Exodus 03
1Now Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb.
Moses was peacefully shepherding his flock in the Sinai desert. His father-in-law’s proper name was Reuel, meaning “friend of God.” His title was Jethro, meaning that he was the priest and king of the Midianite tribe. The Midianites were descendants of Abraham and Keturah. The mountain of God is Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai is one mountain of many of the Horeb mountain range.
2The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. He looked – and the bush was ablaze with fire, but it was not being consumed!
The angel of the Lord is the Lord Jesus Christ, the second member of the Trinity. The flame of fire is the Shekinah Glory, which is the visible representation of God on earth. When God appears on earth, He usually appears as fire, light, cloud, smoke, or a combination. Sometimes He appears in the form of a man or angel.
Bushes will often catch fire in the desert. However, they always burn out. This bush did not burn out and it talked to Moses. This bush is a picture of Israel. Israel was continually burning with affliction. However, Israel cannot be consumed, because she is protected by the Abrahamic Covenant.
3So Moses thought, “I will turn aside to see this amazing sight. Why does the bush not burn up?”
This was unusual. Moses wanted a closer look at this bush.
4When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him from within the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”
Notice that in verse 2, the Shekinah Glory was called “the angel of the Lord.” Now, the Shekinah Glory was called “God.” God called Moses twice, meaning that He was calling Moses into His service. God called Abraham, Jacob, Samuel, and Paul twice, all for specific tasks.
God does not verbally call modern charismatics out today. This verse is a recording of history. It is not a New Testament doctrine. The doctrine for the modern church is found in Paul’s letters. The only divine revelation that modern believers receive today is from the written Word of God. Satan wants modern believers to think that God is speaking to them through tongues, prophets, dreams, and words of knowledge. However. these are possible avenues that demons use to confuse and muddy true Bible doctrine. These messages are a mixture of truth and error. They are often given in the name of God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. Only believers with strong Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God will be able to discern these extra-biblical theological errors.
When a person says “God spoke to me,” ask him “How did God speak to you?” If God does not speak through the written Word of God, then it was not God speaking.
A mature believer will not say “God spoke to me,” because this message will be confusing to those who possess less Biblical maturity. A mature believer will say exactly what Jesus said, “it is written.”
5God said, “Do not approach any closer! Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
Moses was standing on holy ground. God hates sin, so He cannot be approached from humans who are in a condition of sin. Believers must continually confess their sins according to 1 John 1:9. Every time believers confess their sins, God cleanses them so that they can be used for service. God will not send a filthy ambassador to represent Him before the world.
6He added, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
In verses 6-10, God will give Moses a specific task to accomplish. God informed Moses that He was not an Egyptian god, but He was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses recognized these names, because his mother most likely taught him this lesson when she was weaning him. Reuel the Priest was also a descendant of Abraham and Keturah, so this same information could have been passed down to him as well.
Moses was afraid to look at the face of God. When God appears, men fall down at His feet in awe, respect, and fear.
7The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
God had compassion for Israel. The Egyptian gods were not very compassionate at all. They were ruthless, careless, mean, who did not care too much about people.
8I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a land that is both good and spacious, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the region of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
God told Abraham that He would give the Amorites 400 years to turn to Him. If they refused to do so, then He would exterminate them and give their land to Abraham’s descendants. The 400 years had now been completed. God was ready to eliminate the Amorites and give their land to Israel.
9And now indeed the cry of the Israelites has come to me, and I have also seen how severely the Egyptians oppress them.
God is compassionate, so He knew their afflictions.
10So now go, and I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
Notice that Moses did not choose God. Instead, God chose Moses to deliver the Israelites out of the slavery of Egypt.
11Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, or that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
When Moses was 40, he was ready to deliver Israel. Now he was 80 and he was not as enthusiastic about this call. For the first 40 years of Moses' life, he thought that he was really something. The middle 40 years, he thought that he was nothing. The last 40 years, Moses will learn what God can do with nothing. Moses will bring up five objections as to why he is not qualified to be the deliverer of Israel. His first objection was that he is nothing against Pharaoh.
12He replied, “Surely I will be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you bring the people out of Egypt, you and they will serve God on this mountain.”
God’s answer is that someday in the future, the entire nation of Israel will stand before Moses on Mount Sinai and worship God on this very same mountain. When traveling from Egypt to Canaan, Mount Sinai is about 150 miles out of the way. When Moses observes the entire nation of Israel worshipping God on this mountain, Moses will know that he has been called by God.
13Moses said to God, “If I go to the Israelites and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ – what should I say to them?”
Moses’ second objection was that the people will not believe him. Moses wants to know the exact proper name of God.
14God said to Moses, “I am that I am.” And He said, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
God’s name in Hebrew is אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה (ehyeh asher ehyeh), meaning either “I am that I am” or “I am the one who causes to be.” The name for “God” is אֱלֹהִים֙ (elohim), which is the generic name of God (just as “man” is the generic name for humans). Jehovah is God’s proper name. The majority of Jews pronounce this name as “Yahweh.” The German Jews, who have more Hebrew scholarship, pronounce the name as “Jehovah.” Both names can be used interchangeably. The Jehovah Witnesses are most likely correct on the pronunciation of Jehovah, but their theology is in great error. Jesus is not a created angel. He is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity.
15God also said to Moses, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘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 this is my memorial from generation to generation.’
God used different names in the Old Testament to stress His different attributes. With Israel, His memorial name was Jehovah. This name stressed the character attribute of God always keeping His promises, or His covenants. In this case, God will keep His promises of the Abrahamic Covenant.
16“Go and bring together the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, appeared to me – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – saying, “I have attended carefully to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt,
The first part of God’s exodus program is that Moses will report this information to the elders of Israel.
17and I have promised that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’
Jehovah will keep His promise of the Abrahamic Covenant. He will give the land of Canaan to Israel, just as He promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
18“The elders will listen to you, and then you and the elders of Israel must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’
Moses and the elders are to go to Pharaoh and make one simple request. Their only request is that they may go into the wilderness for three days and make sacrifices to Jehovah.
19But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, not even under force.
Pharaoh will refuse, demonstrating to the angelic and human world that Pharaoh deserves the punishments that will come upon his nation.
20So I will extend my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will do among them, and after that he will release you.
The denial of this one small request is a violation of the Abrahamic Covenant. The curse will be kind-for-kind.
21“I will grant this people favor with the Egyptians, so that when you depart you will not leave empty-handed.
Israel will receive a good salary from Egypt for their last 400 years of slave labor. In Genesis 15:14, God predicted to Abraham that Israel would leave with great wealth from Egypt.
22Every woman will ask her neighbor and the one who happens to be staying in her house for items of silver and gold and for clothing. You will put these articles on your sons and daughters – thus you will plunder Egypt!”
Jehovah predicted that the Egyptians would gladly give the Israelites anything that they might ask. Without lifting a weapon, the Jews will plunder the mightiest nation of their day.