Verse 1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
Throughout the Bible the reader will find individuals that are a type of Jesus Christ. Moses is one of those individuals. He was raised and dwelt in royalty, he was reduced to being an outcast and living in poverty and he was wandering in the desert with flocks of sheep exposed to all kinds of weather and hardships. Jesus was dwelling in Heaven in royalty, He chose to come to earth as a human baby and live in poverty and in the wilderness of humanity, and he shepherded a group of 12 men called apostles and faced all kinds of hardships, even false political accusations of blasphemy and a cruel death.
Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai which is where God gave the law to Moses and the children of Israel.
Application: Sometimes God sends a desert experience to a believer because He is preparing the believer for a mission. As long as Moses was in Egypt in power and comfort, he was not prepared to be the leader of the Israelite nation and to do battle with the powerful global leadership holding them captive. Egypt was the first, one world government and Moses was but one humble man. He needed a training time away from other people where God could get his attention and prepare him for the task at hand. He needed to lose everything that was important to him in the world in order to gain the friendship of God Almighty and to be sensitive to His voice and guidance.
Verse 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
Many scholars have tried to say that the burning bush was not a miraculous occurrence and that there are all kinds or rational and reasonable explanations as to what this phenomenon really was. However, Moses was very familiar with the desert terrain. He had to be in order to keep the sheep he was shepherding safe. If this burning plant was a normal event, the plant material would have been reduced to ashes. It was not. It would not have gotten Moses’ attention if this type of thing was a normal occurrence in the desert.
An angel is usually thought of in Christian circles as being a spiritual messenger. But angels are more than messengers. They are technically any spirit manifestation. The phrase, “the angel of the LORD” typically is associated with the appearances of Jesus to Old Testament people before He came to Earth and inhabited a human body. Whereas “an angel of the LORD” is thought to represent an angelic spirit making an appearance to men.
Verse 3-4 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
Moses’ words show that this event was anything but a natural one. He wanted to know why the bush was not being consumed. He could have walked on by, but he chose to take the time to investigate the situation. It was only after Moses interrupted his day to investigate the bush that God spoke to him from the bush. What is also amazing is that Moses does not seem to be surprised by a voice from God. He responded positively instead of running away from that which he did not understand.
Application: Throughout a believer’s life God is calling and trying to get the believer’s full attention. Be sensitive to those things that may seem out of the ordinary and focus on the LORD. The unexpected flat tire may be the means God uses to send a stranger who will help, and who may need a friend or a word of encouragement in their life at that particular time. The unexpected downsizing by an employer that leads to the loss of a job may be the necessary event to take the believer on a journey that provides a ministry opportunity that was not available with the former place of employment. Look for the burning bush experiences and do not be afraid to tell the LORD, “Here am I.”
Verse 5-6 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
So often in our walk with God, we forget He is a holy God and we begin to take Him for granted. God was telling Moses by commanding him to take off his shoes that he was in the presence of a holy God and needed to show respect. Shoes typically are dirty. Many households and many cultures take their shoes off before entering the house to keep their homes clean. God was telling Moses to be clean before Him and to regard Him with care. Moses, who did not exhibit fear before, was now afraid.
Application: 1John 4:12 states, “No man hath seen God at any time.” Why did John state this when other scriptures seem to say the opposite. Was Moses actually able to look upon God? The answer is that Moses was seeing Jesus who is God manifested in human form. God is a spirit, and as such cannot be seen with human eyes. So John’s statement is correct. By taking on the form of a man, He can be seen. Jesus told his disciple, Philip, in John 14:9, “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father. . .” Angels take on the form of a man and appear to people in a manner that is familiar and recognizable. Hebrews 13:2 states, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Be careful and sensitive to the unexpected as you may be in the presence of an angel or of the LORD himself.
Verse 7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
The Bible does not indicate that prior to this experience Moses had known the God of his fathers. It is reasonable to imagine that Moses had been taught about the many Egyptian gods and that he may not have even known the history of the Hebrew people and their relationship with the one true God. Perhaps that is why the LORD introduced himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. Here Moses learns that God has a people and that he is part of that people and that the Hebrew’s God sees and knows what is happening with them, including knowing their sorrows.
Application: As a believer, you are part of God’s chosen people. Take comfort in knowing that He sees what is occurring in your life and He knows your sorrows. He is just as loving and concerned about you as He was about the children of Israel.
Verse 8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
How extraordinary for the God of the universe to “come down” to his people and to announce that to one man, Moses. Yet thousands of years later, the angel Gabriel announces to a teenage girl that the God of the universe is going to come down and live among them to deliver them out of the sin that is enslaving them and to lead them to the good land, Heaven, and eternal life with Him.
Numbers are important in the Bible. The number that represents man is the number six. Note that there are six pagan nations in the promised land that will have to be conquered before the Hebrew people can have all of the promised land.
Verses 9-10 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
Why doesn’t God just strike Pharaoh and all his men dead and liberate the Hebrew people with His great power? Because He has given the Earth to man and therefore allows men to rule and to conquer. He uses people to fulfill His purposes, and Moses was the man He had chosen for the liberation of the Hebrew people. He would work through Moses and show His glory and majesty, but Moses had to actively participate in this rescue mission.
