Moses - Paralyzing Fear Part 1

• The “Cry” that got God’s Attention
• Chapter 2 ends with a reminder that Moses’ brothers were still in slavery and still under terrific oppression Exodus 2:23-25
  • God heard their cry and “remembered” His covenant (we serve a compassionate God!)

  • Does this imply that God “forgot” for a while?

  • Where else have we seen this idea of God “remembering”?

  • The word to “hear” means to “hear with ”
  • This is a Hebrew writing style to emphasize an rather than emphasizing the word itself
  • It is a “reminder” to a covenant made between two individuals (IE: Marriage)
  • This is the idea that, at this particular moment of time…there is an extreme emphasis upon the importance of this covenant!

2Moses Meets God

• Question: What do we call it when God appears in visible form like showing up in the form of a burning bush?

• Moses has come a long way in this family Exodus 3:1
  • He is in charge of the sheep – the family’s main
  • He is now completely integrated as a Midianite – and he is probably finally for the first time in his life
• Ironic Note: Moses has fallen a long way down the scale in Egyptian society – they despised Gen.46:34
  • Moses’ pride had to have been eaten away at for many years as he thinks back his life in the royal courts of the Egyptians
  • Moses has lost fame, power, authority, and his riches
  • Sometimes God must break his heroes before He is able to reshape and use them
• Moses has wandered a long way off in search of grazing for the sheep Exodus 3:2-4
  • There is no hint that Jethro (the priest) ever knew about this mountain of God
  • There is no where in Scripture that this location is ever revealed

  • What does this tell us about this experience on Sinai?

  • God is never interested in “ ” He does things
  • Moses sees the bush on fire and moves to inspect why the bush is not being burned up
  • God speaks out of the bush
  • Scripture gives us 4 different entities that were “in the bush”
  • The “ ” itself
  • Even though there are several references as to who was in the bush – it was four designations of one single reality (cleared up in verse 4) – it was God, possibly in pre-incarnate form
• Moses “approaches” the bush Exodus 3:4-5
  • This “approaching” is a term frequently used to describe coming to God in or asking an with God
  • The requirement for “approaching” God is complete
  • Moses is asked to remove his sandals

  • But notice: Moses has not yet fully understood before whom he stood. Why would this experience not completely shock Moses?

  • Note the difference in religions of the world here: while other religions and cults revere ‘things’ as inherently holy, all throughout Scripture the only true God ‘makes’ a thing holy solely by His presence upon it.
  • God’s presence ‘sets apart’ something
  • Qodesh = “Set apart” – this is what it means to be holy
  • God’s Introduction
• God introduces Himself as “the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” Exodus 3:6
  • In this introduction, God was saying that He was the same spiritual Diety of Moses’ family in
  • In this introduction, God was saying that He was the same God that Moses’ patriarchal had (and still do – God is the God of the living and the dead)
  • In this introduction, God linked Moses with the very fathers of Moses’ own – the sons of Israel
  • Moses’ reaction highlights the fact that he understood God’s introduction fully
  • Before, he was “gazing” at the bush
  • Now, he was shaking in fear and afraid to even look at the bush for fear that he would be staring God in the eye
  • God’s Instructions
• God has ‘watched’ and ‘heard’ what was happening to His people in Egypt Ex.3:7-10
  • There is an urgent need for redemption for His people
  • God has “ ” – He has taken action on their behalf (sounds like Babel?)
  • God will “ away from” – this is a violent phrase indicating that a rescue will take place no matter the cost
  • Moses would lead the people to God’s prepared land
  • A land with plenty of room (why is this important?) and plenty of food
  • But a land with plenty of enemies…
  • God’s command leaves Moses with no options
  • “So now go!” is in the imperative
  • “I am sending…bring them out!” is in the imperative
  • Moses is now thoroughly frightened by this God and thoroughly afraid to go back to face the powers of Egypt…Moses is in a terrible pickle –

  • – How would you like to be in his shoes?

  • God’s Identity
  • Moses hears the instructions from this God far too well
  • He was clearly uncomfortable with the demands (no requests here)
  • Go to the country that you were - of in disgrace
  • Go as a (not an Egyptian)
  • Go to the most in the world
  • Go as a -
  • And without so much as a trade to offer… God’s people !
  • Moses’ lack of confidence perhaps reflects his knowledge of the power of Egypt and his non-assuredness of this God
• Moses understands exactly what is at stake – his life and perhaps the lives of those he would speak for Exodus 3:10-12
  • God, for the first time, uses a name for Himself
  • The Name of God is only introduced in verse 12 - כִּי־אֶהְיֶה עִמָּךְ (the thing is…I AM with you)
  • God introduces Himself with a verb form “to be” – YHWH
  • This is the introduction to the coming formal introduction – the tetragrammaton (אֶהְיֶה)
  • Moses says: “Who am I?” – God says: “I AM”

  • The question was not: Who was Moses?

  • (He was not much of anything at this point)

  • The question was: Who was WITH Moses?

  • (And that made ALL the difference)
  • Moses’ “I” was emphatically contradicted by God’s “I” (It is not who YOU are, it is who GOD is THROUGH you!)
  • God’s final instructions are to meet back here at the Mountain