EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

Exodus 3:1-22

Exodus: Israel becomes a nation

The *Israelites leave Egypt

Exodus Chapter s 1 to 18

Hilda Bright and Kitty Pride

Chapter 3 God calls Moses 3:1 – 4:17

The bush that burned – verses 1-6

v1 Now Moses was looking after Jethro’s sheep. Jethro was the father of Moses’ wife. And he was the priest in the country called Midian. Moses led the sheep to the western side of the *desert. And he came to God’s mountain called Horeb. v2 There the *LORD’s *angel appeared to him as a fire in a bush. Moses saw the fire, but the bush did not burn to ashes. v3 So Moses was surprised about it. ‘I will go over there and see this strange sight’, he thought. ‘Why does this bush not burn to ashes?’

v4 The *LORD saw that Moses had gone to look at the bush. So God called to him from in the bush. ‘Moses! Moses!’ God said to him. ‘Here I am’, Moses replied.

v5 ‘Do not come any closer’, God said. ‘Take off your shoes. The place where you are standing is holy ground.’ v6 Then God said. ‘I am your father’s God. I am the God that your relatives, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, *worshipped a long time ago.’ When Moses heard this, he hid his face. He was afraid to look at God.

Verse 1 Moses was looking after the sheep that belonged to his wife’s father. He lived in the *desert for all these years. During this time, God was preparing him for his new task. It was not an easy way to live. But he learned where all the paths were. And he discovered where to find grass for the animals. The mountain called Horeb was part of the mountains in the region called Sinai. It may be another name for the main mountain called *Mount Sinai. It became ‘God’s mountain’ because God spoke to Moses there.

Verse 2 *‘Angel’ means ‘someone who takes messages’. ‘The *LORD’s *angel’ means that God was there. A long time ago, Abraham had received three visitors who were called *angels. One of those *angels was ‘the *LORD’ (Genesis 18:1-10 and 18:33).

Verses 2-3 Fire is very powerful and it makes things pure. So ‘fire’ was a suitable *sign for God. It showed that God was present. God had come to talk to Moses. Later, a ‘cloud of fire’ guided the *Israelites at night (Exodus 13:21). And ‘fire’ warned the *Israelites not to go up *Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:18).

Verse 4 God called Moses twice because he wanted to say something important to Moses.

Verse 5 The ground was holy because God was present. So Moses had to remove his shoes. That showed that he respected God. But it does not explain the reason. Perhaps it was because slaves did not wear shoes. Another idea is that soil would make the shoes dirty. Everything must be pure and clean when God is there. In many places today, people remove their shoes when they enter churches. They do that because they respect God. He is completely pure and holy.

Verse 6 God spoke about himself to Moses. God described himself as ‘your father’s God’. Some people translate that as ‘the God of your fathers’. Moses belonged to a family that gave honour to God. His dead relatives from a long time ago were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So they were Moses’ fathers too. God was telling Moses who he was. He was different from the false gods that the *Egyptians *worshipped. God had made a promise to Abraham when he left his home (Genesis 12:1-3). God also made a promise to Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 26:23-25 and 28:1-15). And God would take Moses back to the country that Jacob had left. God had promised Abraham that his people would live in that country.

In the *New Testament Jesus reminded some of the Sadducees (an important group of *Jews at the time of Jesus)) about these words. ‘I am Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God and Jacob’s God’, he said. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had been dead for a long time. But they were alive with God (Luke 20:37-38).

God’s message and God’s promise – verses 7-12

v7 The *LORD continued to speak. ‘I have seen my people, who have terrible troubles in Egypt. I have heard them as they cry to me for help. Their cruel masters of the slaves are causing them to be miserable. I feel sorry for them, because I care about them. v8 So I have come down to rescue them from the *Egyptians. I will bring them away from Egypt. And I will bring them to a good country where there is plenty of space. It is a rich country with plenty of milk and plenty of honey. The people called *Canaanites live there now. The people called the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites live there too. v9 But I have heard the *Israelites as they cry for me to help them. And I have seen that the *Egyptians are being very cruel to my people. v10 So now, go and speak to *Pharaoh. The *Israelites are my people and I am sending you to them. You will bring my people away from Egypt, which is *Pharaoh’s country.’

v11 But Moses argued with God. ‘I am not important, so I cannot speak to *Pharaoh!’ Moses said. ‘I am not clever enough to lead the *Israelites away from Egypt!’

v12 So God told him, ‘I will be with you. When you have brought my people away from Egypt, all of you will *worship me on this mountain. That will prove to you that I, myself, have sent you.’

