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SEPTEMBER 5 • Lesson One

Gods Revelation to Moses

Bible Background • EXODUS 3
Printed Text* EXODUS 3:1-6, 13-15 | Devotional Reading • LUKE 20:34-40

- Aim for Change -

By the end of the lesson, we will: REVIEW God's call to Moses from the burning bush;
FEEL humbled and thankful that God speaks to us, and calls us; and COMMIT to
recognizing and obeying God's voice.

** In Focus **

When Jay and Reba had to go to court with their 15-year-old son, they were almost
nervous wrecks. Their son, Drey, had been arrested with some other boy at his school who
had started a fight just outside of the school building. Jay and Reba were leaders in their
church and had raised their son in the church as well. In fact, he had been in church all of
his life. They could not understand how and why he would fall in with some troublemakers
at school, who were constantly in and out of skirmishes.
Jay and Reba had gone into prayer and asked others at their church to also pray over the
situation. In addition, they asked God to soften Drey's heart so that he would learn from the
situation and draw from the Christian principles he had been taught all of his life.
God was with them in the courtroom, and because Drey did not have a record, he was
given mercy.
Just as J ay, R eb a , a nd D rey lea rn ed a noth er attrib ute of G o d, H e reve ale d to th em that H e is ind
th e m ercifu l Livin g G od an d is th e ultim a te La w ye r in a cou rtroom . M o se s lea rn ed in to day's le
th at n ot on ly is th is G o d ho ly (set a pa rt from sin), but H e is th e G o d of A b ra ham , Isaac , an d Ja
w h o w ere M ose s' a nc estors. H e rev ea led H im se lf to M os es as th e O ne w ho de live rs H is p eo ple .
™-...

- Keep in Mind -
"Moreover he said, I am the God of thy 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 upon God"
(Exodus 3:6).
Focal Verses
Exodus 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of
Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian:
and he led the flock to the backside of the
desert, and came to the mountain of God,
even to Horeb.
2 And the angel of the LORD appeared
unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of
a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the
bush burned with fire, and the bush was not
consumed.
3And Moses said, I will now turn aside,
and see this great sight, why the bush is
not burnt.
4And when the LORD saw that he turned
aside to see, God called unto him out of
the midst of the bush, and said, Moses,
Moses. And he said, Here am I.
5And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off
thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place
where on thou standest is holy ground.
6Moreover he said, I am the God of thy
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
upon God.
3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold,
when I come unto the children of Israel, and
shall say unto them, The God of your
fathers hath sent me unto you; and they
shall say to me, What is his name? what
shall I say unto them?
14 And God said unto Moses, I AM
THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shall thou
say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath
sent me unto you.
15 And God said moreover unto Moses,
Thus shall thou say unto the children of Is-
rael, the LORD God of your fathers, the God
of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God
of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my
name for ever, and this is my memorial unto
all generations.
The People, Places, and Times
Israelites. The Israelites were the
descendants of Jacob, whose name was
changed when he wrestled with God
(Genesis 32:28). They were composed of
people from the 12 sons or grandsons of
Jacob. His descendants are variously called
"the House of Jacob," "the Children of
Israel," "the people of Israel," or "the
Israelites."
Moses. He was born in a time threatened
by war. The large increase in the number of
his people concerned the Pharaoh, who was
worried that they might help Egypt's
enemies. When the Pharaoh ordered all
newborn Hebrew boys to be killed, Moses'
Hebrew mother, Jochebed, hid him, and he
ended up being adopted into the Egyptian
royal family (Exodus 2:1-9). After killing an
Egyptian slave-master, Moses fled across
the Red Sea to Midian on the slopes of
Mount Horeb where he tended the flocks of
Jethro, a priest of Midian.
Background
In the first book of his history, Genesis,
Moses preserved and transmitted the
records of God's people, focusing on
individual families. Now, as we come to this
second book featuring him, Exodus, we
learn how the people grow from one family
to that of a great nation. The beginning of
this book shows us how God formed Israel
for Himself, and both accounts were meant
to bring forth His praises. In Genesis, we
have the creation of the world in history;
here in Exodus, we read about the symbolic
redemption of the world. The Greek
translators, in calling this book "Exodus from
Egypt," were basing the phrase on their
word exodos (EX-od-os), which means
"taking the road out and exiting." Indeed, the
forming of Israel into a people was a
departure from the past, a new creation.
In today's lesson, we see the contrast be-
tween Moses' royal life as an Egyptian
prince and his ordinary life as a Midianite
shepherd, doing the lowly job of caring for
sheep. Even though as a prince he had
servants who did much for him, in his new
life, he most likely had to do everything for
himself. However, all was not lost, because
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God was training him to lead other sheep—

the sheep of God's pastures—the Israelites,
God's chosen people.