Verse 11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
Moses had immediate doubts as to his qualifications to be an ambassador for God. After all, he had fled the house of Pharaoh and probably still had an arrest warrant out because he had killed an Egyptian citizen. He had spent many years in isolation with flocks of sheep and most likely was not aware of the news of the day and what the situation was politically in Egypt. Furthermore, he was a hated Hebrew, a member of the slave class and not likely to have an audience with the king of Egypt. And how was he to get the Hebrew people to trust him when he had been in exile for so many years?
Application: A believer only needs to study the history of the church and Foxes Book of Martyrs to see that God sends ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary tasks. Never convince yourself that you are not good enough, not spiritual enough, not smart enough, not connected enough and not rich enough to do a job for God. If He chooses you, like Moses, you are the right person and you will be successful.
Verse 12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
God knows the personality and makeup of every person who has ever lived, is living and who will be born. He knew Moses was full of doubts as to his abilities and so he makes a promise that, when Moses leads the people out of Egypt, they shall meet at the very place where he is now, at Horeb. This would be confirmation once and for all that Moses was in the will of his God. The word “token” can be translated as sign. Moses could keep this promise of a sign in his heart to help him to overcome his low self esteem and his fears.
Verse 13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
Moses does not use the words “our fathers” but the words “your fathers” in the passage above. Why? Well the scriptures are not clear so we don’t really know. It can be speculated that Moses was still very much Egyptian in his thinking due to his background and so as yet had not truly identified with the Hebrew people. Since the Egyptians had many gods in their religious system, perhaps Moses wanted to have the name of God to distinguish between which god he was talking about when addressing the Hebrew leadership. Also, the children of Israel had been in captivity in a foreign land for about 400 years. Perhaps they had forgotten who their God was as generation replaced generation and perhaps they had begun to worship the gods of Egypt.
Verse 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
The name of God is in the center of a controversy at the present time. Some believe that the only name God has is Yeshua or Jehovah in the Hebrew language. Most Christians believe that the name of God is Jesus. Matthew 1:23 states, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” So a discussion on the names of God will not be held here, but note that “I AM” is not really a name. It is a description of who God is. He is. He exists. He is the one that is specifically that God. He is everlasting. He is, He was, and He is to come. He is in the present tense right now and is the great I AM for all believers.
Verse 15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
It seems that Moses is to use “I AM” and “the LORD God” as names for identifying who has sent him. In the King James Bible, the word for LORD is translated as LORD 6510 times throughout the scriptures and only as Jehovah four times. So it seems that the proper names of the one true God is LORD God and I AM at this time in human history.
Application: God identifies Himself as being ( present tense) the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These men had long been dead at the time of these historical events. Yet God refers to being their God still. These Old Testament saints were dead physically but alive in the spiritual realm and God was still their God. If He is your God today, He will still be your God when you shed the physical body and enter into eternity with Him. Comforting, don’t you think?
Verses 16-17 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: 17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.
God gives Moses his marching orders and repeats His promise of deliverance as stated in verse 8 above.
Application: God does not lie and He does not fail. When He says He will do something, it is assured. The scriptures are full of promises that God has made to His people. When you find them in your Bible reading, jot them down and claim them as your own. Your faith will grow and these promises are very comforting in difficult times.
Verse 18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
God is not limited by time and space and knows what will happen before it happens. He knew the elders would listen to Moses and that they would follow his leadership. God has prepared the elders’ hearts for such a time as this and wanted to assure Moses that he would have their support
Note that Moses is to tell Pharaoh that the LORD God of the Hebrews is commanding the wilderness sacrifice so that there is no confusion as to which god Moses is talking about. Why Moses was to ask for three day’s journey is not clear at this point.
Application: Let it be said that God appears to operate in divisions of the number three. There are three Heavens according to the apostle Paul. God manisfests Himself in three ways: Father, Jesus, and Holy Ghost. There are three major sources of light: sun, moon and stars. There are two sets of three days in a work week with the seventh day being one of rest. Many flowers have petals in sets of three. The family unit is comprised of three: mother, father and child. As you read the Bible start to notice the number three as it might surprise you just how often it occurs.
Verses 19-20 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. 20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.
Imagine how you would react if God sent you on a mission, told you how to go about that mission, and then mentioned that the king you must face and confront will not let you accomplish the mission. Perhaps Moses was a little dismayed at hearing this part of his instructions. But the LORD follows with words of encouragement and lets him know that there will be a divine, all powerful hand that will work wonders, and that in the end, the mission will be successful. Furthermore, the Hebrew people will not leave without taking riches from the very people that have oppressed them for so many years.
Application: The devil and his underlings will always try to oppose the believer when doing the will of God. Just expect it and do not be surprised. And remember, just as Moses had the promise of success, if God sends a believer out to do spiritual battle, He will fight for that believer and provide success. Just be obedient and have faith.
Verses 21-22 I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: 22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.