3:1 Adopting the trade of his ancestors, Moses takes on the responsibility of tending to his father-in-law's flock of sheep. It is work with metaphor for Moses, though he is not yet aware. For God is about to recruit Moses in shepherding His children out of oppression in Egypt.
The circumstances of Moses' past are unresolved; although he has found peace and safety, a home and a wife, it is merely a time of recuperation. It is a time of preparation. Before we are ready to be purposeful, we must be established. Moses is drawn out of the life he is comfortable with because he listened to his inner-self and decided that he could not live with and ignore the oppression that encircled him. He was unprepared to change the circumstances which displeased him and he therefore fled in fear. God uses this time in Moses' life to prepare him to walk back into Egypt... but this time with courage. This time, he will be fully equip with the tools and materials needed to make the changes his more naive and temperamental self was unable to make.
Moses happens upon a holy sight... or is it happenstance? Sometimes our steps seem random because of our limited view. Compassionate souls have a connection with God's will: it guides them even when they do not realize. Moses walks right into the place he needs to be.
3:2-3 God catches Moses's attention: in the midst of a bush is a fire, and within it is the presence of God. The symbols God uses to send messages to us are not random. As Moses takes a closer look, he notices that the bush does not burn in the fire. God simultaneously shows Moses his strength and his gentle nature in this supernatural flame. The fire suggests that God can ignite and consume His enemies with ease... yet can at the same time, comfort, signal and warm His children.
3:4 God draws Moses out of his entranced fascination: Moses, Moses! He calls to us when we are ready to listen. He knows our names but more spectacularly: He knows our souls. God calls to this soul who inherently rejects injustice. Moses is a compassionate, passionate soul. But -- Moses was unable to control his emotions and apply a productive effort to confront injustice in his past: his fury caused him to react hastily.
We are not dissimilar. Unrefined by God's love, wisdom and direction, our efforts against injustice is inadequate. Moses was burning like this flame with indignation but he lacked the control to do anything productive about it. God is revealing to Moses that He has the same passion for justice as Moses does but that He also has the control to do something about it, the make the necessary changes.
Compassionate souls are kindred spirits with God. God is preparing to explain to Moses that they each want the same thing: justice for the oppressed. As God does, He relates to His children in this way: I know what you want. I know what you need. I know how to accomplish both. Will you let Me lead you?
You and God want the same things. The only difference is that He knows how to retrieve and garner those things. Moses is one man. He burned with anger at his inadequacy for for all the anger he could muster, he alone could never save an entire people from oppression. Sometimes our anger comes out of a good place: out of compassion, but anger is not a productive tool. Anger had never accomplished anything for him. The shock and horror at what he observed caused Moses to smother his compassion with anger.
Moses is one man, one human. Yet one human and God are an unstoppable, impenetrable force. We each have a passion in our lives that sometimes consumes us like fire. Allow God to control, reign in and utilize that fire with wisdom and guidance. With Him, we will swiftly advance in our goals. What needs to happen for our advancement to occur? Like Moses, we need to answer to God: Here I am.
3:5 Moses' preparation continues. God tells Moses to divest himself of that which is unclean. It is imperative that Moses enter into the journey with clarity, purity, and solemnity. Distractions must be eliminated: how we enter a situation determines what we get out of it and how we come out of it.
3:6 God introduces Himself to Moses: through Moses' ancestors God has accomplished and promised much. Humbled by the presence of such Light, Wisdom, Power and Love Moses hides his face. Along with having natural compassion and passion, Moses is inherently modest.
Our society portrays confidence as king. We give our respect and attention to that which is bold and loud. God gives respect to that which is quietly brave. The type of child of God who becomes a student of God is a child who is quiet enough to listen. Modest enough to learn.
3:7 All at once God reveals that He has heard both the prayers of Moses and of the oppressed in Egypt. His people have been dragged into oppression and through earnest prayer and wholehearted trust, they have given their struggles to God. When that happens, He takes action. God is reaching out to Moses because they share a mutual desire to bring justice to the Israelites.
Consider what mutual desires you and God have and then work together with him to bring them into the world.
3:8-9 God explains the reason for His appearance: to deliver the children of Jacob out of enslavement and into the land good and large land. He has observed what is happening to them and most importantly, He has analyzed a solution to rescue them out of it.
