What did God say to you Moses? Pt 1

10Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, and then bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12And God said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve and worship God at this mountain.”

Exodus 3:10-12 AMP

Moses is one of the greatest individuals in the Bible to many people and to several groups of faith. In Judaism he is the author of the Torah (the 5 law books of the Old Testament), in other religions he is seen as a great leader and prophet. Oftentimes we look at Moses in regards to the great miracles that God performed through his hands, and the demise of himself along with an entire generation of Israelites, but people rarely actually analyze the conversations between God and Moses for what God actually says. As I’ve been trying to introduce in this series, we must be clear in what God says and intends by thoroughly reviewing his word and asking for his guidance with a pure heart, and open mind.

In Moses’ first encounter with God earlier in this chapter at the burning bush, we see God appear and speak to him in this form as an introduction. It is important to understand that there has been at least 400 years since God had performed a miracle through Joseph that resulted in Israel’s (Jacob’s) family being saved from famine in Egypt. Fast forward, and God has been silent as his chosen people have multiplied greatly in number while simultaneously being enslaved by the Egyptians. They have not heard or seen God for centuries and here God is re-presenting himself to Moses as the great “I Am” who will lead them out of Egypt. Now that part we are familiar with, but of more importance to me right now is “What did God say,” or better yet promise to Moses during this first encounter at the burning bush?

Read the 3 verses above, and we see God’s word/oath to Moses. God tells Moses 3 things:

1. I will bring my people (the children of Israel) out of Egypt
2. God himself would go with them
3. Moses would serve and worship God after leading the people of Israel out of Egypt at that same mountain (Mountain Horeb/Sinai)

These are God’s initial words/oath to Moses, and if we understand God we know that he is only liable for that which he says/promises……not what we interpret or desire. God promised Abraham in Genesis 15:12-16 that his descendants would be slaves in a foreign land, and that he would lead them out of it. In Exodus 3, God is now fulfilling that promise through Moses, so we understand that this isn’t a new word, just a verification of a previous promise that is being fulfilled through a later vessel. God is informing Moses that he will free his people from Israel, that he would be with him AND the Israelites, and that as a sign to God keeping his oath, Moses would once again ascend Mount Sinai and worship God there. In order for God to be faithful and just, he must fulfill/complete these 3 things, nothing more, nothing less. It is with this foundation/baseline that we must read the rest of Torah (law books: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) with to see whether or not God was true to his word AND whether Moses received what he had been promised. I invite you to accompany me through this journey through the text to re-read and analyze a text and story that is often preached, written on, read, and sadly misunderstood and misinterpreted.

Reflection Time

From what you understand about the story of Moses, did God mistreat him, or was Moses even betrayed by God at the end? What have you heard or understood about the story of Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt? What has been your biggest questions or misunderstandings regarding the story of Moses or the children of Israel’s journey out of Egypt? From the text and commentary above, has your perspective or mind changed at all about this story? Ask God to give your wisdom and understanding to hear his voice, comprehend his message, and learn his ways/character as you read this passage.