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1 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." 4 When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5 Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." 6 He said further, "I am the God of your 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 at God. 7 Then the Lord said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." 11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" 12 He said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain." 13 But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, "What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I am who I am." He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "I am has sent me to you.' " 15 God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "The Lord, the God of your ancestors, 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 my title for all generations. (Exodus 3:1-15 NRSV)
God is awesome. God can take what we take for normal and make it special. God can take what we take for just being there, and make it holy. God can visit us in ways that we never dreamed possible and change the direction and purpose of our lives. Such was the case with the boy whom funny preachers have called the basket case, Moses. He had enjoyed a nice princely life, but his ties to his heritage and race led him to murder an Egyptian, and so while he should have been in prison, and again, this is pure conjecture, since he was from the Royal household and "Granddad" might have pulled some strings and made the case disappear; but Moses say that his people were not being treated fairly and he might not have lived in peace, for his spirit saw the injustices against the Jews and he would have been sentenced to live the rest of his life in the prison of staying quiet and not saying anything or doing anything to better their situation. So, he ran. He ran right into the family of Jethro, a holy man in his own right, rich in livestock and property, and Moses married one of his daughters, and Daddy-in-law fixed him up with a nice gig; shepherd. In those days that was quite the hustle; he was his own boss out there in the fields, and he was trained to deal with those things that might come against the flock. What Moses was not trained in, was the appearances of God. I'm imagining the heat out there in Egypt with the sheep was like being out in San Angelo, without the great steak houses they enjoy out there. And by this time, ole Moe could do this job with his eyes closed. But on this particular day, God came a'calling. God didn't arrive in a pickup truck, or a car, or a limo; God appeared in a burning bush. An angel of the Lord was inside the bush that was or appeared to be on fire, but was not consumed with fire; and it was quite the sight that Moe got closer, and it was then that God spoke, and wouldn't you know it, God knew Moe's name! "Moses, Moses!" He had to have turned around to see if perhaps there was another Moses there! Realizing that it was he that God sought, answered, "Here I am!" God then warns, "Come no closer!" Okay, I won't. "Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." Hmm, shrubs, rocks, heat, sheep leftovers; not anything that I would call holy, but if You say so, okay! "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Whoa! God knows the family line! I'd better hide my face! One thing Moe remembered from his Sabbath school was that to look upon God would mean death, and so, Moe was afraid.
God then shares what He knew, that drove Moses out of the area of the palace; God's people were suffering and God wanted to do something about it! God outlines all that was happening to His people, but the kicker was that God says, "I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." Gulp. Moses answers, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" The Pharaoh serving was more than likely, the true son or grandson of the Pharaoh under which Moe had been rescued from the waters of the Nile. And, remembering the way that Moe had left home made him fear the reception that he might get upon trying to return to the palace court. God counters Moses' protest with the truth; "I will be with you; and you'll know it when you come to this mountain to worship me here." Double gulp. Again, with the questions, Moses asks, "They're certainly going to ask me what Your name is!" God says, "Okay, my name is I am who I am. Then, tell the Israelites that I am has sent me to you." Sure. God continues, "The Lord, the God of your ancestors, 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 title for all generations.'"
Names open doors. Ask any salesperson. Names close doors, too. Ask any politician. To know a name is to know of a relationship. Ask God. God loved the fathers and mothers of the ancients; and God loved all of His people, especially the Israelites, and God loved Moses, and this was the start of that relationship that would ultimately open the doors of slavery into freedom, and open the doors of the new nation into a promised land. Names also give people away or help define them, and that is why we have studied how God changed names as their faith and roles changed, and now this basket baby's name would indeed mean, "Drawn out" for his role would draw the enslaved into freedom, and out of Egypt, and into the land long promised to the Jews. I can't close without just observing the awesomeness of God's name, I am. You've heard it before; God's name is not I was, or I will be, because God is a constant; always has been and always will be; an active, involved God. And there is no one to whom He can be compared.
PRAYER: GOD of the moment, God of the past, and God of what will be, thank You. For the way You acted on behalf of Your people, You will act on our behalf. You know our needs and our limits; You know the combination to the locks holding us back; may everything open that should, and all that should close, may it close; above all else, Your will be done; in Christ Jesus' awesome name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share a word of freedom with someone today.
Receive my blessings of love and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
