Exodus 3:11-17 But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I
should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (12)
He said, "But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for
you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you
shall serve God on this mountain." (13) Then Moses said to God, "If I come to
the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to
you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" (14)
God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say
this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (15)
God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel, '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 forever, and thus I am to be
remembered throughout all generations. (16) Go and gather the elders of Israel together and
say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac,
and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, "I have observed you and what
has been done to you in Egypt, (17) and I promise that I will bring you up out of
the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the
Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with
milk and honey."'
Hidden from the eyes of the Israelites, God is putting His plan of
rescue, redemption in place. It started with the promises made to Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, it started in the birth and preservation of Moses and it
starts here in Exodus 3 as God calls out and sends Moses back to Egypt to bring
the people of Israel out.
Exodus 3 is a passage that many of us wished we could have witnessed,
to see the burning bush, to hear the voice of God and to hear that wonderful name
of God be proclaimed for the first time. It would be an event that Moses would
remember for the rest of his life, and an event from which he would have to
draw courage and strength from, especially when he was severely tested.
God tells Moses that He is aware of the sufferings of His people, the
many cries they have made to Him; He also has not forgotten the covenant that
He made with their forefathers. In light of this He now wants Moses to go to
Egypt and take the Israelites out and lead them to the Promised Land. It is a
quite stupendous request and task! Does God not know how severely oppressed the
Israelites are and how strong and mighty the Egyptians are? Does God really
think that Moses can simply walk into Pharaoh’s palace, demand the release of
the Israelites and receive a favourable reply? Is God not sending Moses to his
death? Does God’s think that the people of Israel with really listen to Moses,
will they actually believe what Moses will tell them about this burning bush
and the voice of God?
Moses is his fear, disbelief and lack of faith, raises some of these
questions, and receives comforting and strengthening words from God. God
promises to be with Moses, and God promises to be the one that will bring the
people out of Egypt. He makes it clear to Moses that it is not up to Moses’
powers of persuasion, or Moses’ might that will determine if the Israelites are
set free. God is simply calling on Moses to be a faithful servant, messenger
and leader under God.
As true and encouraging as all this is, the most encouraging point for
Moses would have been in the name of God, given to Moses by God Himself. “I AM
WHO IAM”! This is a rich and deep name, one which we do not fully understand.
It expresses the unchanging, eternal, sovereign, all-powerful and faithful ways
of God. What is Pharaoh, what is Egypt, what are the Canaanites, the Hittites,
the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, in the presence
and sight of I AM WHO I AM? They are nothing, Pharaohs are born, live and die,
kingdoms rise and fall, but God remains, unchanged, unmoved. The power of man,
may be great, but it is pitiful in the sight of God’s strength, thus the
strength and might of Egypt is nothing in God’s sight. Furthermore, who, what
man, what kingdom can stand in the way of God’s sovereign promises, purposes
and people? God is eternal and unchanging, thus what He has decreed will come
to pass. Moses could go before Pharaoh with confidence knowing that not only
was God with him, but the Pharaoh was weak, foolish, powerless and mortal
before God, and because God had decreed that the Israelites would come out of
Egypt it would come to pass, there is nothing that Pharaoh or all of Egypt
could do to prevent it.
As believers in Christ, the God who is “I AM WHO I AM”, is our God. He
is our God, our redeemer, our deliverer and our leader. He is as much with us
as He was with Moses, and just as He worked deliverance for the Israelites and
brought them safely to the Promised Land, we also have been delivered from
slavery to sin and He will bring us safely to His Promised Kingdom. We can then
entrust ourselves and our future days, whether they be bright or dark into His
care, resting and rejoicing in the fact that He remains, unchanged, unmoved, in
power, faithfulness and care for His people and shall do so for all eternity.
Our God who is I AM WHO I AM, we bow
before You in humble reverence and confess that we understand so little of who
You truly are. Help us this day to comprehend more of who You are and allow
that knowledge to inform, shape and guide our lives. May we rest in Your
unchanging, eternal, all-powerful, faithful nature, rejoicing that You are such
a God to us. Amen.
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