Exodus 3

Moses saw a burning bush on the west side of Mount Horeb. Mount Horeb would be called from this point on the mountain of God because the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the midst of the burning bush. Moses had probably seen bushes burning in the desert before but this one caught his attention because it was not being burnt up. The Lord called to Moses from the bush to warn him that he was on holy ground and said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses did what every person in the scripture does when he comes face to face with God. Moses hid his face because he feared to look at the face of God. We fear God because he is holy and we are unholy. We all know that we have sinned against the most high God. (vv.1-6)

The Lord tells Moses that he has seen the affliction of his people in Egypt. Recall that when Moses was a young man, he was bothered by the affliction of the Israelites and sought to be their deliverer but was chased away. The Lord told Moses that he has descended for the purpose of deliverance from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them to the land that he promised to Abraham. I cannot help but thank about how the Lord descended and became flesh to deliver us from the power of sin and bring us into the new heaven and new earth yet to come. (vv.7-9)

Moses had become humbled from his previous belief that he was lifted up; therefore, when the Lord told Moses that he was sending him to Pharaoh, to bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt, Moses said, “Who am I.” Moses like all of us was a sinner, fallen short of the glory of God. Moses knew that he was not a great man but the Lord chose him to serve. Moses’ mission would be successful, not because of Moses but because the Lord would be with him when he went to Pharaoh, to bring out the sons of Israel. (vv.10-12

Moses wanted to know God’s name. What should we call you? God told Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” NASB Strong’s (Lockman)) concordance says that the word used in this passage is related to the name of God, YHWH, rendered LORD, which is derived from the verb HAYAH, to be. Moses was to tell the sons of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.” God then told Moses you shall say, “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.” “Yhvh, i.e. יְהוָֹה Yehovah or יַהְוֶה Yahveh.” (NASB Concordance) God told Moses, “This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.” Therefore, when Jesus said to the Jews, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”(Jn.8:58) It was considered blasphemy because they understood that he was claiming to be the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just as God spoke to Moses on Mount Horeb. Moses was to tell the sons of Israel that he is going to take them to the land that he promised to their fathers. God said that the sons would listen but the Egyptians would not. Just like the sheep receive Jesus but the goats do not. (cf.Jn.10:22-30) God told Moses that the king of Egypt would not let them go except under compulsion; therefore, the Lord would stretch out his hand and strike Egypt with miracles and then they would let the sons of Israel go. Sin does not let us go except under compulsion. (vv.13-22)