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Good morning friends,
Today is Tuesday July 2, and, we have the privilege of considering one of the most important chapters in the entire Bible, today, . . .Exodus 3.
Verse 1 places us at Mount Horeb, also known as Mount Sinai. Moses is nearly 80 years of age now, and has been away from Egypt a longtime. Could there be any greater contrast, than the two lives Moses has lived? His first 40 years, as Prince of Egypt, in the palace of the Pharaoh’s, and his second 40 years, as shepherd of Jethro’s smelly sheep, on the backside of the desert!
Human logic would tell us that at age 40, in the prime of his young life, as one of the most highly trained leaders of the world, Moses was prepared and positioned, to be used of God to accomplish anything, especially the greatest things, which God could only entrust to the most highly qualified.
Yet… it wasn’t until Moses was 80, with 40 years of what most people would call ‘wasted life’, a total failure, as an unknown, lonely shepherd… that God saw Moses as finally ready, to be invited into the greatest leadership role any human has ever had. Does that make sense to you, my friends?
There’s a powerful truth found in Isaiah that seems very appropriate here: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Is. 55:8,9)
Question: What do you see God was accomplishing, in each of these two very different 40 year seasons of Moses’ life…as God prepared Moses for the greatest leadership role of all time?
A bush that was on fire, but not being consumed! How would you respond if you saw that? Look closely at vs. 3 & 4. My translation of the Bible says in vs. 4 “When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush…”
Do you see God took the initiative to light a bush on fire, but not let it be consumed, to attract Moses’ attention?
But then, God waited for Moses to decide what to do about the unexplainable. This is a fundamental spiritual principle I’ve learned: God will often take the initiative in reaching to us humans, and then He watches to see what we will do. If we disregard it, or explain it away as meaningless or coincidence, and then just go on in life, ignoring it… we have missed an encounter with the Almighty, Living, Holy, Creator God.
If, however, our hearts and minds are alert, on the lookout for anything that might be God at work, then God responds to our awareness, and engages us in an encounter with Him! Have you learned that yet my friends? It’s one of the most important spiritual lessons we can learn.
For Moses, his approach to the bush, rather than his ignoring it, brought him into a life changing encounter with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, of whom I’m sure he had heard, but he had not met, as far as we know. And more. . .that encounter re-directed the rest of his life!
Look closely at the rest of chapter three and if you’ll read each word carefully, you’ll learn, right along with Moses, a great deal about WHO God is, and WHAT kind of relationship this God wants with you and me.
Ves. 7&8 of Exodus 3 are two verses I go back to very often in my life journey. “The LORD said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of My people in Egypt, and I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land, into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…”
Question: How many different things can you discern about God in these verses?
The next time you feel God is unaware or uninterested in your life circumstances, go back to Exodus 3, and put yourself in Moses’ sandals. Then take off your sandals and listen to Holy God! He knows. . .everything! And He has a plan.
The phrase “milk & honey” infers a bountiful land that can support a life that is both sweet and nourishing.
You’ll notice the end of vs 8 has a list of 6 different people groups, all of which were large groups, who had moved in and put down very deep roots, in the more than 500 years since Abraham lived in that land. While this ‘land of promise’ was God’s provision for Abraham and his descendants, because Jacob and his family had deserted it and chosen ‘the best of the land of Egypt’, returning now to this land would mean displacing those who rightfully felt the land was theirs. Does that sound familiar in modern day Palestine?
Do you see another fundamental spiritual life principle here friends? When you and I push God out, of any part of our lives, that part will be taken over by our selfish, prideful, sinful nature, and bringing Jesus back into that part of our life will be a struggle, which we ourselves have caused. Ponder that a while…
Notice vs. 9-12 as a very significant moment in old Moses’ life. It would be natural for him to conclude that at age 80, his productive years are finished and he will simply fade away as an unknown, old shepherd, in a remote area of the world. But God had much bigger plans, and in fact Moses had a very strategic role in God’s big plan.
Do you see it? And how would you have responded? In fact, look back in your life. Do you see times when God was inviting you to join with Him in doing something… what has been your pattern of response to God?
As we read through the rest of chapter 3 & 4, we’ll see Moses had one excuse after another, which all seemed to him to be very good reasons, for NOT going back to Egypt and facing the Pharaoh! But verse 12 is always the key my friends, when responding to God… “I will be with you…” God will never invite you and me into a God assignment, and just let us run with it alone. It’s way too important for Him to entrust it to us, WITHOUT His direct involvement every step of the way, right?
Vs. 13 -15 are defining moment verses for Moses and all Jews through all time. Moses asked a fair question… and God’s answer stands frozen in time: “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM’. This is what you are to say…’I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
In the original Hebrew language, in which the Old Testament was written, this name is spelled YHWH. No vowels. Unpronounceable. It’s really a rush of air from deep in your diaphragm, through your lips…like a energetic whisper.
It’s called the “Tetragrammaton”, from the Greek words “tetra” meaning 4 and “gramma” meaning ‘letter’. (4 letters) Over the years, vowels were added so it is at least pronounceable… “YAHWEH”, and then this word was often translated “JEHOVAH”. As Bible translators struggled to find a word which would fit in place of YHWH throughout the Old Testament, and would capture the Majesty of the beyond comprehension Name of God, they chose this word: LORD. That is different from the name Lord. Can you see the difference? One is all capital letters, and that is intended to communicate the Majesty, the incomparable greatness, the limitlessness of God. The other name Lord which we especially see in the New Testament, means Majestic Master or King or Sovereign.
Jewish scribes so respected the word YHWH, history tells us that when writing copies of the Torah, when they came to that Name, they would stop, at least wash their hands, maybe bathe. And then taking a new stylus, would write the name, and then set that stylus aside, not to be used again, or to be used only when writing that Name.
Question: with how much respect do you read God’s Word, and especially the Names of God?
As we continue reading the rest of this magnificent 3rd chapter of Exodus, notice how very specific and detailed God is with Moses, about what Moses should do, with whom he should do it, and how God already knows how they each will respond?
What does that tell you about how much God knows about the FUTURE of your life and mine?
Do you see the difference God predicts, in how the elders of the Hebrew people and the Pharaoh of Egypt will respond to Moses’ visit and message from God? “But 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 will all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.” (3:19,20)
Question… look back over God’s instructions to Moses. What did God ask Moses to do, and what did God promise HE would do? Do you see God asked Moses to do what God knew Moses could do in his human capacity, and God promised He would do what ONLY God can do! There’s an important life lesson there for us, if we are going to be God’s people, partnering with Him in what HE wants to accomplish in our world, do you see it?
Finally, a few more seconds for a final observation in this great chapter. Notice the promise God makes in vs. 21 & 22. Don’t miss that. . . it will be very significant when we come to chapter 12 and the Hebrew slaves are fleeing Egypt as penniless slaves in their rags.
Now, I invite you to take a deep breath, close your eyes for a moment and pray, asking God to open your mind and heart to grasp all He wants you to see in this great chapter. Then go back and read Exodus chapter three, all 22 verses, slowly… putting yourself into the story, right next to Moses, as an eyewitness to this remarkable, history changing day!
Oh God, we join Moses in worshiping YOU today. . .
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“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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