EXODUS CHAPTER THREE -------------------- Verse 1, Moses went from a prince in a palace in Egypt to a sheep herder on that backside of the desert. And all of this by God's divine plan. Moses was not ready to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. He had been taught in the ways of Egypt and was learned in all of the ways of the Egyptians, but he would spend 40 years on the backside of the desert learning of God's ways. The backside of the desert - The hustle and bustle of Egypt does not come to the backside of the desert. Pink says, "The thirst for gold is not felt there." Human applause nor human criticism does not enter the picture. Christ would many times seek solitude to pray to His Father. Compare Mat 14:23; Mr 6:46; Lu 6:12; Joh 6:15 Lu 9:10 And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. What happened during this 40 years? The Bible is silent just as it is silent about others, when they were alone with God. Paul was taught 3 years, but there is no mention of what happened. It was personnel between Moses and God. Every person has different weaknesses and only God knows them and they are personnel. When Moses stood before Pharaoh, he was a humble man, yet he had confidence in his God. He stood before Pharaoh by faith. When Moses stood before Pharaoh, he was NOT a novice. When speaking of pastors the bible says: 1Ti 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. {a novice: or, one newly come to the faith} The mountain of God, [even] to Horeb: Horeb = "desert" 1) another name for Mount Sinai from which God gave the law to Moses and the Israelites Verse 2, The angel of the LORD was Jesus Christ in theophanic form. The word LORD is Jehovah. In this verse He is the angel, or messenger of the LORD, but in verse 4 He is called God and the LORD. Mal 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. flame of fire: Speaks of God HOLY judgement against sin. Heb 12:29 For our God [is] a consuming fire. Yet the bush is NOT consumed by the fire. The word bush means "thorny bush". The first place we see thorns mentioned is in Genesis 3:18 in relation to the curse. Then we see Christ crowned with thorns. He became a curse for us and withstood the wrath of God, yet was not consumed. Only God could do this. Why a thorny bush in the desert and not a glorious tree in the forest. Compare: Isa 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a DRY ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, [there is] NO BEAUTY that we should desire him. This humble unattractive thorny bush in the desert became the temporary abode of the God of heaven and there He tabernacled. Compare: De 33:16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and [for] the good will of him that DWELT in the bush: let [the blessing] come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him [that was] separated from his brethren. { dwell = to settle down, abide, dwell, tabernacle, reside } The reference is to Jehovah in Deut 33:16. Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and DWELT among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. dwelt: skenow (Thayer's) 1) to fix one's tabernacle, have one's tabernacle, abide (or live) in a tabernacle (or tent), tabernacle; to dwell Pink says that it was the Shekinah glory of God as was over the mercy seat. It was after Israel had rejected Moses the deliverer that God revealed himself in the burning bush and it was after Israel rejected Jesus the deliverer that He went to the cross and suffered the wrath of God as our substitute. Another picture is the fact that God's people many times undergo the fiery trials of persecution and yet are not consumed because God is in the midst of the fiery furnace with them as He was with the 3 Hebrew children. Verses 3-5, Moses was curious about what he saw. No doubt he had beheld the magicians in Egypt, but this was something he had never seen before. It was holy ground: God's fire is based upon His holiness. He was about to deal with Egypt in holiness. One day he will deal with this world in HOLY wrath. When God place wrath upon Christ for our sins He was acting out of His holiness. What transpired at calvary and shortly before is "holy ground." Moses shoes represented his everyday walk and he must put it off. Verse 6, He revealed Himself as the covenant-keeping God. Just as God had not foreseen any good in the fathers, but chose them out of His sovereign pleasure, so to with Moses. Notice the three mentioned: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Abraham speaks of God's sovereign election. Isaac speaks of the power of God in regeneration, creating life where deadness existed. Jacob speaks of our up and down walk, yet the God of heaven bears with us and does not forsake us. We also see that He is the God of resurrection. He is not the God of the dead. Mt 22:31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Mk 12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I [am] the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. Lu 20:37 Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him. Verse 7, The Lord is not blind to our needs and situation. He will get glory out of it and it will work for good. They were called his people while they were yet in bondage. They cried out by reason of their bondage. It is when the sinner cries out by reason of the bondage that he is under that the Lord deals with