EXODUS 3 - THE GREAT I AM

Exodus 3

Chapter 3 of Exodus is a chapter rich in the grace of God and the reality of his salvation. The very point of scripture is God’s revelation of himself to man. That revelation meets its apex in the revelation of Jesus Christ, as John states in John 1:14, “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.”Prior to Jesus, Exodus 3 represents one of God’s greatest manifestations of Himself to mankind. Moses, who was once living in a King’s palace and had believed himself to be God’s salvation to the Israelites, finds himself humbled as a lowly shepherd in the land of Midian.

Humility is a pre-requisite to being used by God.

Having been humbled, God will redeem Moses and make him suited to become one of God’s most powerful servants.  As God introduces Himself to Moses, we have a beautiful picture of salvation. We are told that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire. The Angel of the Lord is found throughout the Old Testament and is identified, like here, as being the Lord God Himself. Many believe that the appearance of the Angel of the Lord is meant to signify the second person of the Godhead, Jesus the son, prior to His manifestation on earth. And as with all of us saved and redeemed by His grace, we note that it is God who makes the first move, “the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire”.

Since man’s creation, God has been in pursuit of relationship with man.

But note God’s desire for man to exercise his free will. We are told, that it was not until Moses took notice of the Bush that God call’s him: “When the LORD saw that he [that is Moses] turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Though God is always first, he beckons us to turn to Him.

It is then that God calls Moses not only to Himself, but also to go and free His people from their affliction. Note what God says: “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,”While Moses once thought he would be the salvation of the Jews, God makes it clear that salvation belongs to Him alone. There is only one savior, that is Jesus Christ. And He came down to deliver us from our affliction, that is our slavery to sin. But like Moses, once free ourselves and in relation with God, we are called to become His messenger.

But God saved the best for last.

For Moses asks a most important question—what is your name? And God tells Him. “I am who I am”. It is one of the greatest revelations of God in the bible. God tells Moses His most identifying characteristic. It is what most set’s God apart. In His name we learn that God is self-existent. I am who I am. God is unlike His creation. What are we to do with this revelation. Worship God! As God told Moses in verse 5: “take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground”.