Exodus - Part 4 - Exodus 2:23-3:12

Moses has settled down in Midian. He’s a shepherd and he has a wife and kids. All the trouble he left in Egypt is in the past. At this point, Moses may be thinking this is how he is going to spend the rest of his life. But God had other plans.

Fast forward about 40 years. Now Moses is about 80 years old. He’s out in the wilderness tending the sheep. He’s near Mt. Horeb, also called Mt. Sinai, and an Angel of the Lord appeared to him as a flame in a bush. When the text capitalizes Angel, that’s an indication that it is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. It is also interesting to note, that burning bushes were not uncommon in that part of the country. Except, those bushes would spontaneously catch fire and burn up the bush. This bush was not burning up and so it caught Moses’ attention. He decided to have a closer look.

He must have been shocked when he heard the voice of God coming from that bush. He heard God audibly. How many of us have wished for something that clear? The trick is you really have to listen to what God is teaching you. It means putting everything about ourselves aside, which is hard. You have to be in a place where it’s just you and Him.

Moses heard his name twice, which is a biblical cue to sit up and pay attention. God tells him to take the sandals off his feet because he is standing on holy ground. Then God declares Himself to be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then Moses knew he was really talking to God, so he hid his face because he was afraid.

God tells Moses that He has seen his people and heard their cries because of their bondage. He wants to bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey. This was a way of telling Moses that the land could support large herds and feed everyone who lived there. God has a plan to deliver them and it involves sending Moses back to Pharaoh. This plan makes Moses really nervous. He asks God, who is he that God would have him do all these things? Moses is thinking he’s got a bad reputation in Egypt and certainly doesn’t qualify for such a task. But God reassures Moses that He will be with him and he will come back to serve God on this mountain.