1
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. One day he led the flock beyond the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb.
2
Then the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a thorn bush. He looked, and behold, the thorn bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.
3
Moses said, “Let me turn aside now and see this great sight, why the thorn bush is not burned up.”
4
When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the thorn bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he answered, “Here I am.”
5
Then He said, “Do not come near. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”
6
He also said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
7
The LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters; yes, I know their sufferings.
8
So 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.
9
Now therefore, behold, the cry of the Israelites has come to Me, and I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them.
10
Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
11
But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12
He said, “Surely I will be with you. This shall be the sign to you that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
13
Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites 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?”
14
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
15
God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites: ‘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 this is My memorial from generation to generation.
16
Go, gather the elders of Israel and say to them: The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, I have surely attended to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt.
17
So I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, into a land flowing with milk and honey.
18
And when they listen to your voice, you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt, and you shall say to him, The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
19
But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.
20
So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders, which I will do in its midst; after that he will let you go.
21
And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that when you go, you shall not go empty-handed.
22
But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and gold and clothing, which you shall put on your sons and on your daughters; and so you shall plunder the Egyptians.”
🔥🪵👣 Summary of Exodus 3
Exodus 3 records the dramatic encounter between God and Moses through the burning bush that was not consumed. This is Moses’ calling to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt.
1. The Burning Bush and God’s Call (verses 1–6)
- Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro in the wilderness.
- On Mount Horeb (the Mountain of God), the LORD appeared in a flame of fire from a thorn bush that was not burned up.
- Moses drew near, and God called, “Moses, Moses!”
- God told Moses to remove his sandals because the ground was holy.
- God revealed Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses hid his face because he was afraid.
2. The LORD Declares His Mission (verses 7–12)
- The LORD declared that He had seen the suffering of His people in Egypt, and had come down to deliver them.
- He called Moses to lead the people out of Egypt to the covenant land flowing with milk and honey.
3. The Holy Name of God: I AM WHO I AM (verses 13–22)
- Moses asked what he should say if the people of Israel asked who had sent him.
- God answered:
“I AM WHO I AM” (Hebrew: Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh)
This declares God’s eternal existence, dependent on nothing.
- God told Moses to say that “The LORD, the God of your fathers… has sent me to you.”
- God commanded Moses to gather the elders of Israel and speak to Pharaoh.
- The Lord already knew Pharaoh would not let them go except by a mighty hand, and He would show His wonders.
- In the end, Israel would leave Egypt with wealth.
📖 Main Teaching
- The Lord calls ordinary people to extraordinary tasks.
- Awareness of God’s holiness causes people to humble themselves.
- God cares and intervenes when His people suffer.
- The name of God, “I AM WHO I AM,” affirms that He does not change and is always present.
- The Lord is with us, even when the task seems impossible.
✨ Spiritual Meaning
- The burning bush that was not consumed portrays God’s holy presence, yet full of grace.
- Moses taking off his sandals is a symbol of surrender and complete reverence before God.
- The name “I AM WHO I AM” teaches that God is eternal, self-sufficient, and trustworthy.
- God calls not on the basis of ability, but because He will be with and equip.
- This is the beginning of the work of redemption, a picture of Christ’s work, who also came “to set free.”