At-A-Glance
1. Moses Prepares for God
(Exodus 3:1-3)
2. Moses Responds to God's Call (w. 4-5)
3. Moses Appreciates the Awesomeness of God
(v.6)
4. Moses Receives Specific Instructions from
God (vv. 13-15)
In Depth
1. Moses Prepares for God (Exodus 3:1-3)
Many times it is not until we are away from
everyone who has held our attention, away
from our hectic, busy, overworked schedules
and lifestyles, and away from the cares of
this world that we are able to move into a
place of quietness and solitude that
facilitates us to surrender ourselves to the
Lord. In this place of quietness, we are able
to give God our undivided attention. In this
place of quietness, all other voices are
removed. This place of quietness enables a
spirit of searching and seeking God's face.
This is where we find Moses at the
beginning of this lesson. As it so happened,
Moses was deep in the wilderness, tending
his father-in-law's sheep near Mount Sinai,
the mountain of God (v. 1). God got Moses
away from the hustles and bustles of life so
that He could speak to Moses, instruct him,
and give Moses his calling. In this place
where God allowed Moses to go, away from
the busyness of each day, God begins to
purge Moses and remove the hindrances
that prevented what God ordained for him.
This is where God would give His revelation
and instructions that Moses was to follow
from that day forth.
2. Moses Responds to God's Call (w. 4-5)
As Moses turned to see why the bush was
not burning up, God moved forward with His
plan. The Lord appeared to Moses in a burn-
ing bush that was not consumed. It was a
miracle that God used as His medium of
revelation to Moses. Fire is a symbol of
God's consuming, powerful presence. God
issued the call to Moses upon his inspection
of this unusual sight. When the Lord spoke
Moses' name to Moses from the burning
bush, he responded by saying, "Here am I."
Then in verse 5, God made Moses aware
that he was in the presence of a holy God—
One who is totally and completely without
sin. In other words, where Moses stood was
holy. He needed to keep a respectful
distance and remove his sandals because
the ground was sacred, consecrated
because God's presence is holy.
3. Moses Appreciates the
Awesomeness of God (v. 6)
God took the time to speak and reveal that
He is the same God of Moses' forefathers.
Once Moses understood this revelation, he
hid his face. And through God's revelation of
the promise of Abraham, Moses understood
the mighty presence that he was not to look
upon. After God makes it clear to us who He
is and that we are in His presence, we then
realize how unworthy we are to even stand
before Him.
4. Moses Receives Specific
Instructions from God (w. 13-15)
Whenever God gives us an assignment, we
must be sure to obey His instructions and
not try to do it our way. God sent Moses with
a message for the Children of Israel: The
God of their ancestors sent Moses and this
God is called "I AM THAT I AM" (v. 14). The
phrase "I AM" is connected with a form of the
verb "to be," and it expresses God's
character and essence. God disclosed
Himself in this manner to Moses to
demonstrate His ability and power. "I AM"
was not a new God to the Children of Israel,
for He was the same God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. This name discloses that
God is able to be in any situation that He
sends His people into. The same God was
now sending Moses to them. God's name
was linked with other men of God who had a
relationship with the one true God. It was to
be a memorial, used throughout all
generations.
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Today, when God gives us instructions on Make It Happen

things to say or things to do, we must be This week, ask God to reveal His purpose
sure to obey the instructions fully. We must for you on your journey. Make this a
do this so that God's purpose and plan might consistent prayer request. Look for signs
be accomplished. There is an assurance that God may be giving you to get your
from Him that He will be with us and He is attention.
able to do anything but fail.
Follow the Spirit
Search the Scriptures What God wants me to do:
1.Whose flock was Moses tending when
he came to Mount Horeb (Exodus 3:1)?
2.In what natural way did God appear to
Moses on Mount Horeb (v. 2)?
Remember Your Thoughts
3.Why did Moses hide his face (v. 6)? Special insights I have learned:
Discuss the Meaning
1.Do you think Moses would have been
at
tentive to God if a bush wasn't burning
with
out being consumed? How might the Say It Correctly
outcome have been different if God simply Gershom. GUHR-shahm.
called Moses' name (Exodus 3:2-4)? Pharaoh. FEHR-o.
2.Why did God have to tell Moses to take Sinai. Sl-ni, also si-nee-i.
his sandals off? When we come into Zipporah. zip-o-ra.
God's
presence, are we expected to remove
anything (v. 5)? Daily Bible Readings
Lesson in Our Society M: A God of the Living
Sometimes before we will surrender to God Luke 20:34-40
or submit to His command, He has to do T: God Has Spoken
something drastic to get our attention. A Numbers 23:18-26
bush that is burning without being consumed W: Waiting for God to Speak
is only a small revelation of God's power to Psalm 62:5-12
do anything He pleases in His world. It is
T: God Speaks Through the Son
drastic enough to get any viewer or
John 3:31-36
bystander's attention. Just as God used an
undeniably supernatural revelation with F: God Knows Our Suffering
Moses, He does the same with us. And once Exodus 3:7-12
we see these signs, which we know that only S: God Will Relieve Our Misery
an Almighty God can give, God then has our Exodus 3:16-22
attention. Once God has our undivided at- S: God Speaks and Reveals
tention, He is then able to speak and thus we Exodus 3:1-6,13-15
listen. However, we don't want to just listen;
we need to respond in obedience to God's
voice.