New Testament Reading: Ephesians 4:1–10

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, ‘When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.’ (In saying, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)” (Ephesians 4:1–10, ESV)

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Old Testament Reading: Exodus 3:16-4:17

“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, 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.’ And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’ But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, but 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. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.’ Then Moses answered, ‘But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you.’ The LORD said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’ He said, ‘A staff.’ And he said, ‘Throw it on the ground.’ So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the LORD said to Moses, ‘Put out your hand and catch it by the tail’—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— ‘that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.’ Again, the LORD said to him, ‘Put your hand inside your cloak.’ And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. Then God said, ‘Put your hand back inside your cloak.’ So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. ‘If they will not believe you,’ God said, ‘or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.’ But Moses said to the LORD, ‘Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.’ Then the LORD said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.’ But he said, ‘Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.’ Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses and he said, ‘Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.’” (Exodus 3:16–4:17, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

In the third point of the sermon last Sunday I moved very quickly over chapter 3 verses 16 through 22, making only a passing reference to the promises that God made to Israel to deliver them, to richly provide for them, and to bring them safely into the promised land. I would like to make one more pass over that section with you this morning, moving a little slower this time, so that we might glean some more from the details of that passage.  

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God’s Promises To Israel

In verses 16 through 22 of chapter 3 God gives Moses a message for the people of Israel who are in Egypt. Three promises are contained in this message. 

Delivered From Egyptian Bondage

One, God promised to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage. In verse 16 we hear God say to Moses, “Go and gather the elders of Israel together…” Here we gain insight into the lives of the enslaved Israelites. Evidently, they maintained their cultural identity within Egypt as they suffered under the heavy hand of their oppressors. The Hebrews were still lead by elders. I think there is a word of encouragement here for those who are threatened with oppression. Life does not come to a halt. No, ways may be found to preserve and promote cultural identity, customs, and even the worship of God, while suffering oppression. The Hebrews must have, for there were elders, that is to say, leaders, amongst the Hebrews who could be summoned by Moses and communicated with. Also, note that the concept of rule by elders did not originate in the New Testament, but even predated the Exodus event.  

Here we learn that God did not send Moses to deliver the Hebrews all alone. No, he was to work with the elders of Israel. “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, and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt…’” (Exodus 3:16-17, ESV). So here again is God’s promise concerning deliverance. God promised to bring the Hebrews “up out of the affliction of Egypt…”

Remember, this was not a brand new promise, but the fulfillment of a very old promise. God had spoken to Abraham hundreds of years earlier, saying, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions” (Genesis 15:13–14, ESV). So you can see that this was not a new promise, but the announcement that a very old promise was about to be fulfilled. 

The words, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt” make it clear that God has been very aware of the suffering endured by the Hebrews and the injustices perpetrated by the Egyptians. These words signal that something will now be done about that. We are about to see judgment. We are about to see restitution. God was about to take vengeance on his enemies and comfort his people. 

And please see that the promise of God to bring the Hebrews “up out of the affliction of Egypt” places special emphasis upon what the Hebrews would be delivered from.  

They were enslaved to that wicked serpent, Pharaoh. They were brutally treated. They labored and toiled in this world, but they did not enjoy their labor, nor the fruits of their labor. Life on this earth was filled with vanity for them. They were enslaved in that idolatrous world. They were not free to worship and serve the LORD. That is what God promised to deliver the Hebrews from. He would deliver them from that early manifestation of Satan’s kingdom, sin, and death.  

I would really encourage you, brothers and sisters, to begin (or continue) to think of Pharaoh, of Egypt, and of the bondage endured by the Hebrews as an early manifestation of the kingdom of Satan. It was an earthy picture of what bondage to sin and Satan is like. And conversely, we are to view the deliverance that God worked for Old Covenant Israel as an earthly picture of deliverance from the kingdom of Satan, from sin, and from the fear of death. The rest of the scriptures make this clear. The New Testament uses Exodus language to speak of the redemption that Christ has accomplished. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness — that is, from Satan’s cruel and oppressive kingdom — and from bondage to sin and the fear of death. 

As we consider the promise of the deliverance that God communicated to Israel through Moses, let us be sure to think upon all that we have been delivered from in Christ and to rejoice. 

Those who have faith in Christ have been delivered from bondage to sin. 

“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:5–11, ESV).

Those who have faith in Christ have been delivered from the fear of death. 

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Hebrews 2:14–15, ESV).

Those who have faith in Christ have been delivered from the domain of darkness. 

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14, ESV).

Delivered Towards The Promised Land

You will notice in our text that God promised, not only to deliver the Hebrews from Egyptian bondage but to bring them to the promised land. Verse 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” (Exodus 3:17, ESV). So this is the second thing promised: God promised to deliver Israel and to bring them safely into the land. 

I will not belabor this point. I think you get the picture. Israel was delivered from Egyptian bondage, and they were delivered to the promised land. In other words, they were delivered towards a destination. And this does also correspond to our salvation in Jesus the Messiah. God has delivered us “from the domain of darkness and transferred… to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14, ESV). This kingdom of Christ is present now. We are citizens of it. But we await its consummation in the new heavens and earth. So then, Israel’s earthy deliverance from Egypt and towards the promised land was a picture of the salvation that Christ has accomplished for his people. We have been delivered from the domain of darkness, and we are sojourning towards the promised land, the new heavens, and earth.

I have already encouraged you to reflect upon what Christ has delivered us from. Now I am saying that we must contemplate what Christ has delivered us to. Israel was set free from Egyptian bondage, and earthly speaking, their minds, and hearts were immediately to be fixed on Cannan and on their promised inheritance. Earthly speaking, their hope was to be set on that land which was promised to them — a land flowing with milk and honey. Think of how marvelous that must have seemed to those Hebrew slaves. God promised to rescue them from their terrible toil. And he would not leave them to wander landless and homeless. No, they would be given land and they would be given homes. And it would be a very good and rich land. One that they could work and reap a harvest. One that would satisfy their desires, earthly speaking. Think of how marvelously refreshing that must have sounded to those Hebrew slaves.    

But our inheritance in Christ is far greater. Canaan was merely an earthy picture of the heavenly and eternal inheritance that Christ has earned for us. As 2 Peter 3:13 says, “according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13, ESV). The end of the book of Revelation provides a picture of the new heavens and earth. It is far, far better than Cannan. It is much more than a land flowing with milk and honey. 

In Revelation 21 we read the words of John: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son… Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed… And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21, ESV).

Canaan was a dim and dusty picture of this. Israel was saved from bondage and lead towards Cannan. But Christ has delivered us from the domain of darkness, and he leading us towards the new heavens and earth. Our inheritance in Christ is truly marvelous. 

Fix your eyes on the prize, brothers and sisters.

Think about what you have been saved to. 

Delivered With A Rich Supply

So then, God promised the Hebrews deliverance from Egyptian bondage, and deliverence to the promised land. Thirdly, God promised to deliver the Hebrews with a rich supply.  

Verse 19: “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, but 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. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.” (Exodus 3:19–22, ESV)

God would not send the Hebrews out empty handed, but would provide for their every need. 

This was a matter of justice. These Hebrews labord as slaves their whole lives. Now they would be compensated. 

This was an act of judgemnet. The Egyptians ruthlessly oppressed the Hebrews, not the Lord would make them pay. 

And this was a picture of our salvation in Christ. When God redeemed us from the domain of darkness, he richly supplied for our every need. 

“Therefore it says, ‘When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men’” (Ephesians 4:8, ESV).

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…” (Ephesians 1:3, ESV).

Think of how richly God has blessed you in Christ. 

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Moses’ Doubt

Now that we have considered God’s threefold promise to Israel, let us turn our attention to Moses’ doubt, which comes through so strongly in this passage. 

We have noticed that Moses had been humbled. But now we see him bordering on lack of faith.