Verse 7 repeats the words from Exodus 2:24-25. God heard the *Israelites’ when they cried for him to help them. He saw what was happening to them. He cared about their miserable lives. So God decided to rescue them.

Verses 8-10 God spoke to Moses. ‘It is a rich country with plenty of milk and plenty of honey’. Those words were a promise that there was plenty to eat. Milk would come from their sheep and their goats. The people would have milk to drink. And they could make butter and cheese. Honey would come from the insects called bees. In Jeremiah 32:22 and Ezekiel 20:6 we read the same words to describe the country. They describe a successful life for people who wandered about with their sheep and their goats.

God could have rescued the *Israelites by means of his power alone. But he chose to work with Moses. ‘I am sending you’, God said. That was how Jesus sent his 12 *apostles in the *New Testament also.

Sometimes *‘Canaanites’ includes all the different nations that lived in *Canaan. In Deuteronomy 7:1, the list names 7 nations that were living in that country. In Genesis 15:19 the list has the names of 10 nations. Moses’ work would be difficult. People from many different nations were living in *Canaan already. But God promised very definitely to give that country to his people.

Verses 11-12 In the past Moses thought that he could help his people (Exodus chapter 2). Now he protested to God that he could not do that task. And God did not deny Moses’ protest. But God promised that he would always be with Moses. God may ask someone to do a special task. But he promises that they will never be alone. God called both Gideon (Judges 6:14-16) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:6-8) to do special jobs for him. Both men thought that they were not able to do such work. But God made them able, then they could work for him. And God promised to Joshua that he would always be with Joshua too (Joshua 1:6; Joshua 1:9).

When Moses brought the *Israelites away from Egypt, they would all *worship God at the mountain called Horeb. (People sometimes call this mountain ‘*Mount Sinai’.) Such a promise would encourage Moses. Because of that promise, he could believe that certainly God had sent him. He knew that with God’s help, he would succeed.

God’s name – verses 13-15

v13 Then Moses asked God some questions. ‘Suppose that I go to the *Israelites. I will speak to them and I will say this. “The God, whom your relatives *worshipped a long time ago, has sent me to you.” Suppose that they ask me, “What is his name?” Then what shall I tell them?’

v14 And God answered Moses. ‘I am who I am. You must say this to the *Israelites. “The God who calls himself I AM. He has sent me to you.” ’

v15 God continued to speak to him. ‘You must tell this to the *Israelites. “The *LORD is the God whom your relatives *worshipped a long time ago. He has sent me to you. He is Abraham’s God and Isaac’s God and Jacob’s God”. My name will be I AM for always. In the future, all people must call me by this name.’

Verses 13-14 Abraham and the *Israelites called God ‘El Shaddai’. That means the All-powerful God (Genesis 17:1). The people would want to know who had sent Moses. Who is that God and what is he like? At that time, the *Hebrew language did not have the letters a,e,i,o,u. They wrote the letters YHWH for the name ‘the *LORD’. And that is similar to the *Hebrew word that means ‘I am’. So ‘the *LORD’ and ‘I AM’ are both special names for God.

But later, the *Jews thought that God’s name was too holy. People should not say such a holy name. The *Jews did not want to use God’s name wrongly (Exodus 20:7). So they said ‘Adonai’ instead. ‘Adonai’ means ‘my *Lord’. It gave honour to the person when they were speaking to someone important. Later, people put in vowels (which are the letters: a,e,i,o,u) underneath the four letters YHWH. They used the vowels from the word Adonai. So when anyone read the word aloud, he would remember to say ‘Adonai’ instead. English people, who did not understand that, pronounced YHWH as ‘Jehovah’. In English, usually people write ‘I AM’ as ‘*LORD’. That shows that it is different from ‘*Lord’, or ‘Master’. Those words are the translation from the word ‘Adonai’. When Jesus used the words ‘I AM’, the *Jews tried to kill him. He was describing himself as the *LORD (John 8:58).

