Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus” friends,
When was the last time you were surprised by God, and how did that shocking encounter affect you? Yesterday, we met Moses and today let’s watch as his ‘burning bush’ encounter with God not only changed his life but began one of the most dramatic rescue adventures ever experienced by any person, anywhere!
Exodus 3 tells us Moses was minding his own business, probably bored out of his mind, watching over a flock of sheep scouring a hillside looking for anything green to eat. It had been 40 years since Moses was run out of the palace of Egypt and his royal life. (Exodus 2:11-15)
I wonder if you’ve ever felt like a total failure in life. Moses was one of the best educated, leadership trained, potential filled men in the entire world! Yet for the better part of 4 decades I doubt he could have imagined a more worthless existence. The voices of failure, hopelessness, insignificance, and worthlessness must have tormented him every day, all day.
It was one of those hot, hopeless days, when everything changed for Moses. Suddenly a bush on that rugged hillside caught fire but was not consumed as it burned! Fascinated, Moses approached and a strong voice, coming from that fire bush, called Moses by name! (Ex. 3:1-4)
I’m sure you’ve heard the story, so how do YOU explain this encounter with God? Have you ever had an experience which comes close to this?
The statements God made at that burning bush both reshaped the rest of Moses’ life journey and reshaped Moses’ understanding of the one, true, living, Almighty God! No place in the Bible, as far as I know, are the unique attributes of God spoken more clearly or concisely!
Remember, Moses had been raised in the Egyptian palace thus he would have been very familiar with all the Egyptian deities, and he would have been trained to understand the beliefs regarding the gods of all other nations which had any dealings with Egypt, including the Hebrew slaves.
From that burning bush God spoke clearly, powerfully and definitively that day with Moses. Seems to me God wanted there to be no confusion in Moses’ mind about the supremacy and uniqueness of Almighty God as compared to any other ideas or idols worshipped anywhere in the world. Let’s look closely. . .
* First, God began with His unapproachable HOLINESS, instructing Moses to remove his sandals! (Ex. 3:5) No other deity known to mankind claimed Holiness, Purity, Sinlessness as His central identifying attribute!
* Next, God’s IDENTITY: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…” (Ex. 3:6) No other deity claimed both timelessness, eternal existence and personal relationship!
* Next, God’s unrestricted awareness and full understanding. No other deity claimed OMNISCIENCE: “I have SEEN the misery of My people. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers…” (Ex. 3:7)
* Next, God’s compassion, His empathy and deliverance. All other deities worshipped were believed to be angry, vengeful, demanding, not loving and rescuing: “I am concerned about their suffering. So, I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians…” (Ex. 3:8)
* Next, God’s provision, His power and hopefulness continue in Ex. 3:8: “…to bring them…into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…” The phrase ‘milk & honey’ suggested plenty of essential nourishment for joyful living. No other deity was believed to desire and work for what is best for humanity!
* Finally, the statement God made, through the flames of that burning bush, which shocked Moses more than any other was probably these next words: “So now go, I am sending you to Pharaoh, to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt. And I will be with you…” (Ex. 3:10-12) No other deity invited humanity to partner with God in accomplishing God’s purposes on earth. No other deity was believed to have the ability to make and accomplish strategic plans.
Can you imagine how this mind-blowing experience was impacting Moses? It’s important we pause just a moment to ask ourselves how this list of self-proclaimed attributes of God compares to what you and I know about and have experienced with God?
So, I urge you to go back and review, carefully, each statement made by God about Himself here. Are there other key attributes you have experienced with God which you could add to this list? What are they?
Evidently the voice in the burning bush paused long enough for Moses to collect his thoughts and ask a vital question. If he did in fact go back to Egypt claiming to have had an encounter with the ultimate God, of course people would ask what this God’s name is? So, Moses asked and waited.
The answer Moses received is called by scholars the ‘Tetragrammaton’. The self-proclaimed NAME of God which envelops all attributes and upon which all other names of God are founded. It was so holy and magnificent it was NOT spoken or written without great care and caution. “YHWH” and in the Bible it is most often translated ‘LORD’, all capital letters. Here with Moses the burning bush voice proclaimed it with these words: “I AM WHO I AM”. (Ex. 3:14)
I have come to understand that God was saying “I am more than anyone could ever understand or imagine. More than anyone will ever need. Each and every attribute of ME is beyond all and any limitations or description.” As Moses struggled to comprehend what he was hearing, the voice said: “This is My Name forever, the Name you shall call Me from generation to generation.” (Ex. 3:15)
Moses next received from God his marching orders: “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them…” (Ex. 3:16) For the remainder of his life, 40 more years, Moses’ daily purpose was to communicate what God was saying to him, showing him, telling him to tell others. Later, this vocation, this lifestyle became known as a PROPHET; someone who communicates God’s truth, to those people to whom God sends His prophet!
God told Moses that initially the elders of the Hebrew slaves would be delighted to hear Moses’ story and receive the messages God would speak to them through Moses. But God was also sending Moses back to Egypt, back into the very throne room which he frequented as an adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter, and later an Egyptian royal prince.
But God warned Moses about his reception in that throne room: “I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So, I will stretch out My hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them…” (Ex. 3:19,20) Moses knew first-hand the fearsome power of Egypt. So, do you think Moses imagined this prediction might actually come true? What could it mean?
Initial awe began to turn to doubt in Moses’ heart the longer he stood at that burning bush. That happens to all of us in shocking, overwhelming experiences, doesn’t it? Exodus 4 is the powerful account of Moses asking God for some tangible proof of His supreme power. Proof that might convince both Moses and the people to whom Moses might take this story.
We need to pause right here as we consider Exodus 3 & 4 and ask ourselves these three fundamental questions:
1. Is this the Almighty, Creator God of the universe and do we know this God?
2. What encounters have you and I had in our lives with God which have taught us the attributes of this God through experience as well as instruction?
3. What words would you choose to describe the UNIQUE attributes of God, as you know them from first-hand experience?
As you ponder those questions, the “Grand Narrative” link below will give you more thoughtful questions and powerful truths from Exodus 3 & 4, and here’s a powerful worship song which draws us to worship this unique, majestic God who Moses was encountering. And I’ll meet you here again tomorrow!
Today’s Scripture: Exodus 3-4.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Exodus 4
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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