God’s call…

Objection (3:11): “Who am I?” 

Answer: It doesnt matter who you are. What matters is that I am with you. 

Objection (4:1): They will not believe me…

Answer: These signs will prove that I have sent you. 

Objection (4:10): “But Moses said to the LORD, ‘Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue’” (Exodus 4:10, ESV).

Answer: “Then the LORD said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak’” (Exodus 4:11–12, ESV).

Objection (4:13): “But he said, ‘Oh, my Lord, please send someone else’” (Exodus 4:13, ESV).

Answer: “Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses and he said, ‘Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart” (Exodus 4:14, ESV).

Moses is here portrayed as the reluctant deliverer… Here I LORD, send someone else…

All of this emphasizes the grace of God. 

God uses weak and common people to accomplish his purposes so that he gets the glory..  

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God’s Signs To Moses 

Thirdly, let us consider the signs that God gave to Moses. To prove that God was with him, God gave him the ability to work miracles. These were signs which would confirmed the truthfulness of his words. 

The Staff

“The LORD said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’ He said, ‘A staff.’ And he said, ‘Throw it on the ground.’ So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the LORD said to Moses, ‘Put out your hand and catch it by the tail’—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— ‘that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you” (Exodus 4:2–5, ESV).

Like Moses, the staff was common. 

The serpent symbolized Pharoah. The serpent is to remind us of Satan. Moses ran from it just like he was running from God’s call. But he reluctantly picked it up by the tail, signifying God’s power over Pharoah and Satan. 

The Hand

“Again, the LORD said to him, ‘Put your hand inside your cloak.’ And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. Then God said, ‘Put your hand back inside your cloak.’ So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh” (Exodus 4:6–7, ESV).

God was able to keep Moses and the Hebrews, for he has the power to heal and to distroy the body.

The Blood

“‘If they will not believe you,’ God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground” (Exodus 4:8–9, ESV).

This would be the first of the ten plagues. Here we have a foretaste of the miracles that God would work before the Egyptians. Blood will play a large part in God’s dealing with Moses and with Israel, for without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. 

Has God really spoken? The signs would confirm, yes. 

Consider these signs. Consider the miracles of Christ. Consider the resurrection.

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Conclusion

New Testament Reading: John 8:48–59

“The Jews answered [Jesus], ‘Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?’ Jesus answered, ‘I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.’ The Jews said to him, ‘Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.’ So the Jews said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple” (John 8:48–59, ESV).

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Old Testament Reading: Exodus 3:10-22

“‘Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’ 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.’ 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?’ 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.’’ 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. 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, 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.’ And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’ But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, but 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. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.’” (Exodus 3:10–22, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

One thing I have noticed is that Christians love to talk about Jesus, but they are sometimes hesitant to talk about God. 

You’re thinking, well that’s a strange thing for a Pastor to say. Isn’t Jesus God? Well, yes. Jesus is God incarnate. In the one person of Jesus Christ, there are united two natures, the human and divine. As our confession says, these “two whole, perfect, and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion.” Jesus “is very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man.” (2LBC 8.2). So we are not wrong to say, Jesus is God. But to guard against confusion we must also say, God is not Jesus. 

Jesus had flesh and bones. God does not. Jesus had a human soul. God does not. Jesus grew and experienced human emotions. God does not. Jesus is indeed God incarnate. That is true. “The Son of God, the second person in the Holy Trinity, being very and eternal God, the brightness of the Father’s glory, of one substance and equal with him who, made the world, who upholds and governs all things he has made, did, when the fullness of time was come, take upon him man’s nature, with all the essential properties and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin…” But we must also insist that God is not Jesus. God is not a creature, but the Creator of all things seen and unseen. He is “a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto…” He “is immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, every way infinite…” (2LBC 2.1).

I’ve begun the sermon with this riddle, not because I intend to teach thoroughly on the doctrine of God and the doctrine of Christ today. No, we do not have the time for that. But because I wish to convince you in a short time that we ought to give more attention to the doctrine of God. We should be very interested to know who he is and what he is like. By the way, I do intend to take you through a study on the doctrine of God in Sunday school beginning in mid to late October. You should come to that class. But we also have a marvelous opportunity to grow in our comprehension of God in our study of the book of Exodus, for here in this book foundations are laid concerning who God is. In fact, if we wish to know who God is and what he is like, we must start in the beginning. In the books of Genesis and Exodus, God, our Creator, and Redeemer is revealed.      

Maybe this is one reason Christians are more comfortable talking about Jesus than they are talking about God: we tend to be more familiar with the New Testament scriptures than the Old. This is a mistake. Yes, the New Testament revelation is very crucial. It is greater than the Old Testament in some important ways. But the New Testament is not meant to be read apart from the Old. To read the New and to neglect the Old would be like going straight to the last few chapters of a great novel. Yes, those might be the best chapters of the book, but they can only be enjoyed as the best chapters if we read the first and more foundational chapters. And I do believe this tendency to read the New Testament and to neglect the Old has contributed in some ways to this tendency that some Christians have to emphasize Christ to the neglect of God himself.

Let me ask you, should we love, worship, and serve Christ? Yes, we should, for he is God, and he is our Savior. And is Christ in some respects at the center of our religion and the story of our redemption? Yes, for he is the Messiah, the Savior, the Mediator between God and man. As it pertains to our redemption, Christ is indeed the center. Him we proclaim. 

Now please consider this: Christ did not die to reconcile us to himself (as the Christ who was both God and man). No, he died and rose again, to reconcile us to the eternal God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so that in all things God gets the glory. That is why Christ is called the only mediator between God and man. He is the Mediator, the middleman, the door, and the way. This means he is not the end, the goal, or the destination. God is. Christ came to reconcile us to the Father.

So Christ is the center in this sense: he is the central figure in the drama of our redemption. But please hear me, he is not the end or the goal. The glory of the eternal God — the Triune God — is the goal of our religion. Christ has redeemed us from bondage to sin, Satan, and death so that we might worship and serve, enjoy, and glorify the Triune God forever and ever. As Paul says, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36, ESV).

To state the matter differently, I’ll ask you this: do you know God? Not, do you know Christ? But do you know God? Yes, to know God — to stand before him innocent, clean, and righteous and to have a right relationship with him, you must know Christ by faith. But here I am asking you, do you know God? Are you in a right relationship with him, and do you know him, his nature, attributes, names? 

Well, enough of me trying to convince you that we should care deeply about knowing God so that we might delight in him and glorify him forever. Let’s get on to the text. And as we do we will quickly recognize that this is a very important passage as it pertains to the knowledge of God, for here God reveals the meaning of his name to Moses. The previous passage was very important too, for we learned a great deal about God when he revealed himself to Moses in that bush that was burning yet not consumed. This passage is a continuation of that one, for in this entire event God was revealing his character and nature to Moses as he called him to be the deliverer of his people.

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God Promised To Be With Moses For The Long Haul

In verse 10 God speaks to Moses, saying, “Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt”. 

Think of how terrifying this call would have been to Moses. Pharaoh was very, very powerful and ruthless, and Moses was very weak in comparison. This call would be like God saying to you, come I will send you to — pick the world leader… Putin, or Kim Jong-un, or whomever — and I will work a mighty act of deliverance through you. You know, you really need to put yourself in Moses’ place to understand the struggle. And we should not forget what happened last time that Moses tried to accomplish deliverance for the Hebrews. 40 years had passed since that terrible failure that brought Moses to the wilderness. Moses is very humble now, and he is unsure of himself, which is really a good thing. 

Verse 11: “But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’” (Exodus 3:11, ESV). This is a very different attitude in Moses from the one we encountered back in 2:11ff.  As I have said, Moses was humbled. “Who am I”, Moses asked. And as the narrative unfolds we will find that this question was dismissed entirely by God, making the answer to be, it doesn’t matter who you are, Moses. What matters is who I am, and that I am with you.   

