built there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.”)

So if Moses were to come to the elders of Israel as a representative of God, it would be logical for them to wonder “by what name did He reveal Himself unto you?”. That was the “certificate of authenticity” so to speak to prove that God had actually revealed Himself to you, by revealing one of His names to you.

So its almost like Moses was saying “Ok, God, but if im going to go back to Israel and tell them this plan, theyre probably going to need some proof that it’s really You. So what should I tell them?”

II. The Revelation He Needed (v.14)

God then gives Moses the answer: “My name is I AM. Tell them that I AM has sent you”.

What does this mean? It might seem nonsensical to refer to one’s self with the phrase “I AM THAT I AM”. Yet, it reveals several important things about God that they would need to know and be reminded of during the coming days:

A. God Has No Equal

There is no equivalent for God except God!

Why did they need to know He was the I AM?

When Moses approached them with what God wanted to do, the first thought that probably arose in their minds was “you want to take on Pharaoh?!?! Do you not understand how powerful of a man he is? He could have us all killed or destroyed!”

But God needed them all to know that He is the I AM! He has no equal, Pharaoh cannot stand up to Him

B. God is Eternal

This phrase “I AM” is a shortening of the name Jehovah or Yahweh. Biblical scholars are not completely clear on what the phrase means exactly, though it seems to suggest the timelessness of God. I AM = God is eternally present. He has always existed and always will exist. He is the eternal, self-sufficient, and self-existent One!

This name was not a “new” name that they had never heard before, for it occurs over 160 times in Genesis. God gave Moses a name that they had known before, a name they hadnt heard in 430 years! He was calling them back to the faith of the Patriarchs!

Why did they need to know He was the I AM?

When Moses approached them with this plan they may have wondered “do you know how long we’ve been enslaved? We’ve been here for 430 years, nothing is ever going to change! God isnt doing for us what he did for our ancestors!”

God wanted them to know He is timeless and eternal, He knows theyve been enslaved for 430 years, but He’s the same God now as He was during the days of the patriarchs! He wants them to trust Him the same way Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did centuries before

Because God is eternally present and eternally existent, He could tell Moses what was going to happen when he tried to deliver Israel, and He did exactly that! He laid it all out in v. 15-22!

C. God is Everything We Need (v.15-22)

The name “I AM” also carries the sense of “The Becoming One” which means that God becomes whatever is lacking in our lives

He gave them deliverance from Egypt when they lacked freedom

He gave them Bread in the wilderness when they lacked food

He gave them water when they lacked water

He led them like a shepherd when they lacked direction

Jesus later completed the statement “I AM” with 9 statements

I am the Bread of Life = after the feeding of the 5,000

I am the Light of the World = after healing a blind man

I am the Door = Speaking of how He is the only way to Heaven

I am the Good Shepherd = speaking of how He leads and cares for His children

I am the Resurrection and the Life = He has the power of life and death

I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life = He is the only way to Heaven, He is the only source of Truth, and He is the only One Who can give Life

I am the True Vine = He is our sustainer. We are the branches, but He is the vine, giving us all we need in order to bear fruit

Before Abraham was, I am = Eternally Existant

“I am He” = Said when they arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane

For us believers today, Jesus is EVERYTHING we need!

III. The Commission He was Given (v.15-22)

Moses now after having been revealed this truth about God was commissioned to go and gather the elders of Israel and tell them what God was going to do with them.

Now Moses has not only been given the promise that God would “certainly be with him” but he now also has been given the “credentials” and the revelation he would need for this big task ahead.

God even did for Moses what He often doesnt do, lay out everything that was going to happen in advance. It was now up to Moses to obey

God gives a promise at the end of Chapter 3 that He would not only deliver Israel from the bondage of Egypt, but would also bless them greatly.

IV. Conclusion

So what did Moses learn in the wilderness that he couldnt learn anywhere else? He learned more of Who God was! He was reminded that God has no equal and He can trust Him to face any and every enemy. He was reminded that God is eternal, and He knows the end from the beginning. He was reminded that God is and always will be everything we need for the journey of life!

The wilderness is not a fun place to be. Its dry, its desolate, its lonely, and its a hard place to live… but we need these seasons of being in the wilderness to learn these valuable lessons! We need the Wilderness to teach us some things!

Child of God, if you are in the wilderness, dont be discouraged. God is revealing Himself to you in ways that He never would have been able to anywhere else. He can help you overcome any enemy, He knows whats going to happen in your future, and He is everything you will ever need!