Exodus chapter 3 is preceded by an account whereby Moses had run away from Egypt and was staying in Midian. Moses has a strong identity with his people, the Hebrews, and this caused Moses to visit the Israelites and kill an Egyptian. Thus, we are told that Moses chooses to flee to Midian so as to run away from Pharaoh’s attempts to kill him. The escape to Midian gave him a “chance” of meeting with a Midianite priest, who was a distant relative. Moses then settled down, married, and had children. From all that we hear, we would hardly expect to see Moses back in Egypt again, and certainly not as God’s deliverer. The ruler of Egypt died, and the Israelites in Egypt began to experience heightened levels of slavery. Chapter three gives an account of the encounter of Moses with God in the appearance of a burning bush. It starts with the disclosure of God to Moses from the middle of the burning bush. It continues with God commissioning Moses to return to Egypt and Pharaoh and to set free God’s people from their bondage. It ends with the early stages of Moses’ resistance to the task which God has given him. The chapter right after this gives an account of Moses in his encounter with God. God was giving him signs to prove that He will be with him when he goes to deliver the Israelites from the slavery in Egypt. The signs are meant to confirm Moses’ calling as the chosen one of the Lord.

 

 

Form criticism

The genre of the book of Exodus 3:1-22 is a dialogue within a narrative. The author narrates how Moses got to encounter the angel in the burning bush that did not burn away. The discussion outlines the conversation between God and Moses. God gives Moses the details of His redemption plan for the Israelites.

Structure

The structure has the following sections; Moses’ daily life at Median, his encounter with the angel of the Lord, Moses’ the dialogue with God, and God’s plan to save the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians. The chapter begins with the author narrating the usual life of Moses at Median. As a family man, Moses had to work very hard to provide for his family and also take care of his father-in-law’s property flock. It is in this chapter that we transition from the stillness of God over the precedent 400 years to God’s conversation with Moses from the burning bush.

The day started well for Moses with the business of tending his father-in-laws flock. Looking for richer pasture, Moses led the flock to the backside of the wilderness, to Mt. Horeb. Little did he recognize that he was going to have a face to face encounter with God. The thought of Moses tending his flock is something like Peter going for fishing, with the opinion that the past was gone and that life had become a routine. John 21: 2 says, “Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, the sons of Zebedee, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee ”.

At far distance, something drew the attention of Moses and snapped him out of his thoughts. He saw something burning in the distance. He looked more keenly and proved it to be a bush. Ideally, being in the wilderness, this would scarcely be a cause of much excitement, but as time elapsed the Bush appeared unaffected by the flames. It burned but did not exhaust. Since there was no hurry, and the sight of the bush had aroused Moses’ curiosity, he set out to have a closer look.

In vv. 2 and 3, the angel of the Lord appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire. It is ordinary in Bible to represent the basics of nature, such as fires and earthquakes, in performing the divine will, through the messengers of God. But in such circumstances God Himself is well thought-out as present, although invisible. The natural fire may be chiefly intended by the expression of the “angel of the Lord”; but it is apparent that under this emblem, the Divine Being was there, whose name is given in vv. 3 and 4 as ‘I AM’.

The Bush comprises wild acacia or thorn which is dry and brittle that during dry seasons, a spark may kindle it and cause fire. A fire, thus, present in such a desert bush seems a “great sight.” It is normally believed to have been symbolic of the Israelites condition in Egypt, oppressed by slavery and oppression, and in spite of the harsh rules that were meant to annihilate them, they continued to thrive. The explanation means that “God was with them.” The sign may also signify the present position of the Jews and Christians in the world today.

When the Lord saw that Moses turned aside to see, He made his manifestations which were followed by clear signs that the messages were from heaven. This precise confirmation was given to Moses. He saw a fire, but did not see the person who kindled it; he heard a voice, but did not see the individual who spoke. There was all confirmation that the one who was in the burning bush knew him as He called him by name. It must be the Divine Being?