Verse 12: “[God] 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’” (Exodus 3:12, ESV). 

“But I will be with you”, God said. No such words were spoken prior to Moses’ first attempt at deliverance, which ended in failure. I suppose there is a warning for all of God’s people here to not get ahead of God or to attempt to live by our own strength. No, we are to wait patiently upon the LORD and depend on him for all things. That would be a valid application, I think. But I believe the reason that Moses highlighted the failure of his first attempt, and the success of his second in this way was to show Israel beyond all doubt that from beginning to end this deliverance was the LORD’s work. When Moses tried to deliver Israel on his own initiative and by his own strength, it was a failure. But when God called him and promised to be with him, then there was success. This was the LORD’s work, not the work of Moses. God must get the glory, friends. And he will have the glory when humbly submit ourselves to his word instead of going about things our own way.

At the end of verse 12 God promised to provide a sign for Moses which would prove that God had sent him: “when you [singular] have brought the people out of Egypt, you [plural: Moses and Israel] shall serve God on this mountain’”. The promised “sign” was that God would appear to Moses and Israel as they served God at Sinai after being delivered from Egypt. Just as God appeared to Moses in the small fire in the bush that was burning yet not consumed, so to God would appear to Israel in a much greater flame as they came before him at SinaI. This future sign would do Moses no good in the present, nor in the immediate future as he stood before Pharaoh. No, this was God’s commitment to be with Moses long-term. God would demonstrate to both Moses and Israel that he was with him as they served God on the mountain. And those who are familiar with the rest of the story of the Exodus know that God kept this promise. God would indeed demonstrate to the people that he was with Moses through the signs and wonders that he showed forth at Sinai.  

You know, we should recognize that standing before ruthless and powerful Pharaoh was not the only terrifying aspect of God’s call to Moses. The thought of leading that great multitude of people after deliverance from Egypt must have also been a very overwhelming thought. Forty years earlier Moses could not even convince the two Hebrews who were fighting that they should listen to his voice and follow his lead. Now, Moses was called to lead hundreds of thousands out of Egypt and into the wilderness. I’m sure he was thinking, yes, maybe God will deal with Pharaoh to deliver us from his hand, but what then? Here we find God’s promise to be with Moses for the long haul. “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’” (Exodus 3:12, ESV). 

I cannot help but make this passing observation once more: Israel would be redeemed from Egyptian bondage in order to worship and serve the LORD. And you and I have been set free from all spiritual bondage in order to worship and serve the LORD. Let us not forget that. 

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God Revealed His Name To Moses

In verse 13 we come to the heart of this wonderful passage. Moses asked God a very important question. “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?” (Exodus 3:13, ESV). So then, Moses quickly moved on from the meaningless question, Who am I?, to the all-important question, Who are you? What is your name?

Names are important. When someone or something is named, the name comes to signify everything about that person or thing. If I say the word, “rock” your mind is immediately filled with the thought of a rock and all of its rocky characteristics. If I say “tree” something similar happens. If I say “Steve” you think of a “Steve” and the person whom that name represents. Names are rather important, aren’t they? We are unable to talk or think clearly about people or things apart from their names. 

When Moses asked for God’s name, he was not asking a superficial question. He was not saying, Oh ya, by the way, what is your name?” No, by asking for God’s name, Moses was requesting insight into who God is. What is your name?, means, who are you? Who is this One that we are to trust and to follow? We need to know if we are to follow you.

Please understand that God does not have a name by nature. He is the Nameless One, for he is incomprehensible. There is no name, nor is there a collection of names, that can adequately encapsulate and communicate all that God is, for God is incomprehensible. He is nameless by nature. But God has called himself by certain names for us. He had come down to our level, as it were. By revealing himself to us in these names, he condescends to our creaturely limitations and weakness so that we might know him and address him truly and with understanding. Quoting now the great Reformed theologian, Herman Bavinck, “Although God in himself has no name, we have a need to refer to him. And for this we have no other means than a name. [Quoting Isidor] ‘For unless you know the name, your knowledge of things vanishes” (Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 2, pg. 137). So God has names, not eternally or by nature, but as a form of revelation. The names of God communicate truth about God to us, enabling us to know him, to speak about him, and to speak to him.  

 So what are the proper names of God, that is, the names that we use to address him? 

The most generic names for God are El, Elohim, and El Shaddai. These Hebrew names are typically translated into the English language as God or God Most High. The names El and Elohim emphasize God’s transcendence. He is highly exalted and above all things. He is the Sovereign One. The name El Shaddai places special emphasis upon his kindness and benevolence. Though God is high and lifted up, he is also near to us and kind.

The proper name for God that is given and defined here in our passage for today is YHWH. The Jews considered this name to be, quoting Bavinck again, “the preeminent name for God, the name that describes God’s essence, God’s proper name, the glorious, four-letter name (the tetra-grammation), and [over time] concluded… that they were forbidden to pronounce it” (Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 2, pg. 140). And so, being driven by this misunderstanding, they would replace the name YHWH with the word, Adonai, which means Lord. And so in the process of time scribes combined the vowels from the word Adonai with the consonants YHWH, producing the name Jehovah. Some within the Reformed tradition still prefer to say Jehovah. Undoubtedly the influence of the KJV, which uses the term Jehovah, has something to do with that.  But it has been my practice to say YHWH, though my pronunciation of the name has fluctuated over time. How do our English translations typically translate the name YHWH? They often use the word LORD, but in all capitals to distinguish it from the straightforward translation of the word Adonai, which means Lord. 

The point is this. The name that God revealed to Moses out of the bush that was burning yet not consumed was YHWH. This was the name that Moses was to pronounce when the Hebrews asked him, “What is his name?” 

In Exodus chapter  6 verse 3 we will come to a perplexing little comment. There the LORD speaks to Moses, saying, “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them” (Exodus 6:3, ESV). I say this is perplexing because the name YHWH appears everywhere in Genesis from chapter 2 onward, and it is often on the lips of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So did Moses forget what he had written in Genesis? I think not. Instead, we are to understand Exodus 6:3 in this way. Though the name YHWH was known and used by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the true meaning of it was not. God was known to the patriarchs as El Shaddai, God Most High; the one who is benevolent and kind; the covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. When they used the name YHWH, this is what they knew. But when God appeared to Moses in that burning bush, and as he uttered the name YHWH, which was indeed the name for God that the fathers used, he gave Moses more insight into the significance of the name. God filled the name YHWH with greater meaning. In other words, Moses was given more light than Abraham concerning the knowledge of God’s name.

So what was new about the revelation given to Moses? What was unique about it so that God could say to him, “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them” (Exodus 6:3, ESV). Here in Exodus 3 not only is the name YHWH pronounced; it is also explained. That was the thing that did not happen before. Here from the bush that was burning yet not consumed, God filled the name YHWH with new and greater meaning for his covenant people.

By the way, something very similar happened in the days of Christ and with the inauguration of the New Covenant. A new name for God was brought to the forefront and filled with greater significance in those days. It was not a brand new name for God — one that had never been used before — but this name was placed front and center and imbued with greater significance by Christ for the New Covenant people of God. And what is that name? It is the name “Father”. Did the Old Covenant people of God ever refer to  God Father? Yes, they did! See Deuteronomy 32:6 and Isaiah 63:16, for example. But that name for God was not central to the Old Covenant people of God. Why? Because not all who were members of the Old Covenant had God as heavenly Father. Many disbelieved and rebelled against him. But things are so very different under the New Covenant. The New Covenant is not like the Old in this respect: under the New Covenant, all know the Lord. All have the law written on their hearts. All have the Spirit of God. All are sons and daughters. “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6, ESV). And so Jesus taught his New Covenant people to pray like this: “Our Father in heaven hallowed be thy name…” And even more profoundly, Christ taught his church to baptize new disciple “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” 

As I have said, under the New Covenant the name Father is brought to the forefront and filled with greater significance, and appropriately so, for all who are truly members of this New Covenant through faith in Christ, have God as Father. He is not only  El, Elohim, El Shaddai, or YHWH, he is Father, for through the New Covenant instituted in Christ’s blood, we have been reconciled to him and adopted as his beloved children through faith in the Messiah. 

