The Story Through the Bible Exod 3

God Hear’s His people

We pick back up still in chapter 2 of Exodus. But we’re not going to be here long. We ended last week at verse 22 and we’re picking up the last 3 verses to start our next section.

Exodus 2:23–25 ESV

During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

So Moses had gone off gotten married, had a son, he’s living in Midian in the lands east of Egypt.

Now like I mentioned last week we’re tying these things back to remembering the promises or covenants with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the ancestors to these people known as the Israelites. We get to chapter 3 and take a look back in at Moses.

Exodus 3:1 ESV

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

Quick note here Mt Horeb and Mt Sinai are used interchangeably by the Bible I don’t know why there are two different names used, I tried tracking that down and there are a few theories like one is the mountain rage the other the specific peak, or just cultural differences that one people group used one name and another a different name there really isn’t any clear definite answer but it’s good for us to just know the way the Bible treats those two names is the same. The most interesting to me, which will probably not be a surprise to many of you is the potential linguistic reference. The word Sinai is very similar to the word Seneh and some think it was people calling Mt Horeb the mountain of the bush referring back to this and it ended up becoming it’s own name for the same mountain. Horeb means dryness, desolation, desert - so the mountain of the desert makes sense. In any case just be aware we might say one or the other name for the same place but Sinai doesn’t show up in the text until chapter 16 so it won’t be soon.

Exodus 3:2–3 ESV

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”

Now Moses has spent about half his life out in this land. It’s possible he’s seen a bush on fire before, but if he has it’s been brief. The kinds of things we’re talking about are maybe a couple feet wide and generally very dry even when healthy because this particular area we’re in is actually desert. It’s not going to be on fire for very long. This peeked his interest and drew him in. God draws people in through all sorts of ways. Sometimes it’s tragedy like so many people that thought maybe I should go visit a church to check this stuff out after Charlie Kirk was shot. Sometimes it’s the lack of satisfaction found in every other thing you’ve spent time on that prompts you to look into the whole God thing. Sometimes it’s a direct and clear message or conversation from a follower of God. And for some it’s even an anger with a God you don’t believe in and you try to disprove the whole religion thing like Lee Strobel who ends up writting a great book The Case for Christ that details his shift from atheist to Christian. In this case for Moses it’s a burning bush that doesn’t burn up.

Exodus 3:3–6 ESV

And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

AH! we have a moment here! one of those key phrases that makes us remember the other stories what is it?

Moses, Moses! - Here I am

Genesis 22:11 ESV

But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

This is when Abraham is at the high place about to sacrifice his son but the Lord stops him and the Lord provides for himself a sacrifice in the place of Isaac. This is where the promise to Abraham is tested by God. Gen 46.2

Genesis 46:2–4 ESV

And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.”

This is where Jacob is re-assured by God that he should go down to Egypt where they will be saved from the famine and continue on as a people. This is where that promise to Abraham is preserved.

Then here in Exodus 3 we get Moses Moses - Here I am where the promise is going to begin its fulfillment.

The promise again was A special land is promised to them, A great increase in the number of descendants, Their Name will be great (important family lineage), All the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Now many more “Here I am” statements happen that we’ve looked at in Genesis where the responder is ready, available, or obeying not just God but also family depending on that situation.

These three are the only double name that responds with Here I am though.

Now we get the gameplan laid out.

Exodus 3:7–10 ESV

Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

That’s the general plan for God’s people. Get out of the land - get into the promised land.

Exodus 3:11–12 ESV

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

Moses asks who am I that I can go to Pharaoh and bring out the children of Israel? Anyone notice something interesting about God’s answer in vs 12?

He doesn’t say who Moses is that Moses could do it. God says I will be with you.

It’s not in fact about Moses or how good, talented, important, or whatever he is. It’s about God. One of those points to remember about what part of the purpose of this book of Exodus is - To show God’s Glory -

Now Moses still has some concerns…

Exodus 3:13–14 ESV

Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”

Here is where we get the Big Revelation where the name of God is revealed. The name YHWH is related to the “to be” verb hiya which is I AM and YHWH is HE IS or will be.

Exodus 3:15–18 ESV

God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’ And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’

So Moses is told to lay out the plan to the Israelite elders but God is not keeping the future struggle that will happen a secret either. He continues on…

Exodus 3:19–22 ESV

But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

We’ll see through the next several chapters this struggle play out. Overall God has a plan for his people, he works directly and indirectly to accomplish his will for his own Glory. As we see God’s plan unfolding here it reminds us he still has a plan for our lives and like we see his plans fulfilled through the stories of the Bible we can trust that his continuing plan to save and redeem will also be accomplished and God will be glorified.