Verse 15 The *Israelites may have known the name ‘Yahweh’ already. But they may not have realised what their God was like. Moses had to show them more about the God whom their relatives had *worshipped a long time ago. He is the real God, and he is alive. He will be with them always, because he chose them. They were his people. It is impossible to describe God exactly. His *eternal nature is a mystery. He acts only when he chooses to act (Exodus 33:19). Nobody can know him completely, except Jesus, the Son (Matthew 11:27). Later God showed his people how they could approach him. He showed them how they could *worship him.

God’s instructions – verses 16-22

v16 ‘Go and call *Israel’s leaders together. Then say to them, “The *LORD appeared to me. He is the God whom your relatives had *worshipped a long time ago. He is Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God, and Jacob’s God. He told me to tell you this: I have watched, and I have seen you in Egypt. I have seen the terrible things that the *Egyptians have done to you. v17 And I have promised to rescue you. I will bring you away from your terrible troubles in Egypt. I will bring you to the country where the *Canaanites live. People called the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites all live there too. It is a country that has plenty of milk and plenty of honey.”

v18 The leaders will listen to you. Then you and the leaders must go and speak to the king of Egypt. You will say this. “The *LORD, who is the *Hebrews’ God, has met us. He wants us to go on a journey. It will last about three days. So will you allow us to go into the *desert for three days? We want to burn gifts there that we give to the *LORD our God.” v19 But I know that Egypt’s king will not listen to you. He will not let you go. Only a powerful force can make him allow that. v20 So I will reach out with power and I will punish the *Egyptian people. I will perform all kinds of acts that will astonish them. Afterwards, the king will let you go.

v21 And I will make the *Egyptians show great kindness to you and to your people. So that when you leave, you will not go away with nothing. v22 Every woman should ask her *Egyptian neighbour for silver and gold things. And every woman should ask for clothes of good quality. She can ask any *Egyptian woman who lives in her house too. Put all these things on your sons and your daughters. That is how you will take away the *Egyptians’ possessions.’

Verse 16 The word for leaders means ‘those men with beards’. Sometimes they are called ‘elders’. They were men with experience. They had become wise. And usually they were the leaders of families. Later they became judges to help Moses (Exodus 18:21-22). God was aware that terrible things were happening to his people. He had watched them. Or some translations say that he had ‘visited them’.

Verse 17 Many years ago, God had promised to give the country called *Canaan to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21). Now God promised Moses that he would bring the *Israelites away from Egypt. He would bring them to *Canaan. God can provide for the future in a generous way. He told Jeremiah about his scheme for the *Jews in the country called Babylon. He intended to give to them ‘hope and a future’ (Jeremiah 29:11).

Verse 18 ‘Three days’ was not a long time. But Moses did not intend that the *Israelites would return. Probably he was testing *Pharaoh’s attitude by means of that request. And probably *Pharaoh recognised that the polite words were a demand for freedom.

Verses 19-20 God warned Moses that *Pharaoh, the king, would refuse Moses’ request. *Pharaoh would need to see a powerful act that would persuade him. God would show his power by means of many wonderful acts. They would convince *Pharaoh. Finally, he would allow Moses and his people to leave.

Verses 21-22 God had told Abraham that his family would become slaves many years later. But that they would leave Egypt ‘with many possessions’ (Genesis 15:13-14). The *Israelites had served the *Egyptians as slaves for many years. So it was fair that they should receive some reward because of all their hard work. There is a law in Deuteronomy chapter 15:12-18. When a slave gained his freedom, the owner had to send him away with generous gifts. That was the *Israelites’ experience when they left Egypt.

Later, people gave their gold and silver objects to make things for the *Tabernacle. The *Tabernacle was the special tent where they would *worship God. See Exodus 35:22. The amount of gold and silver seems very large. But people who study old places, discovered great *Egyptian wealth. Much of it was objects that people had made from silver and gold. *Egyptian artists were very skilful, and they made beautiful objects from these valuable metals.

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called Israel. Israelite is another name for the Jews. Anything that has a relationship with Israel.