And more than this, it was through the arrival of the Messiah, who is the eternal Son of God come in the flesh, that the full light of the revelation of the Triune God was revealed to us. Someone asked me not long ago, was the Trinity revealed in Old Testament times? Answer: Yes, dimly and mysteriously. “Let us make man in our image”, God said. When God created, he created through his Word, and by his Spirit. And the plural name “Elohim” did also reveal plurality in the Godhead. But with the coming of Christ and the accomplishment of our redemption came greater and clearer revelation too. And a new name for God was brought to the fore and placed upon the people of God. Hear it again: Those who have faith in the Messiah are to be baptized “in the name” — “name” is singular here — “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. 

I’ve said in the past that redemptive act and revelation fit nicely together, and they do. We see this pattern throughout Scripture. God acts and God speaks. In those days when God redeemed Israel from Egyptian bondage, Moses received greater light than Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did concerning the meaning and significance of God’s proper name, YHWH. And when Christ accomplished our redemption by his life, death, and resurrection, he did also clearly reveal what was in the past dimly and mysteriously revealed in the plural name for God, Elohim. By commanding that his disciples have the name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, placed upon them in the waters of baptism, he clearly revealed what was once revealed dimly: “In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word (or Son), and Holy Spirit…” (2LBC 2.3).   

Let’s get back to our text and ask what is the significance of this name for God which was revealed to Moses? Well, from the burning bush onward we know that the name YHWH signifies that God is self-existent, eternal, and unchanging. 

Verse 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?’ 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.’’ God also said to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: ‘[YHWH], 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’” (Exodus 3:13–16, ESV).

YHWH is the name that God gave to Moses to speak to the people of Israel. “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘[YHWH], the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.”

And what is the significance of this name? God revealed to Moses that this name was to signify his self-existence, eternal, and unchanging nature. “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.’’’ God is the great “I AM”, and the name YHWH signifies this. 

When God says, “I AM” he means that he is eternal. Never was he not. And never will he not be. He is. He simply exists. Never does he become. He always has been and he ever will be. The phrase, “I AM Who I AM” may also be translated, “I AM What I AM”, or “I will be what I will be.” When we bring all of this together we must confess that God is here filling the name YHWH (which sounds like the Hebrew word translated, “I AM”) with a significance that it did not have before. When God’s people utter that name they are to think of the God who is eternal.

And they are to think of his self-existence too. No one created God. He is the Creator of all things seen and unseen. He always was. He depends upon no one and nothing outside himself. He is the fire that needs no fuel to burn. He gives life to all, but he himself receives life from no one. As Paul says, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?’ ‘Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:33–36, ESV).

And when we hear the name YHWH we are also to think that God is unchanging. You say, well where does the text say that? Think with me. If God is. If he always has been, and ever will be, then he cannot change. If God were to change in the slightest, then the God who is would not be the God who was, and the God who was would not be the God who will be. 

Have you ever heard it said, I’m not the man or woman that I used to be? That statement is truer than we realize, for you and I are constantly changing. Our bodies are always either growing and decaying. We are always learning. Our emotions are constantly fluctuating. Even if we could say “I am” in one moment, in the next moment, that would no longer be true, for in each and every moment we are not what we used to be. But God is. And he always is God. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. In him “there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17, ESV).

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God Promised To Be With Israel, To Richly Provide For Them, And To Bring Them Safely Into The Land Of Canaan

I have to move this sermon towards a conclusion and I will do so by asking the question, what impact should the name YHWH have upon the people of God now that God has revealed its significance? In other words, what comfort is brought to the people of God as they think of him as the great I AM — the one who is self-existent, eternal, and unchanging?

It should be clear that this name is to reassure the people of God concerning his faithfulness and trustworthiness. It is because God is self-existent, eternal, and unchanging that we are able to depend upon him. In this sense, he is like a rock. He is a solid foundation upon which we can stand. He will not shift under our feet like everything else in this created world does. Everything Created moves. YHWH does not.. Never will he fail to keep his promises.  

In the remainder of this passage, the LORD gives instructions to Moses concerning what he is to say to Israel concerning. In brief, he is to announce to them that the LORD will now act to keep the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob regarding the possession of Canaan. Moses is to reassure them that the LORD would be with them. He would lead them out of Egypt, not poor, but rich, and he would bring the children of Abraham into Canaan just as he had promised so long ago. 

The revelation of the significance of the name YHWH at this time in the history of redemption was fitting. A huge multitude was called to follow their God out from under the heavy hand of the Egyptians, into the wilderness, and towards a land of promise. Knowing that they were following, not Moses, who WAS NOT, but God who IS, would be crucial to their success, for above all they would need to trust him. They would need to know that he is able and faithful to keep his word.  

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Conclusion

And the same is true for you and me. You and I are also to be comforted by the fact that we worship, serve, and trust in God whose name is El, Elohim, El Shaddai, and YHWH. He is God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, Sustainer and Redeemer of mankind, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, for he is the great I AM. And more than this, he is our Father in heaven, for we have been redeemed and adopted as his beloved children through the shed blood of his Christ. And he has promised to be with us always even to the end of the age to bring us safely into our eternal inheritance, in Christ’s name.    

New Testament Reading: 1 Timothy 6:11-16

“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:11–16, ESV)

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Old Testament Reading: Exodus 3:1-9

“Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, ‘I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.’ 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. Then the LORD said, ‘I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have 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, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.” (Exodus 3:1–9, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

As we progress through our study of the book of Exodus, not only will we learn about what happened in those days when God redeemed Israel from Egyptian bondage, and not only will we learn from the successes and failures of Moses and the Hebrews, we will also learn about God, his nature, his attributes, and his ways.

 Who is God? What is he like? And how does he relate to man? These are very big questions. And truth be told, we would not be able to say anything at all about these questions — at least not with any certainty — apart from God’s revelation. No, apart from revelation — that is to say, apart from God choosing to disclose or show himself to us — we would be left to merely speculate about God.

Now, we know that God has revealed himself in two ways. He has revealed himself generally in the world that he has made. Here we are saying that some things about the Creator may be known by observing his creation. This is what the scriptures teach. Psalm 19 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork”. Paul makes a similar point in Romans 1:20, saying, “For [God’s] invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they [the wicked] are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:20–21, ESV). This kind of revelation is called general or natural revelation. And it is very important for us to confess that God does reveal himself to mankind in this way. Some things may be known about God through the observation of the natural world. In particular, we know that he exists and that he is glorious. 

At the same time, we must also confess that God has revealed himself much more clearly in other ways. God does not only speak in a general way to all humanity through the things he has made, he has also spoken in a special and specific way through his prophets. He appeared to them. He worked miracles in their presence and through them. He spoke to them in a variety of ways. And as he did, his people learned, not only about what God was doing in the world, and what he would do in the future, they also learned about who he is. 

This kind of revelation is called special revelation, for through it God reveals himself in a specific way to a specific people. All of humanity has access to God’s general revelation, but we know that God has revealed himself in an especially clear way through the prophets of old and to his chosen people. This special revelation grew in clarity with the passing of time as the words delivered to one prophet would build upon the words delivered to a previous prophet. So Abraham was given more regarding God’s plan of redemption than Adam was. Moses was given more than Abraham. And Jerimiah was given more than Moses. God’s special revelation of himself and of his plans and purposes grew in clarity with the passing of time, all of this culminating and concluding with the arrival of the Christ himself, and with his Apostles. 

