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January 14 | Exodus 2:23-4:17 | ISG
Embracing your Calling to Start The Year Right

Exodus 2:23 - 4:17 (ESV)

23 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. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.3:1 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. 2 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. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 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.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 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. 7 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, 8 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. 9 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. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 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.”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?” 14 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.’” 15 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. 16 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, 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.”’ 18 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.’ 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 the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22 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.”4:1 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.’” 2 The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” 3 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. 4 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— 5 “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.” 6 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. 7 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. 8 “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 9 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.”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.” 11 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? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” 13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” 14 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. 15 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. 16 He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. 17 And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”

Text in Context
Set against the background of Pharaoh’s desire to kill all newborn Hebrew boys, Exodus 2 introduces Moses by focusing on three episodes from his early life. In the first of these, we learn of his birth and amazing rescue from death. In the next, we encounter Moses as an adult, deeply concerned for the well-being of his fellow Israelites. In the third episode, we see Moses as a fugitive, living in the land of Midian. These episodes provide important background information prior to God commissioning Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
God’s conversation with Moses continues in Exodus 4. By this stage, the Lord has already set out his plans for the Israelites’ future settlement in the land of Canaan and issued instructions to Moses. Attention now switches to Moses and his reluctance to accept God’s commission. God addresses two reasons put forward by Moses for not returning to Egypt. The first of these concerns the issue of persuading the Israelites that God has sent Moses to them. In response, God provides Moses with three supernatural signs, which Moses is to perform before the Israelites. Moses’s second objection concerns his inability to speak fluently. God reassures Moses that he will equip him with the ability to speak, but Moses remains stubbornly reluctant to obey. By this stage, God’s irritation at Moses’s objections becomes evident. As a final concession, God promises Moses the assistance of his brother, Aaron. By the end of Exodus 4 we see that everything promised by God enables Moses to persuade the Israelite elders that God has sent him. Seeing the signs, they believe and worship.

Historical and Cultural Background
A lengthy and significant dialogue takes place in Exodus 3:4–4:17, setting the agenda for subsequent chapters. In the first half of the conversation, God informs Moses of his plans to settle the Israelites in the land of Canaan in fulfillment of his promises to the patriarchs. The events in Exodus 3 take place at “Mount Sinai,” although this designation is not introduced until 19:11. At this stage, the location is merely described as the “mountain of God” and linked to the name Horeb (3:1). From the context, it seems likely that Horeb is a region within the southern part of the Sinai Peninsula. Whereas “Horeb” denotes a wider area, “Mount Sinai” designates a specific mountain. The precise location of Mount Sinai is debated, but one strong possibility is Jebel Musa. According to Deuteronomy 1:2, “It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.

Theological Insights
As God chooses Moses to confront Pharaoh on his behalf and makes his plan known to him, we get a vivid insight into God’s nature. Apart from a sense of his holiness, we witness something of his compassion for those who are suffering, his faithfulness to earlier promises, his patience with a reluctant Moses, and his concern for the future well-being of the Israelites.
In spite of all that God says, Moses remains fearful that the Israelites will not believe him. In response the Lord gives him three signs designed to convince the people that God has sent him. Signs like these are rarely used by God to persuade people directly. In this instance, they are meant to authenticate Moses and his message. Similar and additional signs will be performed before Pharaoh, but he will stubbornly refuse to recognize that Moses has been commissioned by God and thus speaks with God’s authority when he requests the release of the Israelites. Scripture teaches that not everyone who claims to speak for God does so. Signs are, therefore, used on limited occasions to confirm that an individual has been chosen by God for special service (cf. 1 Kings 17:22–24; John 2:11, 23).

References:
Excerpt From
Exodus (TTCS) T. Desmond Alexander

Financial Report for the month of November.

Giving: $ 8,980.00
Expenses: $ 8,187.50
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Surplus: $ 792.50

Discussion Questions
1. Read 2:23-25, based on this passage, describe God. Do your descriptions reflect the reality in your life?
2. Based on 3:1-7, what is the main attribute of this God and how should we treat him? Do I treat him as such when I approach God in prayer and worship?
3. Read 3:7-10 and find the connection with Genesis 15:12-20. Do you have the impression that God may have forgotten his people and now he remembered?
4. Follow the conversation from 3:11-4:10, list all of Moses’ questions. Why do you think Moses was reluctant to obey? Do you recall an earlier story that made him decide to say no to God? (hint: 2:11-21)
5. Can you think of events and circumstances in your life that made or is making you reluctant to fully obey God?


Prayer
Heavenly Father forgive us for not surrendering our wills to you, for hesitating to follow you fully, for thinking of our inadequacy more than your sufficiency. Help us to take courage, move us with your Holy Spirit, help us understand that it's not our wit and our skills that will do the job but your Spirit within us. We are your mouthpiece and our participation is simply to be present wherever you lead us, to open our mouths whenever you want, and to bring our feet to wherever you will bring us. Amen.