Moses received explicit instructions, “put off thy shoes”. The course was in consistency with a usage which Moses was aware of, for the Egyptian priests performed it in their temples. It is done in the Eastern countries where the individuals remove their sandals, as we do our hats. The Eastern way of doing things is not exactly similar to the Western. The Eastern people remove the hat as an expression of respect for God. With the Western inhabitants, the act of removing the shoes is taken as one is defiled and consciously unworthy to be in the presence of unspotted holiness.

In vv.6- 8, God makes Himself known to Moses by saying, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ God also revealed His intention to deliver the Israelites from the slavery in Egypt. The reverential awe of Moses must have been relieved by the divine Speaker as seen in Matthew 22:32, pronouncing Himself in His conventional character and by the astuteness communicated. In addition, the time, as well as the conditions of this extraordinary appearance, was supposed to give him a well-known exhibit of God’s faithfulness to His promises. The stage of Israel’s journey and suffering in Egypt was predicted in Genesis 15:13. It was in the final year of the period that was remaining that the Lord manifested in the burning bush.

In vv. 10 -22, the Lord reveals His intention to use Moses to deliver the Israelites. Considering the loyal views that had previously been active in the life of Moses, we might have expected that no assignment could have been more valued by him than that of delivering the Israelites from captivity. But he showed immense unwillingness to it and mentioned a variety of objections in vv. 11, 13, and in Exodus 4: 1, 10. All of the excuses were successfully met and removed by God and the happy issue of his labors became described.

Literary criticism

Chapter 3 comprises many forms of imagery that have been put into use. Moses took the flock to the back side and then went to Mt. Horeb. The backside symbolizes ‘to the west of the district’. Amongst the Hebrews, the East is in front of a man, the West at his back while the South and North are said to be on the right and left- hand sides respectively.

The Desert or wilderness is not a barren wasteland, but a district that is supplying pasturage. The region close to Sherm, on the west of the Gulf of Akabah, where Jethro resided, is described as unproductive. On the west and east are rocky tracts, but to the northwest there is the area of Sinai, where there is plenty of pasture and water. The Bedouins take their flocks there from the lowlands as the summer season draws near. From this, it may be inferred that the events here recorded took place during the dry season.

Moses came to the mountain of God which is Sinai, while heading towards Horeb, the Northern part of the Sinaitic range. Moses refers to Sinai as the “mountain of God” in eagerness, with reference to the appearance of God. There is no power to assume that the spot was in the past held sacred as seen in Exodus 5:5. However, it is lately shown that the entire Peninsula was regarded by the Egyptians as particularly sanctified to the gods from an early time.

Religious message

How Moses met with God is the miracle that is distinct. He might merely have glanced at it and passed on, but he paid attention to it till the marvel of it crazed his soul. There are miracles that announce God’s presence in the earth today. These are the creation, the Bible, Christ’s saving work and the gift of life. The initial step towards conviction is to believe them. Human beings presently take the miraculous works of God for granted and fail to believe and have faith in the supremacy of God. The Bible records that Moses turned to one side to see. It was a subject to be inquired. For us to grow as mature Christians, we have to take our time to study and meditate on the word of God. We have to acknowledge the power of God working amidst us.

God meets the earnest, sincere spirit. Moses was sincerely curious about the burning bush. He did not just ignore it but paid close attention to it. God then revealed Himself to Moses and chose to use him as a vessel of honor for his deliverance plan. To all who seek God with a genuine heart, He will show himself to them.

We also learn what fits for God’s service. When God called Moses to the great mission, Moses was hesitant as he felt not qualified. We discover from this scripture that God does not choose the qualified, but qualifies the chosen. We must grow from a simple seeking after God to the understanding that we are identified with God. Moses’ heart was thrilled by the cry, “Moses! Moses!” The cry proclaimed not only that God knew him, but that he was his God. The Lord claimed him in that cry as his servant, his son.