Hebrews 1:1 summarizes all of this, saying,  “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Hebrews 1:1–2, ESV). Christ was not just another prophet in a long line of prophets. He was the prophet of God, for he was the eternal Word of God, the second person of the Triune God, come in the flesh. You will remember that that is how John begins his gospel, saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-3, 14, ESV). 

So then, when we speak of special revelation, we are to think of God revealing himself to man, not through the world he has made, but by his word. This word revelation comes in different forms. Sometimes God would appear to the prophets of old in some form and speak to them. Sometimes they would hear his voice, but not see him. In other instances, God would come to them in dreams and visions. And at other times God would inspire the prophets to speak his word to his people. Quite often the word of the Lord would be accompanied by miracles so that the prophet, and those to whom they ministered, would know for certain that it was God who was speaking to them. Nowhere is this more clearly seen than in the ministry of Jesus Christ. He performed miracles, and these miracles validated that he was from God and spoke the word of God. This is why the miracles of Jesus were called “signs”, for they pointed to the fact that it was God who was behind them. 

So why have I begun this sermon on Exodus 3 by talking about special revelation? It is because in the days of Moses there was not only a great act of deliverance accomplished, there was also a great outpouring of special revelation. God spoke with an unusually loud voice in those days as he delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage and led them towards the promised land. He revealed himself, his plans, and his purposes to his people with greater clarity than in generations past, and he displayed his power and glory to the nations in a way not seen before or after until the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ from the grave.

In Exodus, we find a record of God’s redemptive acts accompanied by a rich deposit of special revelation. Act of redemption… and revelation. These two things do fit nicely together, don’t they? God reveals himself through words, but you will notice that often his words have been accompanied by action. This is a gracious gift. God knows that we would naturally doubt words only, so he has clothed his words with action. Examples of this can be found throughout the pages of Holy Scripture and throughout the history of redemption. But nowhere is more true than during the ministry of Christ, and at the time of the Exodus. These two eras were characterized by a great outpouring of special revelation accompanied by God’s redemptive activity. You’ve heard it said that talk is cheap. Well, God has not only spoken, he has also taken action. And in this way, he has condescended to our weakness. He has backed up his word with action so that we might know for certain that it was he who was speaking.  

So then, as we continue in Exodus, we must not only ask, what did God do? but also, what did he say? What did he reveal concerning himself, his plans, and his purposes? And I would like to suggest to you that the passage we are considering today is most foundational. Here we learn the A-B-C’s, if you will, concerning God’s nature and character. Yes, God revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but hundreds of years had passed since God had spoken to his people. This word that God delivered to Moses is to be considered most important, therefore. You’ve heard it said that first impressions are everything. Well, here God is introducing himself anew and afresh to Moses, and through him, to Israel. We have better pay careful attention to what he says.

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God Revealed Himself To Moses As Self Existent

Let us now turn our attention to our text for today, and as we do, we will see that God revealed himself to Moses, and through him, to Israel and to us. First of all, notice that God revealed himself as the one who is self-existent. 

In verse 1 we read, “Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian… “ Remember that Jethro is another name for the man who in the previous passage was called Reuel. We know that Moses is now 80 years old, but he has not progressed much in this foreign land, for he is still watching after his father-in-law’s flock. It is not hard to read between the lines and to see that Moses was humbled during these 40 years in Median. I continue, “…and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.” Why did Moses go so far with the flock? Probably to find green pastures. And what is the significance of this mountain Horeb? Well, this same mountain is also called Sinai. The name Horeb may be another name for the same mountain, or it may have been the name of a range of mountains, of which Sinai was one. This mountain will become very significant in the Exodus story, for here God will give his law and enter into covenant with Israel after they are redeemed from Egypt.  

Verse 2: And the angel of the LORD appeared to [Moses] in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, ‘I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.’”

Notice three things about this verse:

One, it was the LORD who disclosed himself to Moses; it was not Moses who discovered the LORD. This may seem like a small observation, but in fact, it is very significant. If we are to know God truly, God must make himself known to us. This was true for Adam in the garden. This is true for humanity after the fall. And this is true for each and every sinner who comes to God through faith in the Messiah. We come to him because he calls us. We are able to know him, not because we discover him, but because he graciously discloses himself to us. It was the LORD who appeared to Moses, and this after 80 years of sojourning. 

Two, God is here called “the angel of the LORD”. That it was in fact God who appeared to Moses, and not an angel, is made clear in verse 4. Why then is God here called “the angel of the LORD”. I think it is this: the title, “angel of the LORD”, communicates that this was in fact an appearance of God. But what Moses saw was not God as he really is, but a manifestation of the LORD. Here God appeared in the form of fire. But God is not fire. When God is called “the angel of the LORD” it is made clear that God is indeed revealing himself to man, but in some creaturely form. 

Three, the form that God took is significant. He “appeared… in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush…. the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.” Why this form? That is the question. And the answer must be that the form itself communicates some truth about God to Moses and to us. “The bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.” What is the significance of that?

Well, the context seems to point in this direction: God is self-existent. He is the fire that needs no fuel to burn. This interpretation corresponds well with the name that God will reveal to Moses in the next passage. God is the “I am”. He is the one who was, and is, and ever will be. He does not stand in need of anything or anyone for his existence or his sustenance. 

Yes, it is true that humans are made in the image of God. We are like him in some ways, so much so that we are able to commune with him. But we are not God. And here is one of the most fundamental distinctions between us and him: he is self-existent, and we are not. Our existence is dependent upon so many things outside of ourselves, the greatest of them being God himself. If the fire of life is to continue burning within us, we need fuel. God must sustain us body and soul. But God is the fire that burns without fuel. The LORD “appeared… in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush…. the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.” 

It is not difficult to see why God would reveal himself to Moses in this way given the mission he was about to call him to. Moses would need to trust the LORD as went to face Pharoah and he would lead Israel in wilderness places those 40 years. One thing he would need to know for certain is that this God who called him is not lacking in strength.

Think with me for a moment about power and strength. When we say that someone is not strong enough, we mean that they have reached the limits of their resources in some way. They have run out of muscle, energy, money, willpower, or some other thing. But God does not need resources to act. God is. When we say that God is powerful, we do not mean that he is really, really strong. No, we mean that his power is without boundaries at all. And his power is without boundaries because he stands in need of no one and nothing outside himself. God is. He is life and power without limit. He gives life and power to all, but no one gives life and power to him. He is the flame that needs no fuel to burn. 

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God Revealed Himself To Moses As Holy

Not only did God reveal himself to Moses as self-existent, he also revealed himself as holy. 

Look at verse 4. “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.”

God’s call to Moses was gracious. To repeat someone’s name twice, as God did with Moses, was considered a friendly greeting in that culture. And I think you would agree with me that for God to reveal himself to Moses and to call out to him was a gracious thing in and of itself. But as Moses drew near to God, God warned him concerning his holiness. God is holy. This means that he is different from us. He is set apart from us and highly exalted above us. This also means that he is perfectly pure and without blemish. But we are sinful. 

So God warned Moses, saying, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” Moses was to come near, but not too near. This pretty much sets the tone for Israel’s approach to God under the Old Covenant — they would be invited to draw near, but not too near. They would be warned to keep back from the mountain of God, and when the tabernacle and temple would finally be constructed, a veil would keep the people out of the most holy place. Under Moses the people would be invited to draw near to God, but not too near. Christ would accomplish something greater.  He himself would enter into the heavenly sanctuary, and in him, we have full access to the Father. 

Moses was told to take the sandal off his feet. This was a sign of respect. For the place on which he was standing was holy ground. There was nothing special about that place, but God’s presence made it special. God met with Moses in that place, and not long after this, God would reveal himself to Israel there to give them his law and to enter into covenant with them. 

