CWC - Old Testament Lesson - Lent 3 - Kieth Bernard Kuschel
Exodus 3:18, 10-15
Exodus 3:1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his fatherinlaw, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert 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 sightwhy 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. {7} The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. {8} So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. (10) So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." {11} But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" {12} And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." {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 fathersthe God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacobhas sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
Do you ever change your mind? What would happen if God would change His mind?
GOD CALLS US TO CHANGE OUR MINDS
What important job did God have in mind for Moses? To lead Israel out of Egypt. If Moses was going to be able to do that, He would have to be able to patiently analyze and solve problems. He would also need to recognize that God is the final authority.
Moses’ early life indicated he needed to change in both of those areas. What did he do when he saw an Israelite fighting an Egyptian? He impulsively reacted violently and then had to flee. No patient analysis and problem solving. Why did he think he could do that? He was the adopted grandson of the Pharaoh, one of the best educated men in the land, the self-appointed protector of Israel. He could do whatever whenever and however he wanted. God called on Moses to change his mind about himself. How did he do that? What did Moses do for forty years after he ran away from Egypt? Tended sheep. If God wanted to teach somebody patience, He had him tend sheep. After tending sheep Moses was much more patient to analyze and solve problems in order to serve the people, instead of impulsively reacting to situations.
How did God call on Moses to change his mind about himself? He appeared to Moses in the burning bush. “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 sightwhy 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.” With this appearance God was saying, “Moses, I am the ultimate authority whom you must consult before you act. You can’t just do whatever whenever however you want and then run away from the consequences and from Me.” Moses hid his face. What does that tell you? He was being led to repent, to change his mind about himself.
“Would you look at that. This is how it ought to be done.” “I like that. I want that. I’m going to get that.” “Hey, what are you doing.” “Wait a minute, you can’t do that to me.”
Have you ever heard those reactions coming out of anyone’s mouth?
2 Moses-like reactionary impulsiveness so often results in Moses-like sin. God wants us to act with patient analysis and patient problem solving. He wants us to act after considering the consequences of our actions on the lives of others. He wants us to act in a way that is beneficial to others.
Of course I know what the right thing to do is.” “I know what’s best for you; I have more life experience than you do.” “Yes it’s OK for me to do things that way.” Have you ever heard those reactions coming out of anyone’s mouth?
Moses-like self-inflation so often results in Moses-like sin. God wants us to act after comparing what we are thinking with His will presented to us in His Law. He wants us to act after remembering that we are sinful human beings. He wants us to act remembering that the people we are dealing with are also sinful human beings.
Why? Because He wants us to lead people, not out of Egypt, but out of their slavery to sin, death and the power of the devil. He wants us to love, serve and lead other people to Jesus. In order to do that we need to patiently analyze their needs and patiently apply solutions, not impulsively react. In order to do that we need to be willing to put ourselves underneath God’s Law. Recognize our own sinfulness. Determine a course of action from His Law. Not do whatever whenever however we want.
I don’t think God is going to send us to tend sheep to learn patience. I don’t think He is going to appear to us in a burning bush to teach us He is the authority. So, we need to be asking the Lord to daily call us to repentance. To teach us patience and submission. To change our mind about ourselves.
Moses knew he had a problem. His credentials would be questioned when he attempted to lead Israel out of Egypt. {11} But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" {12} And God said, "I will be with you.”
2 Moses next question is, “If tell them you sent me to do this, and they ask me who you are, what shall I tell them?” {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?"
B1 {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.'" God’s name is I AM. The Egyptian Pharaohs supposedly became gods when they died. God doesn’t die. He just is. He wasn’t created by someone else. He just is. He isn’t dependent on somebody else for His existence. He just is. He doesn’t change. He just is.
2 {15} God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathersthe God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacobhas sent me to you.' “The LORD, who agreed to make the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob into a great nation, which would inhabit Canaan and be the ancestors of the Savior, is the one who sent me. The LORD has kept the first part of his covenant. Israel is a great nation. He wants to keep the second part of His covenant. He wants to get you back to the land in which the Savior is to be born.”
3 {5} "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." God is holy. He doesn’t tolerate sin. He threatens punishment again anyone who breaks His law. Moses was afraid of being in the presence of a holy God.
4 {7} The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. {8} So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. (10) So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." God loves and is concerned about Israel. So, the holy God, who was sending Moses, loves His people just because He is like that.
C1 "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Even if God never came and said that to us, our consciences would remind us that God is holy. He demands that we be holy. He says we deserve to die and go to hell if we are not. It is correct for us to join Moses who hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
2 {7} The LORD said, "I have indeed seen (your) misery. I have heard (your)crying out. I am concerned about (you) suffering. {8} So I have come down to rescue (you). God the Son came down into our world, took on Himself our humanity, so that He could rescue us. He will rescue us from the misery, crying out and suffering which we experience in this world when He takes us to Himself. He guaranteed that would happen when Jesus rose from the dead. No reason to be afraid of a God who is going to do that.
3 {15} God said Moses, "'I AM ...., 'The LORD, the God of your fathersthe God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. God keeps His covenant. He carried out His agreement to wipe away our sins in the blood of the Messiah Jesus which He shed on the cross. He kept His covenant to cover us with the holiness which Jesus the Christ lived in our place. No reason to be afraid of a God who does that.
4 {14} God said, "I AM WHO I AM. This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” The LORD just is. He doesn’t change. He is never going to back out of His agreement to forgive sin, cover with righteousness and give eternal life. His covenant doesn’t change because of changing earthly circumstances because He doesn’t change. No reason to be afraid of a God who is like that.
Conc: By reminding us that He is the unchanging, covenant God who rescues us, the LORD is calling on us to repent, to change our minds about Him. LORD, thank You for changing our minds about ourselves and about You.