Exodus 3 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Genesis 3:1-6

1 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 wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 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. 3 So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up.’

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.’

5 ‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ 6 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.

A. Find Out:

1. To where did Moses come with his sheep? v.1
2. Who appeared to him there? v.2
3. What was strange about the burning bush? v.2b,3
4. What did God say the place was? v.5
5. Of whom did the Lord say He was God? v.6
6. Why did Moses hide his face? v.6

B. Think:

1. How did the Lord first get Moses’ attention?
2. How did the Lord identify Himself for Moses’ benefit?
3. Why, do you think, Moses was afraid to look?

C. Comment:

      Moses is now about eighty (Exodus 7:7). He has been looking after sheep for about 40 years (see Acts 7:23). Searching out pasture for them he arrives at Horeb, a mountain later called Sinai, where he will meet with God under very different circumstances.

     While there in the desert, far from home, his attention is drawn to a bush on fire, yet not being destroyed. Step 1: He sees the phenomena.  Fire in the Bible is often a sign of the holy presence of God, although Moses wasn’t to know that at this stage. Step 2: He is curious and goes to look. He doesn’t see the divine being, only the flames. In this he has his first encounter with the Lord. As almost invariably happens it is the Lord who takes the initiative, and not necessarily in ways we would have expected!

      This is a spectacular means of getting Moses’ attention and it seems that the Lord sometimes has to take strong action to get us to listen so that He can share His purposes with us! The Lord calls him by name – I know you! Step 3: Moses hears from God. The Lord reveals Himself as the One who had had dealing with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses would have learnt something of them in his childhood and now sensing something of the awe of this God who, he finds, he can’t look in the face. Step 4: Moses receives revelation of WHO this is speaking.

D. Application?

1. Are we open to the Lord so that he can easily get our attention? Do I realise that God is the one who takes the initiative with our encounters?
2. Do we sometimes have a sense of the awesome holiness of the Lord?

Passage: Exodus 3:7-12

1 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 wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 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. 3 So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up.’

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.’

5 ‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ 6 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.

A. Find Out:    

1. What had the Lord done? v.7
2. What was He doing? v.8
3. What was He doing with Moses? v.10
4. What was Moses’ response to this? v.11
5. What was the Lord’s response to that? v.12a
6. How would Moses know that was true? v.12b

B. Think:

1. What did God say was the state of His people?
2. Where did He say He would take them?
3. How did He say that would happen?

C. Comment:

      In these opening verses of the conversation between the Lord and Moses, the Lord, taking the initiative, shares something of His plans. First, He lets Moses know that He is aware of His people’s plight (we sometimes think the Lord doesn’t know!) and second, He shares His intention to rescue them from Egypt. If the Lord ever appears to delay it is because He has a perfect time, not because He doesn’t care!  As He shares with Moses, He reveals that this is no last-minute rescue attempt, He has a clear purpose behind it: it is to take His people OUT of slavery and INTO a good place, the land of Canaan, a spacious land of plenty. He then shares His means of deliverance, Moses himself!

      Moses is astonished at this. “I’m just a shepherd. Who am I to go challenging the most powerful and harsh king in the area?” Moses, in forty years of looking after sheep in the desert, has lost all of the self-confidence he had had as part of the king’s household. God so often uses those of us who think little of themselves!

      By way of reply, the Lord simply says, that He will be with Moses; that will be enough! Moses doesn’t know it yet, but with God on his side, he can’t lose!  Then the Lord promises Moses a “retrospective sign”. When you return here with the people, you’ll know I was with you – your success will tell you that this was me from the beginning!  In some ways that’s not very encouraging, at the beginning, but God often wants commitment from us before signs, which are usually for confirmation purposes.

D. Application?

1. Are we SELF confident or confident IN GOD?  
2. Thank the Lord that He is all we need, and we can rely on Him.

Passage: Exodus 3:13-18

13 Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” Then what shall I tell them?’

14 God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I am has sent me to you.”’

15 God also said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites, “The Lord, the God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob – has sent me to you.”