What would they need to know about their God? If they were to approach him right? One thing they would certainly need to know is that he is holy, and they are not. If they were to approach him at all, God would need to provide atonement for their sins.  

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God Revealed Himself To Moses As Merciful And Kind

Thirdly, God revealed himself to Moses as merciful and kind. This is seen in the words, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Here the Lord reminds Moses of the kindness that he had shown to Abraham to reveal himself to him, to call him out of that pagan land, and to give him his precious and very great promises. Notice that God said, “I am the God of your father”, referring to Moses’ own father. Here we have a reminder of God’s covenant faithfulness. Though the Hebrews had suffered greatly as slaves those many years, God had not abandoned them. He preserved his people so that he might accomplish his purposes through them. God is merciful and kind. 

And this is also seen in the words, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have 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, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them” (Exodus 3:1–9, ESV).

God knew of the sufferings of the Hebrews. He was not unaware. And now he was ready to act to fulfill the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, concerning their possession of Canaan as a great multitude and nation.  God is merciful and kind. 

I’m afraid that many modern Christians will look at the suffering of the Hebrews and will tend to say, God was not merciful or kind to them. He was cruel. In fact, many modern Christians have a very hard time reconciling the goodness of God with the suffering that they see in the world. This is a very difficult question, I will admit it. And I am not sure that specific answers can be given to the question, what about evil and suffering? There is much that remains a mystery. But one problem I see, many Christians do tend to have a sense of entitlement. They begin with the presupposition that God owes us a degree of health, wealth, and prosperity. Does he? Is this what we deserve from him — health, wealth, and prosperity? I’m not saying that this will make all of our questions concerning the sovereignty of God and suffering go away, but I will help a lot. It will help if we start at the right place. We are not entitled to receive anything good from God, only his judgment. Every good thing that we enjoy in this life is a gift from him. 

God revealed himself to Moses as merciful and kind. He saw the suffering of the Hebrews, and he knew. He was about to act to bring them relief and to fulfill the gracious promises he made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. How is this not astonishing to us that God would think of man, much less sinful man, at all? And yet he has looked down upon us in our pitiful state with compassion in his eyes, as it were. 

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Conclusion

First impressions are important, aren’t they? And I do believe that we are to view this encounter between God and Moses in that light. Moses and Israel would learn a lot more about their God in the years to come, but this is where God began. He wished to show forth his self-existence, to place emphasis upon his holiness, and to stress his mercy and kindness. Moses, and all of Israel after him, would need to know these things about their God if they were to trust, worship, and serve him faithfully as he led them out of Egypt and towards the promised land. And so I ask you, do you know these things?

Do you know that God is self-existent? He stands in need of no one and nothing. Never does he lack power and strength, therefore. 

Do you know that he is holy? To approach him, you must be made clean. And when you do approach, you must come with reverence. 

Do you know that merciful and kind? He has invited you to come, friends, and he has made a way. We must come through faith in Christ the Lord, for he atoned for all our sins. 

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 11:24–27

“By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.” (Hebrews 11:24–27, ESV)

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 2:11-25

“One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, ‘Why do you strike your companion?’ He answered, ‘Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?’ Then Moses was afraid, and thought, ‘Surely the thing is known.’ When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock. When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, ‘How is it that you have come home so soon today?’ They said, ‘An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.’ He said to his daughters, ‘Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.’ And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, ‘I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.’ During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.” (Exodus 2:11–25, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

As you can see, this little section of the book of Exodus covers a lot of ground as it pertains to the passing of time. In the previous passage we learned about the birth of Moses, and by the end of this passage we learn of the birth of Moses’ son. About 36 years pass between the end of verse 10 and the beginning of verse 11, where we read, “One day, when Moses had grown up…”. The text does not tell us anything about the life of Moses from the time he was weaned (probably at about the age of 4) and the events that are described to us here starting in verse 11.In Acts 7:23 Steven says that Moses was 40 when these things that are described to us in 2:11ff took place. This should remind us of the way that the life of Christ is narrated in the Gospels. With the exception of Luke, the Gospel writers jump from the birth of Christ to his ministry which began when he was about 30. Luke tells us one story about Jesus as a child. 

So then, it is left to our imagination to think of what life would have been like for Moses from the day he was taken into Pharaoh’s house up to the age of 40. The Hebrews to whom Moses originally wrote would have had a clear understanding of this in their minds. They were once slaves in Egypt, so they must have had some understanding of the lavish and luxurious lives that those in Pharaoh’s house enjoyed. Moses was a prince of Egypt, remember? He lived a life of great luxury, privilege, and comfort, therefore. We should not forget about this fact as we consider this story, for here we learn that Moses forsook this life of power, privilege, and prestige when he decided to identify with his God and with God’s people.  

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Moses Had Decided To Identify With God’s People

And that is the first thing that I would like for you to see. Moses, when he was forty years of age, decided to identify with God’s people, forsaking a life of privilege that he had for so long enjoyed. 

In verse 11 we read, “One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people” (Exodus 2:11, ESV). 

Notice the repetition of the phrase, “his people”. He went out to “his people”, the text says. And again, “he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people”. Clearly the text wants for us to see that Moses had decided to identify with God’s people. He considered the oppressed Hebrews to be his people, and not the powerful and prosperous Egyptians, not even the family of Pharaoh.  

This is astonishing if you think about it. Who in their right mind would choose to identify with a group of people who were in a situation like the Hebrews were in, especially when this would require them to forfeit the kind of glory, honor, and power that Moses possessed as a member of Pharaoh’s house? 

We know why Moses did it. Hebrews 11 tells us that it was the faith of Moses that drove him to make this radical decision. Here it again: “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.” Well, what was his faith in? The second portion of the text clarifies, saying,  “He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:24–26, ESV).

Can we pause for just a moment to think about that statement?

Moses broke with the house of Pharaoh and chose to identify with the people of God, knowing that he would be mistreated along with them because he “considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt…” His faith was in Christ. He identified with the Hebrews because he knew that the promises concerning a coming Messiah were entrusted to them. He knew that his people — the Hebrew people — were God’s people. They were set apart from the nations as holy and, according to the promises made to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Christ would one day come into the world through them.

So then, we must see that Moses’ break from Pharaoh’s house, and his identification with God’s people, was rational and deliberate. He did not act compulsively, nor was he driven by mere emotion or sentiment. No, he knew what God had promised to Abraham regarding his descendants, and he understood that God would bring the Messiah into the world through them. He understood these promises and he believed them. His hope was set on Christ. He “was looking forward to the reward” that Christ would bring. He counted the cost. As the Hebrews text says, he “considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt.” Faith was what drove him to make this dramatic and daring move. He had faith in God, in the promises of God, and in the promised Messiah.

The implications of this Hebrews text are pretty huge. Not only does Hebrews 11:24-26 sheds light on the question, what drove Moses to do what he did? It also sheds light on the question, what was known by the Hebrews who lived in Moses’ day concerning the promises of God and the good news that salvation would come through the Messiah? They knew a lot, evidently. The promises given to Abraham, and entrusted to Isaac, and Jacob were preserved amongst the Hebrews during those 400 years in Egypt. Many of the Hebrews were ignorant concerning these promises, I’m sure. Many did not believe. But the promises were preserved. And it appears that Moses, his family, along with others, believed them.   

But the main point is this: Moses chose suffering over glory being driven by faith in God, in the promises of God, and in God’s Messiah. 

Already we can see that Moses was a type of Christ. Not only did he have faith in the promised Messiah, but his life would serve as a picture and foreshadowing of the Christ who was yet to come. Moses would be used by God to rescue his people from bondage, and so would the Christ, but in a much greater way. And Moses would accomplish this redemption by setting aside glory, honor, and power, and so would the Christ, but in a much greater way. Moses set aside the wealth and treasures of Egypt, but Christ, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:6–11, ESV).