We also learn the sense of God’s holiness and majesty in v.5. The extent of our trust and love is calculated by the intensity of our worship. V.6 shows the vivid realization of what God has done in the past, that is, God’s revelation of himself. In the life of a Christian, the story of the past must yield strength to the present. Vv. 7-10 gives the assurance that God’s purpose of redemption is behind our efforts: that we speak and labor because he has surely risen to redeem His people.

Today, Christians have a strong desire to serve God but many hindrances come their way. In vv. 11 and 12, we see impediments found in the sense of our weakness. Moses understood the solemnity and arrogance of the Egyptian court. He remembered how Israel had rejected him when he was more than he was now. He supposed he may serve God in the humble place he held, but not there. God’s invitation for His mission is received by the cry, “Who am I that I should go?”

In vv. 13-17, it is obvious that Moses’ idea of God was faint. How then was he to take the belief to the hearts of the people? Similarly, not having a clear understanding of God hinders us from preaching God’s word. In vv. 18-22, God assured Moses that he would be successful in his mission for God was with him. God confirmed that he would win the people’s trust in God. They will not refuse to hear. The elders will go together with him into Pharaoh’s presence, and his demand will become for the people. The Lord will guide them out loaded with the plunder of Egypt. It is certain that when going on God’s task, there is no chance of failure. The uncertainties which arise as we evaluate the magnitude of the task and our might disappear when we look up to God.

God reminds Moses that they will meet opposition, but it will only heighten God’s victory. As Christians, we are not to expect that we shall sail over an unruffled sea, and that labor for Christ will be a continuously triumphal progress. “In the world ye shall have tribulation. The moments of challenges are the occasions of showing God’s great power. Testing is God’s way for increasing trust in Himself. The victory of Christianity in the initial stages shows a sanctification of the Church and a testimony to the world of the Divine source of our faith.

 

 

 

 

 

Content

Setting

The chapter occurs in an outdoor setting. It is in the fields when Moses is out to graze the flocks in the desert. According to the Hebrews, the desert refers to the rich tract which lay past the sandy plain stretching from the Sinaitic range to the shoreline of the Elanitic gulf. Moses’ encounter with God happened at a desert in Horeb. It was the common name for the mountainous region in which Sinai is located. It was used to assign the area comprehending that vast range of superior, uninhabited, and unproductive hills. Horeb appears to have been the name of the whole mountain area and Sinai of the heap famous currently as Jebel Musa.

Characters

Jethro, his father-in-law, is Moses’ family member by marriage. The word is widely used, matching with the Latin affinis. It is still used to refer to a husband, as in Exodus 4:25. The assumption that it is interpreted as “father-in-law” has led to the recognition of Jethro with Reuel, which is improbable. Jethro was perhaps Reuel’s son and Moses’s brother-in-law. Since his father died, he took over his father’s position as the priest and sheikh of the people. While at Midian, Moses kept the flock. The service he had engaged on in order to increase his conjugal views is likely he was continuing his service now on provisions like Jacob in the last years of his stay with Laban (Genesis 30:28).

The other main character is God. God is an invisible character who converses with Moses and directly involves him in His redemption plan. We also encounter the Israelites who have been held captive by the Egyptians. The grand plan of God is to set the Israelites free from the slavery and oppression.

Conclusion

The bush on fire was not just an insignificant phenomenon, only intended to get Moses’ interest. It was an allegory filled with importance. Reflection on the incident and God’s words can make it apparent, and on which afterwards prophets would expound. The fires of suffering are as a result of God’s rage on sin. They cleanse the people of God and train them for God’s blessings. God’s children do not undergo destruction by these “fires,” not because of their faithfulness, but owing to the nature of God as the great “I AM.” Moses is therefore urged to go back to Egypt. God shows Himself through the fire of suffering and difficulty, but His aims are certain, and His people are safe in the promise that they will not experience destruction. The confidence is because of the reality that God is eternal. It is the foundation for faith and submission. On this guarantee, Moses can take the mission of God in confidence.