Exodus 3:5 – 8

The third chapter of the book of Exodus is probably most famous for the burning bush…when God appears to Moses and sets him on a course that would change not only his life but the lives of 2 to 3 million Hebrews. But there’s another part of this chapter that has the potential to have an impact and change your life, especially in times when life is a struggle.

5 Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from 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.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7 And the Lord said, “I have certainly seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their outcry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the [d]power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. (NASB)

God gets Moses’ attention by making a bush burn with fire but not be consumed. It was something strange, out of the ordinary, something that pulled him out of his daily routine.

Sometimes God uses non-routine events to get our attention. Often the “non-routine” comes in the form of trials, a single event that makes life difficult and has the potential to cause stress. As I think about my life, the “non-routine” can occur over a period of time, like a series of failures, disappointments, or repeated struggles. How we respond to them affects the outcome.

The first point I want to make is in verses 5 – 6. We have to realize Who we are dealing with, Who is in control, with Whom we have relationship. Yahweh identified Himself as the supreme God, Elohim. Yahweh wanted Moses to know just Who was getting ready to turn his life around. He also wanted to put their relationship in the proper context…God;s holiness was so great that He even made the ground holy. Moses needed to humble himself before a Holy God.

Note: Have you humbled yourself before a holy God? Do you show Him the respect that He is due? Or do you treat the relationship as common, i.e., “buddy buddy”?

The next point I want to make is found in verse 7 & 8. In these verses God tells Moses in reference to the enslaved and suffering Hebrews, that He’s seen their oppression, He’s heard their cry, He was aware of their suffering, and finally, He came down to take action…to rescue them. Moses would be the “primary tool”, so to speak, used in the rescue.

If you are struggling, had have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, then the Supreme God, Elohim, sees your oppression and tears, heard your cry, is aware of your suffering and stress levels, but He is there to take action to help you. Now just like with the Hebrews, the form of help may be out of the ordinary, may take time, and not what you expect, but it will be done so that:

• You can learn more about God, His character and nature
• You can learn to trust Him more
• You can learn to obey Him more
• Learn something that you can use to help others
• Accomplish His purpose for your life
• Experience His glory

You’re not forgotten.