# Exodus 03 📖: Moses and the Burning Bush [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Exodus Overview]] | [[Exodus 02]] | [[Exodus 04]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) [[#Verse 01.]] Now Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. [[#Verse 02.]] The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. He looked, and the bush was ablaze with fire, but it was not being consumed!  [[#Verse 03.]] So Moses thought, “I will turn aside to see this amazing sight. Why does the bush not burn up?” [[#Verse 04.]] When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him from within the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”  [[#Verse 05.]] God said, “Do not approach any closer! Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”  [[#Verse 06.]] He added, “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, because he was afraid to look at God. [[#Verse 07.]] The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. [[#Verse 08.]] I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a land that is both good and spacious, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the region of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.  [[#Verse 09.]] And now indeed the cry of the Israelites has come to me, and I have also seen how severely the Egyptians oppress them.  [[#Verse 10.]] So now go, and I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” [[#Verse 11.]] Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, or that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”  [[#Verse 12.]] He replied, “Surely I will be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you bring the people out of Egypt, you and they will serve God at this mountain.” [[#Verse 13.]] Moses said to God, “If I go to the Israelites and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’—what should I say to them?” [[#Verse 14.]] God said to Moses, “I AM that I AM.” And he said, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”  [[#Verse 15.]] God also said to Moses, “You must say this 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.’ [[#Verse 16.]] “Go and bring together the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, appeared to me—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—saying, “I have attended carefully to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt, [[#Verse 17.]] and I have promised that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ [[#Verse 18.]] “The elders will listen to you, and then you and the elders of Israel must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ [[#Verse 19.]] But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, not even under force.  [[#Verse 20.]] So I will extend my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will do among them, and after that he will release you. [[#Verse 21.]] “I will grant this people favor with the Egyptians, so that when you depart you will not leave empty-handed.  [[#Verse 22.]] Every woman will ask her neighbor and the one who happens to be staying in her house for items of silver and gold and for clothing. You will put these articles on your sons and daughters—thus you will plunder Egypt!” ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. - God calls Moses and reveals His covenant name. According to some commentaries I read, this does not mean God had never used this name before. It means He is revealing it afresh to them again. It is likely new to Moses, but not new to the Hebrews. Otherwise, why would it matter when they heard it? ###### Verse 01. - Moses became a shepherd during his exile. There is no telling how long this had been happening, but most scholars assume it was quick. ###### Verse 02. - "The Angel of the Lord"- There are various mentions of angels throughout the OT. The word "angel" means messenger. Therefore, it is usually a spiritual being delivering God's decrees. However, some uses of "The Angel of the Lord" appear to depict something more. This is possibly the case here. ###### Verse 03. - It was not considered special that the bush was burning. There is a type of shrub in the Middle East that can combust into flames. The issue was that it did not burn out. ###### Verse 04. - Saying something twice in the OT was intended to get someone to pay attention. Perhaps Moses wants us to notice that God said his name. ###### Verse 05. - One of the most basic definitions of the word "holy" is being set apart as different. God is saying that this place is different and sacred. ###### Verse 06. - God is distinguishing Himself and reminding Moses that He is the God who has long been walking with the people of God. ###### Verse 07. - God sees everything we go through. Even if it takes time, He will act. ###### Verse 08. - "Milk and honey"- This is to symbolize that it is a sustainable land. A land where herds and crops can be raised. ###### Verse 09. - God hears our prayers. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. - Moses was probably the most qualified person in the world to do this, even if he did not think so. He was raised in the courts of the pharaoh so he knew how to conduct himself in the royal courts. He was also a Hebrew, so he understood their situation. ###### Verse 12. - The only reasoning God gives is that Moses will not go alone. God will "surely be with him." That is all Moses needs. Moses tries to change God's mind many times. This has less to do with his doubt in God and seems to be completely about his doubt in himself. ###### Verse 13. - The culture was polytheistic. He wanted to be able to tell them "which God" had come. ###### Verse 14. - YHWH- tetragrammaton. The best way we can say it is "Yahweh." The ancients respected the name so much, they didn't use it. They would say "Adonai" or "HaShem." HaShem means, "The Name." - They were so careful not to say the name that some scholars believe they are not completely sure we are saying it right. They did not pass down the pronunciation. - "I AM that I AM" means He is the ever-present one. The sustainer of all things. He simply is. ###### Verse 15. ###### Verse 16. ###### Verse 17. ###### Verse 18. ###### Verse 19. ###### Verse 20. ###### Verse 21. ###### Verse 22. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. Horeb (3:1) is another name for Mount Sinai, the mountain where God would later give the law. 2. The Hebrew word for "bush" (*seneh*) sounds like "Sinai." 3. Removing sandals (3:5) was a sign of reverence. Joshua receives the same command before Jericho (Joshua 5:15). 4. God calls Himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (3:6). Jesus later quotes this verse to teach the resurrection (Mark 12:26-27). 5. "I AM WHO I AM" (3:14) is *ehyeh asher ehyeh* in Hebrew, built on the verb "to be." 6. The divine name YHWH, usually printed "LORD" in small capitals in English Bibles, appears more than 6,800 times in the Old Testament. 7. The phrase "a land flowing with milk and honey" first appears here (3:8) and is repeated many times in the Law and the Prophets. 8. Six peoples of Canaan are listed in 3:8: Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 9. Moses was told to ask for a three-day journey into the wilderness to sacrifice (3:18). 10. God promised Israel would not leave empty-handed but would plunder Egypt (3:21-22), fulfilling His word to Abraham in Genesis 15:14. ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the great I AM. The God who spoke from the burning bush (3:14) is the One Jesus identified Himself with when He said, "Before Abraham came into existence, I am" (John 8:58). ## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. God met Moses in the ordinary work of shepherding (3:1-2). Where might God be trying to get your attention in your everyday routine? 2. God says He has seen, heard, and knows His people's suffering (3:7). How does that change the way you pray about your pain? 3. Moses asked, "Who am I?" and God answered, "I will be with you" (3:11-12). Why is God's presence a better answer than Moses' qualifications? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 5: Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. - 📖 verse 7: The Lord has seen the misery of His people and heard their cry. - 📖 verse 14: God reveals His name to Moses: "I AM WHO I AM." ## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference - 🔗 [[John 08#Verse 58.|John 8:58]] - Before Abraham came into existence, I am. - 🔗 [[Acts 07#Verse 30.|Acts 7:30-34]] - Stephen retells the burning bush. - 🔗 [[Mark 12#Verse 26.|Mark 12:26-27]] - Jesus uses this passage to teach the resurrection. - 🔗 [[Revelation 01#Verse 08.|Revelation 1:8]] - The One who is, who was, and who is still to come. - 🔗 [[Joshua 05#Verse 15.|Joshua 5:15]] - Joshua is told to remove his sandals on holy ground. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection 📝 SOAP: [[Exodus 03- SOAP|God is With Us Even Before the Danger Comes]] ## 📂 Internal Notes [[SeriesOverview- Yahweh (Exodus 3) I AM]] [[Series_IAM- 1- God is Holy]]