Question
Moses, Moses
Exodus 3:1-4:17
Key Verse 3:4
Read verse 1. What does this passage tell us about Moses’ life thus far?
Read verses 2-3. What did Moses see? What did he think of the scene? Why do you think the Lord God appeared in this way before calling Moses’ name?
Read verse 4. What does this passage show us about the Lord’s relationship with Moses?
Read verses 5-10 and compare the Lord’s words (“take off your sandals”) in verse 5 and the Lord’s command (“So now, go”) in verses 6-10. The word “Then” (in verse 6) indicates that it was only after Moses had complied with Lord’s request that the Lord issued the command to go. Why?
Think about Moses’ following excuses in the rest of the passage.
Who am I that I should go…(3:11)
“[If] they ask me, what shall I tell them”? (3:13)
“What if they do not believe me or listen to me…” (4:1)
“O Lord, I have never been eloquent…” (4:10; cf. Acts 7:22)
“O Lord, please send someone else to do it” (4:13)
What do Moses’ excuses tell us about him?
How did the Lord overcome each of Moses’ excuses?
Manuscript
Message
Moses, Moses
(The Way of Redemption)
Exodus 3:1-4:17
Key Verse 3:4
When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, “Here I am.”
Two Sundays ago we saw how the Lord blessed the faith of a few people and granted a slave nation Israel the hope of redemption. The previous Sunday we studied how this seed of hope grew up. In today’s passage the Lord God called Moses to go to Egypt so that Moses would lead his people out. . In sending Moses, the Lord God revealed to Moses the way of redemption.
Psalm 103:7 reads, “He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel.” Here “ways” are different from “deeds.” “Ways” refer to the matter of “how to,” whereas “deeds” go to the matter of “what.” The difference is the same as the benefit a father giving to a son by teaching his son “how to drive a car” and the benefit the same father is granting his son by giving his son merely a “ride.”
In our own generation the Lord God is looking for his servants to lead people out of slavery into God’s freedom. Inasmuch as we Christians are willing to participate in the Lord’s will to save people it is imperative for us to know the way of the Lord’s redemption so we can lead people out of the corruption of this world into God’s glorious kingdom. There are four points to consider:
First, the Lord saves people through people.
“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God” (1).
This verse briefly talks about the second part of Moses’ life. Moses lived to be 120. His life can be divided into three periods: first, the first 40 years in Egypt; second, the next 40 years in Midian; and third, the remaining 40 years of his life in mission. In the passage Moses turned 80. So Moses had lived two thirds of his life by this point. For the next forty years the Lord used Moses as a shepherd for the slave nation Israel.
This observation indicates that in order to produce the exodus for over two million people the Lord God invested in one person Moses for 80 long years. Here we learn the first and perhaps the most fundamental truth on the way of God’s redemption: that is, he saves people through people. From last Wednesday till Friday, I attended a seminar in Monterey, California, where about 60 pastors from all over the world attended. All of them are “great” servants of God. Some of them run mega churches with more than 1,000 in the congregation and an annual budget of over $10 million. Because I was one of the least (if not the least) servants of all, I mostly worked as a servant’s servant, running errands for them, working as a driver, giving rides from the restaurant to the hotel, from the hotel to the airport, etc. Because they were great servants, I was curious about the way they became what they became. So during eating fellowships or break times, I diligently struck up conversations with them and asked them questions: “Pastor, how did you become a Christian?” Their answers had one thing in common: none of them came to the Lord on their own; someone prayed for and shepherded over each of them.
So each and every day let us pray to lead someone to Christ! Then who knows but that that someone would be the next Moses in this Century?!
Second, the Lord desires to dwell within a man.
Look at verses 2-3. “There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight--why the bush does not burn up.’” In reading this passage a question arises, “Why did the Lord appear to Moses in “flames of fire” (And, “Why doesn’t the bush burn up?”). A number of interpretations are possible. However, in view of the context of the book of Exodus, we can say that the Lord God showed Moses this scene in order to display the end picture of redemption, that is, to build a man filled with God’s Spirit, the Spirit of love and power, wisdom and understanding.
The flames of fire refer to God who is the Spirit. The bush is symbolic of the slave nation Israel. The Lord speaking from within the bush denotes the in-dwelt Spirit of God.
Ultimately, the Lord speaking from within the bush points to our Lord Jesus Christ who came to be with us.
Third, the Lord himself will ensure to save his people.
Let us read verses 4-5. “When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’ ‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’”
What the Lord asked Moses to do is quite interesting. Why did the Lord ask Moses to take off his sandals? The immediate answer is because the place he was standing was “holy” ground. In what respect is the land “holy”? Or why is it that as one stands on holy land one has to take off his sandals?
Again we can find answers to these questions in verses 6-10. “Then he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. 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--the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.’”
