Today, I continue my investigation of the 3:16’s of the Bible. I started with a look at John 3:16, probably the best known verse in the Bible. Then last time I looked at the fall of man and the original prophecy of Jesus in Genesis 3:16 and surrounding verses. Today I move on to Exodus and look at the verses surrounding Exodus 3:16. So here we go…
13Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” – Genesis 3:13-14
Staring in verse 13 God is giving Moses the charge to go back to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of Egypt to the promised land. Moses has many excuses why he is not the right man for the job; not the least of which is being concerned over what to say if someone asks who sent him. I find two interesting things here. First, when it comes to us, do we make excuses or question who is sending us. Jesus in Matthew 28 commands us to “go” and make disciples. When He commands that, do you “go” or do you make excuses like: I don’t know the Bible well enough, I have not studied apologetics long enough, I am afraid of what people will say about, etc; or do you “go”. Second, Jesus quotes verse 14 when He declares to the people that He is God. Consider the following passage:
57“You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
58“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. (John 8:57-59 NIV)
People that don’t believe Jesus is God, Muslims for example, demand a verse that Jesus actually says, “I am God”. There are such verses in the prophecy, but that is not the point of this discussion. Here Jesus referencing back to the Exodus 3:14 verse is declaring that He is God. Make no mistake about it. The first century Jews believed it. They took his claim very seriously, that is why they tried to stone him. For more investigation about the diety of Jesus, I encourage you to read the verses and listen to the Timothy Keller sermon on the “Is Jesus Really God” page of the AfterLifeCatalog.
Moving back to Exodus 3:
15God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘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 thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. 16Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”‘ – Exodus 3:15-17 (ESV)
Here in these verses God is promising Moses to deliver the people of Israel out of their affliction through him. In a sense, this may be a forshadowing of Christ leading those who will repent and trust Him out of thier sin and back into a right relationship with God.
Finally, God makes a promise to Moses to encourage him.
18And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’ 19But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. 20So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. 21And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.” – Exodus 3:18-22
In verse 18, God gives Moses some encouragement saying “they will listen to you”. That goes back to address his original concern of Who am I to do this? God has command him. He also has offered a plan to redeem these people.
Three take aways
Maybe today you fall into one of three categories
First, do you need to be redeemed? If you die tonight would you go to heaven? If you have any doubt at all then consider this? The Bible says it is appointed once for man to die and then the judgment – based on the Ten Commandments. Have you ever lied, stolenn, murdered or even hated, looked with lust, or used God’s name as a curse word? If so then God will find you guilty on judgment day of being a liar, a thief, a murdered, an adulterer and a blasphemer at heart. He would have no choice but to send you to hell when you die. The good news is that just like the Israelites, God wants to save you. And he has already offered the perfect gift. Two thousand years ago, God sent his only son Jesus to live on earth. Jesus being fully God and fully man was the only one capable of living a perfect life. He fulfilled the Law. Then after living 30-33 years, He willingly laid down his life in a sacrifice for all mankind. He was crucified and died on the cross. Three days later he rose from the dead defeating sin, death and the devil. He took the wrath of God upon himself instead of leaving it for you. The Bible says if you repent of your sin and trust in Jesus then you will have eternal life. If you fall in this category, would you read the more detailed Gospel message on our web site?
Second, perhaps you consider yourself to be a believer in Christ already, but you have not yet headed the call to “go” from Matthew 28. Please consider 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” if after examination under the conditions of option one above, please consider giving your life to Christ through repentance and trust in Jesus. If you are already in the faith, then why not tell others. Sign up for a seminar to learn more about sharing your faith with others or enroll in the Bezeugen Tract Club so that you can have a fresh supply of Gospel tracts each month to share with everyone you meet. If Christ has changed your life, then go tell others! If you are in this category, I challenge you to read to books. First is Jon Speed’s book, “Evangelism in the New Testament“. The second is Mark Cahill’s book, “One Thing You Can’t Do in Heaven“. These are great books that will challenge you to reach the lost and rethink your position on many things including Evangelism. I have a limited number of each of these books available. If you will read it and would like a free copy then contact me through the comments and request one of the books. Or you can obtain copies from One Million Tracts or Mark Cahill’s site by clicking the links above.
Third, if you are already in the faith and you are actively sharing it with others, then let the words of Tony Miano’s call at the Ambassador’s Alliance ring clear in your head, “Don’t Quit“. Maybe it is time to step up your efforts. Maybe God is calling you to the study the School of Biblical Evangelism, attend the Deeper conference or to attend the Ambassadors Academy to equip you for Open Air. Whatever it is, be bold for Christ. Remember, study God’s Word every day. Continue to seek Him in prayer. There is a lost and dying world out there that needs to hear about His plan of salvation!
Your thoughts are welcome. Please post a comment!