‘This is my name for ever,
    the name you shall call me
    from generation to generation.

16 ‘Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, “The Lord, the God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites – a land flowing with milk and honey.” 18 ‘The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.”

A. Find Out:

1. What question does Moses next have? v.13
2. What was the Lord’s reply? v.14
3. How also did He say Moses could identify Him? v.15
4. Who did the Lord say would listen to Moses? v.18a
5. Who were to go to Pharaoh? v.18b
6. What were they to ask Pharaoh? v.18c

B. Think:

1. What does the title “I AM” indicate about God?
2. What other means did He use to help the people understand Him?
3. How does the Lord seek to encourage Moses?

C. Comment:

      As the conversation between God and Moses continues, Moses puts up his second objection, which could be summarised as, “How am I to explain who you are?”  He anticipates his people asking, “Well, if you say you had this encounter with this God, what more did you find out about Him? Does He have a name?”  This may sound strange, but they lived in a land (Egypt) where there were hundreds of pagan “gods”. Why should this one be any different from the rest?

     The Lord’s reply is first to give Moses a name by which He could be known. From now on in your Bible where the name “LORD” is printed in capital letters it reveals a meaning, “I AM” which shows something of God’s eternal existence, His ever-presence, His unchanging nature. He always has been and always will be – the same!

     Then to add content to His answer, the Lord tells Moses to identify Him as the God of Abraham etc., the One who had had dealings with these three men. He is not only the great eternal God, but He is also the One who comes down to human level and encounters men and has dealing with them in history, a personal God. The Israelites will thus understand that He is the God of their history, who is still on their case!

      Finally, the Lord encourages Moses by saying that when he goes to them, the elders of Israel will listen to him and go with him to Pharaoh. Moses will not be alone for the Lord is with him and the elders will also be with him. After we have learned to stand alone with God, He frequently gives us others to stand with us for encouragement, but first must come the learning to stand alone.

D. Application?  

1. Thank the Lord that He who is so great comes down to be with us who are so small and weak.
2. Thank Him that His purpose is not for us to stand alone in service.

Passage: Exodus 3:18-22

18 ‘The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.” 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.

21 ‘And I will make the Egyptians favourably disposed towards this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbour and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.’

A. Find Out:

1. What were they to ask Pharaoh? v.18
2. How, according to the Lord, will he react? v.19
3. What will the Lord do therefore? v.20
4. What will be the result? v.20c
5. How will they go? v.21
6. How does He describe what they will do? v.22c

B. Think:

1. What does this passage teach us about the Lord?
2. What does it teach about our part in His plans?
3. What does it teach about Pharaoh?

C. Comment:

      This passage is quite remarkable! First it shows us that the Lord is ALL KNOWING. We may be clueless about circumstances, but God is not! He knows all there is to know about it!  He knows the future and He knows how this man, Pharaoh, will react.

      Second it shows us that the Lord is ALL POWERFUL. He will deal powerfully with this mighty king so that he will do what he doesn’t want to do!   We have to learn that no circumstance is too hard for God. He is all-powerful and no one is too tough for Him!

      This passage also shows us the FOOLISHNESS OF MAN, for Pharaoh will think he can be supreme and even oppose God Almighty. He will have to learn about the Lord and come to realise how small he is in comparison to the Almighty. It’s a classic sign of our sinfulness that we think we are so great!  It’s a sign of wisdom to realise we are not!

      But this passage also teaches us a valuable lesson about obedience. Our part is simply to be obedient and leave the outcome to the Lord. Moses was to obey, again and again bringing God’s word, even though initially it would appear to have no effect at all on Pharaoh. Gradually it would appear to have temporary effect and only after a whole series of confrontations would it achieve God’s purpose.

     In our “instant” world, this passage brings a most valuable lesson for us. Before real change takes place, we may yet have to step out in faith again and again before we see results – perhaps as much as ten times! Have we yet learnt to be obedient to the Lord regardless of outcome?

D. Application?

1. Ask the Lord to help you persevere in faith.
2. The God IS all-knowing and all-powerful, He is THE Lord.