Here the word “I” is repeated seven times, indicating that it is the Lord who made the plan to redeem his people. The place Moses is standing is holy not because of Moses, but because of the Lord’s presence. The word “holy” means “set apart” or “different from”. The Lord is different from man. One of the great differences that stand out the most is his perfection. God is perfect. Man is imperfect. God does what is perfect. The same is true with God’s promise. Once he makes a promise he always keeps it.
On many occasions we human beings make promises which we cannot keep. So the check bounces. The reason for this is quite obvious: our power is limited. But it is not so with God. God has all powers to fulfill what he says.
Again the message for us here is: The Lord has already made a decision. From this message we can easily make a guess on what is going to happen to what the Lord has already decided to do, that is, it is going to happen no matter what. Let us say to our neighbors: “no matter what.”
This means practically that Moses should not take the Lord’s calling upon his life with a relativistic attitude. He should not be wishy-washy about the purpose of the Lord’s calling. He must be absolute in responding to and serving the Lord’s purpose for him. Because God means business, Moses must mean business as well! So the Lord asked Moses to take off his sandals.
Fourth, the power of redemption.
Look at verses 11-12. “But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ And God said, ‘I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.’”
In verse 10, the Lord said to Moses, “So, now go.” But Moses said, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” Moses’ reply indicates that Moses was still afraid of Pharaoh. So let us stop for a moment and think about Pharaoh.
Pharaoh is symbolic of Satan. At first glance it looks like there are a lot of enemies in this world. But the Bible says that God’s children have only one enemy: Satan. And Satan is the head of all of our enemies. And Satan’s number one agenda is to stop God’s children from coming to and worshiping the Creator God. But the Israelites were too powerless to break the grip of Satan.
Practically, then, how can a man be set free? Exodus 3:13-4:9 answer the question. In this passage the words “believe” and “listen to” are repeated throughout. This indicates that it is through faith in God (and the words of his promise) that one can be saved.
In Chapter 4, the Lord gives Moses three promises which Moses was encouraged to believe: the promise to turn a snake into a staff (4:2-5), the promise to turn a leprous hand into a normal hand (4:6-8); and the promise to turn the water of the Nile to blood (4:9). These are called miraculous “signs.” A sign points to something else; these signs are pointers pointing people to Jesus Christ who came to destroy the work of Satan. Here a snake is a reference to Satan who tempts man to sin. Leprosy is symbolic of sin. Water turning into blood is symbolic of God’s changing power for those who believe in His promise. Practically, it is difficult for one to catch a snake by its tail. If you do, the snake will be provoked to turn its fangs to you and bite you to death. So in order for Moses to catch the snake by its tail, Moses needed to have faith in God’s promise. The same is true with the way of salvation. If we believe in God’s promise to forgive our sins in exchange for our faith in Jesus who came to die for our sins, God heals us of all the ill effects of our sins.
Speaking of the same truth, the Apostle Paul said, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10).
In Exodus 3:11-4:13, then, we see Moses making a lot of excuses:
Who am I that I should go…(3:11)
“[If] they ask me, what shall I tell them”? (3:13)
“What if they do not believe me or listen to me…” (4:1)
“O Lord, I have never been eloquent…” (4:10; cf. Acts 7;22)
“O Lord, please send someone else to do it” (4:13)
These excuses show that Moses looked at himself rather than the Lord. So the Lord persuaded him to rely on the Lord, not on Moses’ own abilities. Likewise, when we put trust in the Lord and not in our own abilities, such as the ability to talk, the Lord will enable us to experience the power of redemption, a complete release from the grip of sin and experience the joy of salvation.
In conclusion, let us read the key verse again. “When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’” And Moses said, “Here I am.”
Now the Lord has revealed to us the way of salvation. So let us all say, “Here I am.” Let us then say, “Please send me.”
One word: Here I am
Manuscript
Biblenote
Moses, Moses
Exodus 3:1-4:17
Key Verse 3:4
This passage shows us how the Lord trained Moses thus far, called him at His time [i.e., when the training was finished], yet how Moses made excuses, but how the Lord persuaded him to go and carry out what the Lord had in mind.
Read verse 1. What does this passage tell us about Moses’ life thus far?
** The Lord gave him OJT (on the job training), that is, the training to know what it is to serve sheep (which belongs to God the Father) with long patience and tender care. Sheep are dumb animals. They go through the desert land where food and drink are rare. Without a shepherd they cannot find food nor drink. They also get easily lost. Notice the word “tending” or “led”. The word tending talks about how tenderly you need to attend to their needs. The word “led” indicates that you need to take initiative; you need to think ahead, see ahead, and go ahead. You cannot push sheep from behind. They only can follow you as far as you go. And Moses did this for forty long years. Moses received training as the royal prince. Now he received training as a humble servant serving the flock.
