Moses, Moses

Exodus 3:1-4:17

Key Verse 3:4

This passage shows us how the Lord trained Moses thus far, called him at His time [i.e., when the training was finished], yet how Moses made excuses, but how the Lord persuaded him to go and carry out what the Lord had in mind. 

Read verse 1. What does this passage tell us about Moses’ life thus far?

** The Lord gave him OJT (on the job training), that is, the training to know what it is to serve sheep (which belongs to God the Father) with long patience and tender care. Sheep are dumb animals. They go through the desert land where food and drink are rare. Without a shepherd they cannot find food nor drink. They also get easily lost. Notice the word “tending” or “led”. The word tending talks about how tenderly you need to attend to their needs.  The word “led” indicates that you need to take initiative; you need to think ahead, see ahead, and go ahead. You cannot push sheep from behind. They only can follow you as far as you go. And Moses did this for forty long years. Moses received training as the royal prince. Now he received training as a humble servant serving the flock. 

Read verses 2-3. What did Moses see? What did he think of the scene? Why do you think the Lord God appeared in this way before calling Moses’ name?

** Flames of fire; angel of the Lord; the Lord; bush not being consumed. 

** Why is the bush not burning?

** Arguably the following must have been envisaged, that is, to teach him via demonstration (i.e., video presentation): 

The Lord’s compassion (flames which are symbolic of passion, zeal, commitment, energy etc.)

The Lord’s Spirit (i.e., this fire is a spiritual fire, which gives life to men)

The Lord’s Transcendence (the fire did not ‘unite’ with the bush, meaning the fire exists on a different level than the bush which exists on a purely physical level, so to speak)

The Lord’s capability to use the lowly (this bush is known as the thorn bush which is the lowest kind of all the trees/plants, which is symbolic of sinful men)

The blessedness of the life that is in the hands of the Lord, that is, even if you exert yourself as the Lord’s servant, as the Lord is with you, you are not going to be consumed, but rather will go from glory to glory.

Read verse 4. What does this passage show us about the Lord’s relationship with Moses? 

** Over such a long period of time (40 years) Moses must have forgotten the Lord, but the Lord did not forget about Moses. He was with him, leading him. The Lord knew him by name. Exodus 33:17

Read verses 5-10 and compare the Lord’s words (“take off your sandals”) in verse 5 and the Lord’s command (“So now, go”) in verses 6-10. The word “Then” (in verse 6) indicates that it was only after Moses had complied with the Lord’s request (“take off his sandals”) that the Lord chose to issue the command (“So now go”). Why?

** Most likely it was to teach him the sanctity (or holiness) of the purpose of God’s calling. Verses 6-10 describe the contents of mission, which is from God, indicating that this is not man’s work (like Moses’ personal business), but God’s business. So Moses should not take this mission with a relativistic attitude. He must understand the holy (meaning “separate”) nature of the mission. This mission is separate in that it is separate from human affairs; it involves God’s glorious plan to redeem all peoples on earth, the plan for his salvation and judgment.  

The message for us is this: we should never consider the Lord’s world mission command as a human thing such as part of organizational agenda or anything. 

Think about Moses’ following excuses in the rest of the passage. 

Who am I that I should go…(3:11)

“[If] they ask me, what shall I tell them”? (3:13)

“What if they do not believe me or listen to me…” (4:1)

“O Lord, I have never been eloquent…” (4:10; cf. Acts 7;22)

“O Lord, please send someone else to do it” (4:13)

What do Moses’ excuses tell us about him?

** These excuses show that Moses looked at himself and the mission from a human point of view, not from God’s view point. God’s work can be done regardless of who you are. It does not depend on you, but on God. So your ability to talk or anything does not matter.

The good lesson we can think of here is that Moses was aware of his weaknesses, so he asked many questions and made many excuses, not just to disobey but [perhaps] to make sure that he knows what he is asked to do. 

When he was about 40 he thought he could do everything. But now he learned that he could not do anything at all. In this sense he was well prepared to be used by God, for in order for God to be able to use you, you must rid yourself of your own ideas, feelings, passions, zeal, plan, etc., For this reason Jesus said that we must deny ourselves, take up the cross [of mission] and then “follow” Jesus not our own ideas zeal etc.  

How did the Lord overcome each of Moses’ excuses?

** Who am I that I should go…(3:11) –> I will be with you. [In other words, it is not only you who does the job; I am with you, enabling you to do the job.]

“[If] they ask me, what shall I tell them”? (3:13) [In other words, “What if they ask me difficult questions which I cannot handle, esp. the questions about you - God?” To this the Lord said that He is the God of history in which he revealed himself to each person like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God is not a vague concept. God is the one who is in a personal relationship with each of his children.] 

“What if they do not believe me or listen to me…” (4:1)  two miracles that is staff and the hand becoming leprous first then becoming alright again. These two miracles talk about the Lord’s power for a believer to overcome the power and work of the devil, the effect of the work of the devil, and the result of overcoming the power and work of the devil. Notice that the Lord asked Moses to catch the snake by its tail, not by its head, which is very dangerous. But the Lord asked Moses to do this, to teach him what it is to live by faith; had Moses not had faith in the Lord he would not have been able to catch it by its tail. Likewise, as we live by faith in the Lord (his gospel) we can easily catch the devil even by its tail. Then we can overcome the work of the devil that is sinful (leprous) condition.

“O Lord, I have never been eloquent…” (4:10; cf. Acts 7;22) -> The Lord knew that it was a lame excuse, so he simply rebuked him saying “Who made your mouth?”

“O Lord, please send someone else to do it” (4:13)  The Lord gave him a partner, that is, Aaron. 

The end

   

 

 

 In Hebrew the word for thorn bush is “hasneh”. Its numerical value (gematria) is 120. This alludes to Moses’ destiny that is to live 120 still remaining vigorous. Cf. Deuteronomy 34:7