Exodus 3

Moses, a shepherd in exile, meets God at a burning bush on Horeb. God reveals that He has seen His people’s suffering and sends Moses to bring them out of Egypt. Moses objects, and God answers by giving His own name, “I AM,” and His promise to be with him.

Exodus 3:1

After forty years away from Egypt, Moses is an ordinary shepherd working for his father-in-law. He leads the flock to the far side of the wilderness and arrives at Horeb, “the mountain of God.” God meets him in the middle of daily work, in an out-of-the-way place.

BSA: wilderness (“a place of spiritual testing”): The desert was where Moses was humbled and prepared before God called him.

See also: Acts 7:30.

Exodus 3:2

The angel of the LORD appears in a flame inside a bush, and the bush does not burn up. The messenger speaks as God Himself in the next verses. The fire shows God’s presence: holy, powerful, and yet not destroying what He indwells.

BSA: angel (“messenger of God”): This messenger carries God’s own presence and voice, as the following verses show.

Hebrew: סְנֶה (seneh, H5572) — “bush, thornbush.” The word is a humble, prickly desert shrub. God chose something small and plain to show His glory, and it may also echo the name Sinai.

Exodus 3:3

Moses is curious. A bush burning without burning out is something he cannot explain, so he decides to walk over and look more closely. God often draws a person by first getting his attention.

BSA: marvelous (“great, extraordinary”): Moses recognizes this as far beyond anything ordinary, which is why he turns aside.

Exodus 3:4

When God sees Moses turn aside to look, He calls him by name, twice. The repeated name is warm and personal. Moses answers, “Here I am,” showing he is listening and ready to respond.

BSA: Here I am (“behold, I am present, ready to respond”): It is the answer of a servant who is available to God, not only physically present.

See also: Genesis 22:11; 1 Samuel 3:10.

Exodus 3:5

God stops Moses at a distance. The ground is holy because God is there. Taking off sandals is an act of respect and humility. Before God gives Moses any task, He teaches him who He is and how to approach Him.

BSA: holy (“set apart, sacred”): The ground is not special in itself. It is set apart by God’s presence.

See also: Joshua 5:15.

Exodus 3:6

God identifies Himself as the God of Moses’ father and of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is not a new god but the faithful God of the old promises. Moses hides his face, knowing a sinful man cannot casually look on God.

See also: Matthew 22:32.

Exodus 3:7

God says He has seen, heard, and known. He is not distant from suffering. He calls Israel “My people” even while they are slaves. This verse shows a God who notices the cries of the oppressed and cares about them.

BSA: aware of (“have knowledge of, understand”): God does not only observe the pain from afar. He knows it fully, with understanding.

Hebrew: יָדַעְתִּי (yada’ti, H3045) — “I have known.” The Hebrew word for knowing means close, personal knowledge, not just awareness of facts. God knows their sorrows as one who shares in them.

See also: Psalm 34:15.

Exodus 3:8

God Himself has come down to rescue. His plan has two parts: out of Egypt and into a good, wide land. The long list of peoples shows the land was already inhabited, and it shows how large the promise is. “Milk and honey” means rich provision.

BSA: come down (“to intervene”): God steps personally into human history to act, not only to watch.

See also: Genesis 15:18-21.

Exodus 3:9

God repeats what He said in verse 7: the cry has reached Him, and He has seen the harsh oppression. The repeating shows His settled concern. The rescue is about to begin, and the next verse shows how.

BSA: oppressing (“treating unjustly, exerting force upon”): The slavery was not only hard work but cruel injustice, and God notices injustice.

Exodus 3:10

After saying “I have come down,” God says “I am sending you.” He rescues by working through a person. The man who once fled Pharaoh’s court is now sent back to face Pharaoh. God’s work and our part go together.

BSA: sending (“to dispatch, to commission”): Moses goes with an authority that is God’s, not his own.

Exodus 3:11

Moses answers with the question “Who am I?” After forty years as a shepherd, he feels small and unqualified. His humility is real, but it is also a way of avoiding the call. God does not argue about Moses’ worth. He points to Himself.

BSA: Who (“what person, which one”): Moses is asking about his own worth, and God will answer by speaking of His own presence.

Exodus 3:12

God does not say that Moses is able. He says, “I will surely be with you.” God’s presence is the answer to feeling inadequate. The sign is given in the future: Israel will worship at this very mountain, so Moses must trust first.

BSA: be with you (“as your Helper and Guide”): God promises to be Moses’ constant helper, so the work does not rest on Moses alone.

See also: Matthew 28:20; Joshua 1:5.

Exodus 3:13

Moses imagines the people’s question: “What is His name?” In Hebrew thought, a name tells a person’s character and nature. The people want to know who this God is and whether He can really save them.

BSA: name (“character, reputation, divine identity”): Asking for God’s name is asking who He truly is and what He is like.

Exodus 3:14

God answers with “I AM WHO I AM.” He is the God who simply is: self-existing, unchanging, and always present. He does not depend on anything. He is also not an idea but the One who acts and keeps His promises. He sends Moses in this name.

BSA: I AM (“the Eternal, unchanging One”): God is the One whose life has no beginning or end and who does not change.

Hebrew: אֶהְיֶה (’ehyeh, H1961) — “I am, I will be.” This verb can mean both “I am” and “I will be.” It suggests God is always present and will be with His people in whatever they face.

See also: John 8:58; Revelation 1:8.

Exodus 3:15

God now gives the name in its covenant form, the LORD, which is closely tied to the “I AM” of the previous verse. This is the name by which His people will know and remember Him in every generation. It joins the God of the patriarchs to the God who acts now.

BSA: name (“identity and character”): The name stands for who God is, and it is the way His people will recall Him.

See also: Psalm 135:13.

Exodus 3:16-17

Moses is to gather the elders, the recognized leaders, and tell them God has “attended to” them. It means God has turned toward His people to help. His promise to bring them out of Egypt into the land matches what He told the patriarchs.

BSA: attended to (“visited, overseen, and cared for”): God’s visit means He comes in care and to act, not merely to look.

See also: Genesis 50:24-25.

Exodus 3:18

God tells Moses ahead of time that the elders will listen. Then they are to ask Pharaoh for a three-day journey to sacrifice to the LORD. The request is modest, to worship their God. It tests whether Pharaoh will let them serve a master other than himself.

BSA: met (“revealed Himself, encountered”): Israel’s request rests on the fact that God has personally revealed Himself to them.

Exodus 3:19-20

God also tells Moses the difficulty ahead: Pharaoh will refuse until compelled. God then promises to stretch out His hand and do wonders. Moses is not to be surprised by the struggle, because the deliverance will clearly be God’s own work.

BSA: wonders (“miraculous signs, amazing deeds”): These acts, the plagues, show who God is and that He alone can free His people.

See also: Exodus 7:3-5.

Exodus 3:21-22

God promises Israel will not leave empty-handed. The Egyptians will give gifts of silver, gold, and clothing, which also serves as long-overdue wages for years of slave labor. God provides for the people He rescues, and the favor comes from Him.

BSA: favor (“graciousness, kindness”): The Egyptians’ generosity is a gift from God, not something Israel earned or forced.

See also: Exodus 12:35-36.