Read verses 2-3. What did Moses see? What did he think of the scene? Why do you think the Lord God appeared in this way before calling Moses’ name?
** Flames of fire; angel of the Lord; the Lord; bush not being consumed.
** Why is the bush not burning?
** Arguably the following must have been envisaged, that is, to teach him via demonstration (i.e., video presentation):
The Lord’s compassion (flames which are symbolic of passion, zeal, commitment, energy etc.)
The Lord’s Spirit (i.e., this fire is a spiritual fire, which gives life to men)
The Lord’s Transcendence (the fire did not ‘unite’ with the bush, meaning the fire exists on a different level than the bush which exists on a purely physical level, so to speak)
The Lord’s capability to use the lowly (this bush is known as the thorn bush which is the lowest kind of all the trees/plants, which is symbolic of sinful men)
The blessedness of the life that is in the hands of the Lord, that is, even if you exert yourself as the Lord’s servant, as the Lord is with you, you are not going to be consumed, but rather will go from glory to glory.
Read verse 4. What does this passage show us about the Lord’s relationship with Moses?
** Over such a long period of time (40 years) Moses must have forgotten the Lord, but the Lord did not forget about Moses. He was with him, leading him. The Lord knew him by name. Exodus 33:17
Read verses 5-10 and compare the Lord’s words (“take off your sandals”) in verse 5 and the Lord’s command (“So now, go”) in verses 6-10. The word “Then” (in verse 6) indicates that it was only after Moses had complied with the Lord’s request (“take off his sandals”) that the Lord chose to issue the command (“So now go”). Why?
** Most likely it was to teach him the sanctity (or holiness) of the purpose of God’s calling. Verses 6-10 describe the contents of mission, which is from God, indicating that this is not man’s work (like Moses’ personal business), but God’s business. So Moses should not take this mission with a relativistic attitude. He must understand the holy (meaning “separate”) nature of the mission. This mission is separate in that it is separate from human affairs; it involves God’s glorious plan to redeem all peoples on earth, the plan for his salvation and judgment.
The message for us is this: we should never consider the Lord’s world mission command as a human thing such as part of organizational agenda or anything.
Think about Moses’ following excuses in the rest of the passage.
Who am I that I should go…(3:11)
“[If] they ask me, what shall I tell them”? (3:13)
“What if they do not believe me or listen to me…” (4:1)
“O Lord, I have never been eloquent…” (4:10; cf. Acts 7;22)
“O Lord, please send someone else to do it” (4:13)
What do Moses’ excuses tell us about him?
** These excuses show that Moses looked at himself and the mission from a human point of view, not from God’s view point. God’s work can be done regardless of who you are. It does not depend on you, but on God. So your ability to talk or anything does not matter.
The good lesson we can think of here is that Moses was aware of his weaknesses, so he asked many questions and made many excuses, not just to disobey but [perhaps] to make sure that he knows what he is asked to do.
When he was about 40 he thought he could do everything. But now he learned that he could not do anything at all. In this sense he was well prepared to be used by God, for in order for God to be able to use you, you must rid yourself of your own ideas, feelings, passions, zeal, plan, etc., For this reason Jesus said that we must deny ourselves, take up the cross [of mission] and then “follow” Jesus not our own ideas zeal etc.
How did the Lord overcome each of Moses’ excuses?
** Who am I that I should go…(3:11) –> I will be with you. [In other words, it is not only you who does the job; I am with you, enabling you to do the job.]
“[If] they ask me, what shall I tell them”? (3:13) [In other words, “What if they ask me difficult questions which I cannot handle, esp. the questions about you - God?” To this the Lord said that He is the God of history in which he revealed himself to each person like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God is not a vague concept. God is the one who is in a personal relationship with each of his children.]
“What if they do not believe me or listen to me…” (4:1) two miracles that is staff and the hand becoming leprous first then becoming alright again. These two miracles talk about the Lord’s power for a believer to overcome the power and work of the devil, the effect of the work of the devil, and the result of overcoming the power and work of the devil. Notice that the Lord asked Moses to catch the snake by its tail, not by its head, which is very dangerous. But the Lord asked Moses to do this, to teach him what it is to live by faith; had Moses not had faith in the Lord he would not have been able to catch it by its tail. Likewise, as we live by faith in the Lord (his gospel) we can easily catch the devil even by its tail. Then we can overcome the work of the devil that is sinful (leprous) condition.
“O Lord, I have never been eloquent…” (4:10; cf. Acts 7;22) -> The Lord knew that it was a lame excuse, so he simply rebuked him saying “Who made your mouth?”
“O Lord, please send someone else to do it” (4:13) The Lord gave him a partner, that is, Aaron.
The end
In Hebrew the word for thorn bush is “hasneh”. Its numerical value (gematria) is 120. This alludes to Moses’ destiny that is to live 120 still remaining vigorous. Cf. Deuteronomy 34:7