Moses at the Burning Bush
November 24, 2020
Commentary
After 40 years of training in the courts of Pharaoh, Moses now is near the end of another 40 years of his life as a shepherd. Leading his father-in-law Jethro’s flock, in search of grasslands, Moses approached Mount Horeb in the desert of Sinai (v. 1). One day as he was out in the desert he saw a very strange sight, a bush on fire (v. 2). It was just an ordinary thorn bush of the desert. But instead of burning up and turning to ashes it just kept right on burning. Attracted by the sight, Moses went closer to see why it kept on burning and was not burned up (v. 3). As he came near to the bush something very strange happened. He heard a voice calling his name (v. 4). It was God’s voice speaking to him out of the midst of the burning bush. God was warning him that he was on Holy ground and that he needed to take his shoes off (v. 5). At that point Moses became afraid and hid his face (v. 6). God then told Moses how He had seen the oppression of His people and heard their cry and now He was about to deliver them and bring them back to the land of their fathers (vv. 7-9). He told Moses that he was the one to go to Pharaoh and lead the children from the land (v. 10). God commissioned Moses to deliver His people from Egypt.
Moses asked God two questions: (1) Who am I? (v. 11). As a mere shepherd, he didn’t feel qualified to be the leader of his people, but the Lord told Moses that he would be with him (v. 12). (2) What shall I say? (v. 13). The people had been accustomed to hearing of many gods and Moses wondered if they would want to know the true and living God. God told Moses to tell the children of Israel “I am hath sent me unto you (vv. 14-15).” God always was and always will be caring for His people. Our God is alive and present. He is here right now and gives life and breath to everything that lives (Acts 17:25). Moses was told to return to Israel’s leaders with a message of deliverance (v. 16). The Lord then laid out the risks and the rewards of deliverance: (1) the land to which they were going was already inhabited, but it was an exceedingly good land (v. 17). (2) Pharoah would not let the people go unless compelled by the Lord (vv. 18-19), but the Lord would compel him, and the Israelites would plunder the Egyptians on their way out (vv. 20-22).
Application
God still uses human instruments to do His work. There had been 80 years of preparation for Moses and now it was time to act. It may not have been 80 years but God has a work for me to do. The big question is, "Am I willing to do it?"
Exodus 3:1–22 (NET)
1 Now 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. 2 The 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! 3 So Moses thought, “I will turn aside to see this amazing sight. Why does the bush not burn up?” 4 When 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.” 5 God said, “Do not approach any closer! Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He 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.
7 The 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. 8 I 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. 9 And now indeed the cry of the Israelites has come to me, and I have also seen how severely the Egyptians oppress them. 10 So now go, and I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
11 Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, or that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 He 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 at this mountain.”
13 Moses 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?”
14 God 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.’” 15 God 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.’
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, 17 and 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.”’
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.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, not even under force. 20 So 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.
21 “I will grant this people favor with the Egyptians, so that when you depart you will not leave empty-handed. 22 Every 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!”
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