In nearly every video that Rudy Ross and I produce, he quotes the first phrase of John 3.16, “For God so loved the world.”
God’s love for humans is why he is active in human history. Love is the emotion of a personal Being and results in his desire to have a personal relationship with us.
God is all-powerful and could have achieved his plans without the help of humans, but that is not his desire. He involved Moses with both his thoughts and plans.
Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings,
“And I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey,
“To the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites (Exodus 3.7-8).
Three times verse 8 mentions the land. Without a doubt, the importance of the land in Old Testament history is the basis for Jewish interest in the land of Israel today.
It is worth repeating the fact that God has “observed,” “heard their cry,” is coming to “deliver them,” and “bringing them” to the Promised Land.
Moses’ Call
Henry Blackby adds another component to his assessment. (If you didn’t get a chance to read yesterday’s article, I have more about Henry Blackaby in that one.)
(1) God is at work in the world, bringing redemption to humankind.
(2) God forms personal relationships with people.
(3) God calls humans to join him in his redemptive activity.
Exodus 3.10 is Moses’ formal commissioning to the work God has assigned him.
God said, “The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them.
“Now go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt” (Exodus 3.9-10).
Crisis of Belief
Blackaby observes that when God gives his servants a God-sized mission, we experience a crisis of belief.
Moses did so and uttered five protests against accepting God’s commission. He didn’t state his belief that he was not up to the task. However, consider the challenge he faced.
Can you imagine the task of organizing, equipping, and sustaining the massive escape of 1-2 million slaves?
Once, Moses was willing to be a self-stylized deliverer. After 40 years of tending the flocks of Jethro, he was timid and unsure of himself.
God is about to use a person who is very aware of his own defects and who seeks no advantage over others.
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3.11).
He tells God that he has the wrong man for the job, but God has a different opinion.
He said, “I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain” (Exodus 3.12).
God will come with him. It is worth noting that God promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 14 times to be with them.
God told Moses that he would be actively present as he continues to fulfill his promised word of blessing.
It is not important who Moses is. What is important is who God is.
The sign Israel will receive is the freedom to worship God on the mountain. They will worship and serve Jehovah instead of Pharaoh.
Israel will soon enter into a covenant with God on Mount Horeb and present their gifts and offerings as part of their worship in order to build the Tabernacle.
We will see in tomorrow’s passage from Exodus that “I will be with you” is the first-person form of the name of Jehovah.
God pledges his person and being as signified by his name. He will be dynamically and powerfully present for Moses and the people.
As we consider this passage, let’s understand our unique role and contribution to God’s larger plan.
God has a purpose and calling for us. He will actively empower us to engage in acts of service, compassion, and justice in the world.
No doubt, faith, and trust in God’s presence and guidance, even in the face of challenges or self-doubt, is essential.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
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