him. Men are under bondage not only of alcohol and drugs, but the lusts of ambition, money, pleasure and a thousand other things. The lusts of the flesh are as the taskmasters in Egypt of old. He knew their sorrows, and he knows our sorrows. Ex 2:23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. These 40 years the Lord had not been blind or deaf. He had seen and heard their cry during this entire process of time. The R.V. version reads "in the course of those many days..." YLT reads "And it cometh to pass during these many days..." First God had revealed himself to Moses as a HOLY God and then as a COVENANT-KEEPING God and now as a MERCIFUL and COMPASSIONATE God. This is toward His people and not toward Egypt. He would have mercy on Israel but would judge Egypt. Verses 8-10 Now he reveals to Moses His purpose. He is come down from heaven to deliver His people. Who came down from heaven to deliver His people? Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. Notice the completeness and definite will of the statement. "I have seen. I have heard. I know. I am come down TO DELIVER. Out of the hand of the Egyptians. To bring them up out of. Unto a land. That thou mayest bring forth My people. No perhaps or maybe so in His statement. No I will try to if they are willing. It was no invitation to Israel but a determined will of Jehovah. "Come NOW" - after 40 long years it was NOW the time. God is not rushed but at the appointed time He will do His pleasure. Ga 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, Lu 9:51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, I will send thee - He could have sent angels but He chose to send a man to deliver. He sent Christ, His Son, made in the form of a man. This shows also that He uses human instrumentality in the calling of sinners to Himself. Verse 11, Moses at 80 was not as eager as he was at 40. Pink says, "When the will of man acts in self-appointed service, he does not feel the difficulties in the way; but when there is a true call from God these are felt." Verse 12, God encourages Moses by telling him that He will be with him. He will enable him to accomplish the job He has given him to do. It is always by His grace! The token: a sign or signal, a distinguishing mark. "When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain." Verse 13, Moses needed something to tell the people about who God was. The Lord did not condemn Moses for asking this question. Verse 14, "I AM (hayah {haw-yaw}) THAT I AM (hayah {haw-yaw})" This Hebrew word is a verb in the Qal stem and imperfect tense which means "to be, to exist, be in existence" and "to abide, remain, continue". The verb can also mean "to come into being" but the imperfect tense would make it continuually coming into existance. For example: Gen 1:2 "was" is in the perfect tense. Completed in the past. Our verse is the same as Gen 1:3 "Let there BE light." I was, I Am, and I shall always continue to be. Of Christ: Joh 8:58* Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. I am the bread of life. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. I am the light. I am the door. I am the good shepherd. I am the resurrection, and the life. I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the true vine. I am the first and the last. I am the root and the offspring of David, [and] the bright and morning star. Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. He is self-existing, besides whom there is none else, without beginning of days or ending of days, from everlasting to everlasting, He is God. This speaks of His immutability; He never changes. The same always. I AM. Verse 15, Not only the "I AM that I AM" but as a further explaination, the Jehovah Elohiym of their fathers. The GOD of Abraham, ---| the GOD of Isaac, ---|-- The Trinity the GOD of Jacob. ---| This same God who had chosen their fathers before them had made unconditional promise to them. And now their seed has become the beneficiaries of that promise. His name is to be a memorial (keep in rememberance) to all generations. Verses 16-17, Moses is to go and gather the elders of Israel together. It is 40 years later since he thought that they would have received him. Verse 18, Notice the certainty the they will harken unto him this time. God would give them ears to hear and a heart to receive. Notice the certainty that he and the elders would go before Pharaoh and command him to let God's people go. Verse 19, "And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand." {no...: or, but by strong hand} SEE VERSE 20 God assures Moses that Pharaoh will not let His people go, but by a mighty hand. That is, it will take the power of God's hand to break the bondage that Pharaoh had on His people. So too in salvation, it takes the mighty hand of God to break the bondage that the sinner is in. Verse 20, After God stretches forth His mighty hand against Egypt the king will let Israel go. God knows exactly how and has the definite power to break the bondage that his people are in. So too in salvation, God knows exactly how and has the power to break the bondage and deliver the sinner that He so pleases to have mercy on. Verses 21-22, Not only would He cause Pharaoh to let Israel go, but he would cause the Egyptians to give them jewels of gold and silver and raiment, so much so, that God said that they would spoil Egypt {maginal notes reads spoil Egypt}.