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Moses Had Developed The Heart Of A Deliverer

As we continue on in our passage, not only do we see that Moses had decided to identify with God’s people, by this time he had also developed the heart of a deliverer. 

Verse 11: “One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. [Verse 12] He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.” (Exodus 2:11–12, ESV)

Here we see that Moses had developed a great concern for the Hebrews and wished to alleviate their suffering. When did he develop this concern? Was it with him from a young age, or was it a late development? The text does not say. But he surely had it by the age of 40! Also, we see clearly that Moses was concerned with matters of justice. He witnessed the mistreatment of his people, and it troubled him greatly, leading him to take action. 

This same concern for the oppressed, and Moses’ willingness to stand up to oppressors, shows up again later in this passage when Moses comes to the defense of the daughters of Reuel in the land of Midian. When these seven daughters of Reuel “came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock… shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock” (Exodus 2:16–17, ESV).

Quite clearly, one of the reasons these stories are told is to show us something about the character of the man Moses. He was concerned for the oppressed. He was bothered by injustice. He was strong, bold, and courageous. 

These are very good qualities. They are a reflection of the character of God. In fact, Psalm 103 connects these characteristics of God with the man Moses, saying, “The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel” (Psalm 103:6–7, ESV). And these qualities would also be found in the Christ, but purely so. 

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But God Was Not Done Developing Moses

Moses had, by this time in his life, developed the heart of a deliverer. But evidently, God was not done developing Moses to be the deliver that he would call him to be. This is the third thing that I would like for you to see in our text for today. God was not done developing Moses. 

In Acts 7:25, Steven clearly says that Moses’ intention was to deliver the Hebrews when he struck down the abusive Egyptian. And I quote, “He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand” (Acts 7:25, ESV). Perhaps Moses thought he could lead an uprising. He struck down the abusive Egyptian, but no uprising occurred.  

In verse 13 of Exodus 2 we read, “When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, ‘Why do you strike your companion?” He answered, ‘Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?’ Then Moses was afraid, and thought, ‘Surely the thing is known’” (Exodus 2:13–14, ESV).

Moses assumed that the Hebrews would rally around him, seeing that he was willing to stand up for them, but they were not interested in following him. 

“Who made you a prince and a judge over us?” That was a good question. In truth, no one had. Not God, nor anyone else. Moses had, at this moment, taken it upon himself to be the prince of the Hebrews. The Hebrews were not willing to follow him.  

And they did not want him as a judge either. Perhaps this had to do with his killing of the Egyptian. Though I do not doubt that Moses acted out of a true desire to protect the oppressed, his response was not proportionate or just. He killed a man for wounding another. This sounds more like the ethic of that wicked ruler, Lamech, who boasted to his wives in Genesis, saying “I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me” (Genesis 4:23–24, ESV), than the righteous leader of Israel through whom God would give his law. 

Listen again to the question of the guilty Hebrew: “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” In other words, do you intend to apply the same standard of justice to me as you did to the Egyptian slave master? Will you put me to death for striking another? This standard of justice is very different from the one given to Noah, and thus to all nations, which is blood for blood, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. 

The picture that is painted here in this passage is that Moses did at this time possess the qualities of a great deliverer of God’s people. He had strong faith in God and in the promises of God. He loved God and God’s people. He was deeply troubled by their mistreatment. He was willing to sacrifice comfort, safety, and great wealth for the good of others. He was bold and courageous. These were wonderful qualities, and they would be needed in the future. But the time was not yet. The Hebrews were not ready, and neither was Moses. 

If we were to critique Moses at this stage of his life, we might say that he was a bit arrogant, self-reliant, and reckless. Arrogant to appoint himself as the deliverer of the Hebrew people, self-reliant to do this apart from the call of God, and reckless in his approach. When he killed that Egyptian he did not act justly, and in so doing he probably brought great trouble to the Hebrew slaves. An Egyptian taskmaster was missing, and the authorities were sure to put the blame on the Hebrews. Moses realized this, and this is why he fled, saying, “surely the thing is known”. 

Sure enough, in verse 15 we read, “When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well” (Exodus 2:15, ESV). 

It is not surprising that Pharaoh sought to kill Moses. He was a traitor. 

Moses fled to Midian. Why? Midian not far from the northeast portion of Egypt, it was rural and sparsely populated, and the Midianites were close relatives of the Hebrews — they too descended from Abraham through his wife Katura. After Moses ditched his Egyptian garb, he would have been able to blend in amongst that people. 

And so Moses fled to Median, and the text says, “he sat down by a well.” Why this detail? Perhaps you remember that wells were very important in the Genesis narrative. Both Isaac and Jacob found their wives at wells. They signify blessing and life, and understandably so. When we read that Moses “sat down by a well”, it signals a new beginning for this man. 

Just like Isaac and Jacob before him, Moses found a wife at this well. After he came to the defense of the seven daughters of Reuel, the women returned home. Verse 18: “When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, ‘How is it that you have come home so soon today?’ They said, ‘An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.’ He said to his daughters, ‘Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”” (Exodus 2:18–20, ESV)

Please allow me to say just a few things about these verses. 

One, Reuel is also called by another name in the book of Exodus. In 3:1, for example, he is called by the name Jethro. Reuel was probably his clan name, and Jethro, his common name. You and I have first and last names too, so this should not surprise us. 

Two, notice that Moses is presented by the daughters as a deliverer. In verse 17 it was said that Moses “drove away” the oppressive shepherds, “stood up and saved” the women, and afterward watered their flocks for them. Here verse 19 the daughters of Reuel say, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock” (Exodus 2:19, ESV). Aagin, we are to see Moses as a developing deliverer. He must have been very strong and courageous to drive those shepherds away on his own, and then afterward to do the work that the seven daughters came to do, and all in less time than was typical for them. 

Three, Reuel is called the priest of Midian. I do wonder what kind of priest he was. How much did he know about the God of Abraham and the promises given to him? And if he knew something about those promises, how much did he believe? In other words, how pure or corrupt was the religion of Reuel? 

The text does not explicitly say. But we know this for sure: he was hospitable to Moses, he would give his daughter to him in marriage, he would support and encourage him in his work of deliverance before and after the Exodus, and he would even rejoice in the good that God did for Israel, offering sacrifices up to the Lord. You may see Exodus 18 to learn more about that. The evidence seems to point us in this direction: Reuel was likely a priest who promoted worship that was somewhat true, yet impure. Perhaps we are to think that Reuel was refined through his relationship with Moses over many years.   

Reuel was hospitable to Moses, and not just for a day. Moses would dwell with the man for 40 years. Verse 21 says, “And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, ‘I have been a sojourner in a foreign land’” (Exodus 2:21–22, ESV). 

What a fitting name for Moses’ oldest son. Gershom sounds like the Hebrew word for sojourner. Moses was a sojourner three times over. He was a Hebrew brought up in Egypt; he was a Hebrew raised in Pharaoh’s house; he was a Hebrew of the house Pharoah exiled now to Midian. And Gershom would be a sojourner too, eventually coming to wander in the wilderness with the people of Israel.   

The phrase, “Moses was content to dwell with the man” is worth noting. It reveals a lot about Moses’ heart.  Not many days before, he was dwelling in a palace, living in luxury. But he was content to dwell with Jethro in Midian, which would have been a very humble existence in comparison to his life in Egypt. Moses was not a worldly man, he was a man of faith. 

So then, Moses was 40 when he left Egypt and came into Reuel’s house. Exodus 7:7 tells us that he was 80 years old when he spoke to Pharaoh saying, “let my people go.” I told you this passage covers some ground. 40 years passed between Moses’ birth and his exile from Egypt, and another 40 years would pass before Moses would return to Egypt as the redeemer of God’s people. 