3:10 Through Moses, He is about to implement this plan.
3:11 Prepared, focused and ready God tells Moses that he is to confront Pharaoh about the injustice and bring the children of Jacob out of Egypt. Boom. Done. Simple as that!
Moses balks. God metaphorically points at Moses for this incredible task and Moses metaphorically points to himself with disbelief in his eyes. Me? It is that exact moment when we look behind our shoulder because surely they must be referring to someone else.
God's sense of humor is alive and loving in all that He does if we know how to recognize it. God knows that with Him, everything actually is as simple as that. He also knows that we have a hard time understanding and even accepting that.
God says to Moses: Okay. So here's what you're going to do: tell the most powerful person on the earth right now that you (a nobody to him at best and an escaped-criminal sentenced to death at worst) are going to free all of his slaves, and lead them to a new land to prosper.
God's sense of humor is not the only thing to love about this verse, Moses's humility is equally endearing. There are mighty men who would have puffed up their chests and had hubris enough to take on this task... and they would have failed. Moses's humility created space inside of His soul for God to place His spiritual strength. Make room in your life, in your soul for God to but true, pure strength and wisdom in the place of weak and false bravado.
God takes care of us like we are his beloved toddlers. He is essentially buttoning Moses up in his little coat, preparing him for the first day of school, giving and reminding him of the directives that will ensure his success in this new endeavor. Here's your backpack, little love! You now have all the tools you need to... rescue and entire population from slavery.
He never sends us out unprepared. He has massive dreams and hopes for us; He has massive trust in us. He has our back; we have His protection and love and leadership. No matter how big or impossible it may seem, if He sends us on a mission, He knows that we are capable of it.
3:12 Reassurance of His presence and His love. I will certainly be with you. Once you are successful in accomplishing all that I have sent you on a journey to do, we will meet back here again... you will see that I am true and capable and here.
3:13 God has Moses convinced at least of his seriousness but Moses is still baffled. Paraphrasing of course, Moses says to God: Okay, so when I waltz into Egypt and tell this mass of people that I have been given orders by their God to do the impossible for them... and they reasonably question my sanity, what shall I tell them is your name?
Moses is visualizing the moment in his head and he's picturing himself being laughed out of Egypt.
3:14 Whether or not Moses was expecting an actual answer, God answers: I AM WHO I AM. From the Hebrew word: Hayah: to exist, emphatically. Our human brains fritz trying to conceive of an entity without and end or even beginning but this is how God identifies Himself to Moses.
3:15 God instructs Moses to tell the children of Jacob that the God of their ancestors that it is the same God now who intervenes on their behalf. God's message to all generations is that He is forever and His memorial to us is his promise that He will also rescue us when we ask Him to do so.
3:16-17 We are beloved instruments of God's will and messages. God arranges to give assurance to the children of Jacob (now a multitude of people) that their prayers and heard and answered. God does not obscure anything. His entire plan is shared and offered from the beginning. Moses knows the plan and God instructs him to share it: they will be lead out of captivity into freedom and fertile land.
3:18 They will listen, God assures Moses. Although their faith may have staggered (and our may sometimes flail as well) God knows that at least in some way, they are hopeful for a response from him. If Moses comes to them with passion and plan, they will see God's will unfold through his efforts.
God tells Moses to draw in the support of the leaders of the children of Jacob. Bring them into this plan in mediation, away from distraction and together prepare yourselves to follow My will.
3:19 God continues to prepare Moses: the Pharaoh is not going to immediately or easily comply. He does not believe in this God therefore he does not fear this God either.
3:20 Do not be discouraged, Moses: he [Pharaoh] will let you go! God is prepared for Pharaoh's resistance; He has a plan to wear it down.
3:21 Here are two things that make God's rescue so overwhelmingly lovely:
- He enables us to free ourselves. He emboldens us to do the impossible. We are participants, contributors to His incredible power.
- He arranges for us to free ourselves with abundance. We are freed, and on our backs as we walk away is an overflow of all of the provisions we need to continue to thrive.
3:22 God promises that everything the Egyptians had taken from them will be restored in another manner. The children shall be adorned with abundance. Nobody steps on God's children and gets away with it.
