When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near, take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. (3:4-6)
Moses’ reaction to the presence of God, was to hide his face for he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:6) How different this reaction is to the casual way that many treat God in our day – as if God is our pal, or a genie that exists to grant us what we want, or a parent who has our picture on his fridge. God doesn’t exist for us. We exist for Him. He is our Creator. His presence should fill us with awe. And that’s what it did to Moses.
However, that’s not where it ended, that is, with Moses hiding his face in fear. God informed Moses that He has seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt (Exodus 3:7) and that he had come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8).
God further tells Moses that He is sending Moses to Pharoah so that you may bring my people, the children of Isael, out of Egypt (Exodus 3:10).
Moses enters into dialogue with God (he’s over the part where he hid his face) and asks God for His name – to tell the Israelites when they ask. God said, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Say this to the people of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14). Note that when you see Lord in all caps in the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament, it is the name of God “I AM WHO I AM.”
God tells Moses what will happen: Moses is to go to the elders of Israel and tell them that God had appeared to him, and that He is going to deliver them and take them to a land flowing with milk and honey. Then the elders of Israel are to go with Moses to the king of Egypt and ask him to let them go on a three day journey into the wilderness so that they can sacrifice to I AM WHO I AM, their God. God further tells Moses that the king of Egypt won’t let them go, unless compelled by a mighty hand. (Exodus 3:19) He explains: I will strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it, after that he will let you go. (Exodus 3:20). God tells Moses that each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters (Exodus 3:22).
God knew everything that would happen and wanted Moses to be a part of it. It wasn’t going to be easy, but God had prepared Moses for this, both from his years growing up with nobility to his years taking care of sheep. And while we saw Moses’ initial and appropriate reaction to God’s presence – fear – this is balanced by God’s care for His people and the fact that He is prepared to do something about their plight. Moses is able to engage with God, for example, by asking Him questions.
God is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omnipresent (present everywhere). We should be in awe of Him! But He is also caring, loving, and involved.
Some people, because of having harsh or distant fathers, tend to view God as distant and strict, ready to strike them if they make a mistake. Others, (I am one of these) had a loving, present father and see God as a kind dad, but are lacking the fear/awe factor. And that is one reason that it is so exciting to read the whole Bible, where we see all the facets of God – that we can be both filled with awe and overwhelmed by His love and mercy.
Prayer: You are worthy, O God, of our worship and adoration! You are the great I AM! And yet you love us so much and know each hair on our head! May I know You better and better each day, and may I, as Your child, represent You well to others. Amen.