What were those 40 years in Midian for?  Why didn’t God accomplish his work of redemption when Moses was 40? Why did he wait until Moses was 80? 

The ways of the Lord are often a mystery to us, and so I will not attempt a thorough and definitive answer to the question, why? But two things seem obvious: One, Moses was refined by God during those 40 years. He was further prepared to be the redeemer that God had called him to be. And two, God would be glorified in a greater way as worked his redemption, not by the hand of a strong and courageous warrior, but a man of meekness and weakness.

Concerning the refinement of Moses, we should carefully compare the 40-year-old Moses with the 80-year-old Moses. When he was 40 he was eager to be a deliverer. Yes, he was bold, strong, and courageous, but also a bit arrogant, impulsive, and reckless. Contrast this with who he was when God spoke to him in the burning bush and finaly called him to deliver Israel. He didn’t want to go! He argued with God and tried to convince God to send someone else. He did not see himself as qualified. And in Numbers 12:3 we find this remark concerning the character of Moses in his later years: “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3, ESV). 

Meekness is not typically the character trait that we would associate with a great leader like Moses. The man was used by God to lead hundreds of thousands of Hebrews out from under the oppression of a great and powerful nation. In fact, most would imagine someone like the 40-year-old Moses, but certainly not the 80 year old  Moses. Moses, by that time, was very, very meek. He was humble.

I would propose to you that Moses was exiled to Midian so that God might humble him there. 

I can see how 40 years in the wilderness could do that to a man. What did Moses, the prince of Egypt, do for 40 years? He tended to the flocks of his father-in-law, Jethro. That’s humbling. Marriage can also humble a man. So too can parenthood. Age should also bring humility. I say “can” and “should” because these things do not always produce humility in men (or women). Sometimes men grow even more prideful and hardhearted in marriage, as parents, and with the passing of time. But the faithful will grow more humble, meek, and mild as God refines them through these experiences. This seems to have been the case with Moses. 

God was not done developing Moses at the age of 40. He had more work to do in his soul. During those 40 years of exile, his body grew weaker, but his faith grew stronger. And this was the thing that he needed if he was to do the work that God has set him apart to do: strong faith. Paradoxically, to be strong in faith, one must be weak as it pertains to pride. Those who are prideful trust in themselves, whereas those who are humble are free to trust in the Lord.

This theme can be found through the scriptures, for this is how God works in the world. He chooses “what is foolish in the world to shame the wise… what is weak in the world to shame the strong… what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God…  as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:27–31, ESV). 

I think you can see where this is going. When God did finally provide redemption for the Hebrews, he would do it through Moses, but no one would say that it was Moses who redeemed Israel. Clearly, it was the LORD’s work, and it was the LORD who would get the glory. 

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Conclusion

Verses 23 through 25 are transitional. They set the stage for what is to come. There we read, “During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.” (Exodus 2:23–25, ESV)

Consider a few things:

One, the people of Israel went on suffering under Egyptian bondage for 80 years after the birth of Moses. Ponder that for a moment. Yes, God does permit his people to suffer, and he works in the midst of suffering. 

Two, the king of Egypt who had sought Moses’ life when he was 40, died. It is good to remember that these powerful rulers of the past, present, or future are mere mortals. Their lives will come to an end, but God remains. His plans and purposes will never fail. 

Three, “the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help.” Their suffering was great, but here we learn that they cried out to God for help. God works through the prayers of his people, brothers and sisters. Yes, God is sovereign over all. And yes, God has foreordained all that will come to pass. Nevertheless, God has determined to work in and through the prayers of his people. We must pray, brothers and sisters, for God commands it. 

Four, God heard the prayers of his people. He always does. “Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning…” 

Five, God remembered his covenant. This is so important to see.  What God will do in the Exodus event is in fulfillment of the promises previously made. He remembered the promises of the covenant that he had transacted with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob regarding their offspring and the land. When the text says “God remembered” it does not mean he forgot. God does not forget, friends, for he is not a man. No, “God remembered” means that he was ready to act and to keep the promises that he had previously made. 

Six, the words “and God knew” tell us that God was not unaware of the suffering of his people. “He knew.” Indeed, he knows all things, past, present, and future with perfect clarity. When the text says, “he knew” it means that he was aware, cared, was near, and engaged. This should be a great comfort to the people of God as they suffer in this world. God knows. In other words, our suffering is not the result of God being absent, indifferent, aloof, or impotent. He knows. He is aware, near, and engaged. And though the purpose for our suffering is often a mystery to us, it is a comfort to know that we are in the hands of our God who loves, is infinitely powerful, and wise. 

Verses 23-25 clearly signal that something is about to happen. God is about to act to bring about the deliverance of his people in fulfillment to the promises made to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, for he is faithful. 

*****

Suggestions For Application

Will you please allow me to conclude now with a few brief suggestions for application?

One, I ask, will you identify yourself with God and his people if it means the loss of comfort, fame, and prosperity? 

I think Moses was a wonderful example of one who was willing to do that. It was his faith that drove him in this direction, mind you. To quote Hebrews 11 again, “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” (Hebrews 11:24–26, ESV). 

I’ve put emphasis upon the words “refused”, “choosing”, “considered”, and “looking”, in order to show that Moses was deliberate about this. He knew what he was doing. He truly believed that he was choosing the better thing when he walked away from the Egyptians and stood with the Hebrews. He was rejecting the world and the things of this world and choosing Christ instead. Have you? Will you? 

You cannot have this fallen and sinful word and Christ. You must choose. And I pray that you would choose God in Christ. 

Paul the apostle did. As he reminisced about the high status he enjoyed in the world before following Christ, he said, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:7–11, ESV).

Paul and Moses shared the same faith. They had the faith of Abraham, which is faith in the Messiah. Do you? Have you decided to follow Christ and forsake this sinful world? Have you chosen to identify yourself with God and his people, lowly as they may be? I pray you will. Young and old alike, I pray you will. 

Two, do you, like Moses, have a zeal to see God’s plans and purposes advance in this world? Moses’ zeal to see God’s redemptive purposes furthered, and also his willingness to stand up for the oppressed, is commendable and worthy of imitation. 

There was only one Moses, just as there was only one Christ. His particular calling was very different from ours. But we do share the same faith in the same Messiah. We have the same hope: life everlasting in the new heavens and earth through faith in the Messiah. And we are aiming at the same thing, namely, the glory of our Covenant keeping God. We simply have different roles to play.  

If we are to advance God’s redemptive purposes, we must devote ourselves to the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, to the building up of the church of Christ, and to the maintenance of the worship of his most holy name. In other words, we are to devote ourselves to the furtherance of Christ’s kingdom. And as it pertains to Moses’ concern for the oppressed, we too should share his concern and seek to promote true justice within the communities where we live. 

Thirdly, and lastly, I will ask you, do you have the humility that Moses had in his later years? Are you meek? The scriptures say that we must pursue meekness. Listen to the words of Paul: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:12–13, ESV).

I’ve heard people say things like, well, it’s not who I am. In other words, I’m not a meek person — I am bold and aggressive. And granted, there are different personality types within Christ’s church. But it is possible for someone who is bold, and maybe a little loud, to also be truly meek and humble. It may not be who you are now, but it is what God calls us to be. We are to “put on… compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…”

As I said earlier, I think Moses spent 40 years in Midian so that the Lord might develop this humility within him. I’m sure there were other reasons too! Lots of good things happened during that time, I’m sure! But the narrative of Exodus seems to highlight the development of this trait within Moses. 

Have you ever considered, dear brothers and sisters, that the Lord may be doing something similar with you? Why is it that you are sojourning in this desert place, or enduring this prolonged trial? I can’t tell you for sure, but I do know this: the Lord is seeking to refine you through it.  Be patient, brothers and sisters. And be believing. Walk by faith knowing that the Lord is in control, he is at work within you, and he will surely bring that work to its completion.