Exodus: The Lord and His PilgrimsSample

The new start

Nothing happens on earth until decisions are made in heaven. Israel’s situation is dire, but the vital question is what does God intend to do about it (2:23–25)? Moses is God’s chosen agent, but the priority for him is not action (cf. 2:11–14!) but to meet and know God (3:1–6), who is: 

• The prayer-answering God. There are three verbs in 2:23: to ‘groan’ and to ‘cry out’ (literally, ‘scream’) express need; the third, ‘to cry for help’ (NIV), is prayer – and that brings the vital change. 
• The caring, promise-keeping God. In verses 24–25, there are four verbs of God identifying with his people: he ‘heard … remembered … looked upon … was concerned’ (NIV; literally, ‘knew’). The Lord’s ‘covenant’ is his promise to take and keep his people (cf. Gen. 6:18 – literally, ‘I will implement …’; 46:4).
• The living God (3:2), revealed in a self-perpetuating flame that needs no fuel to feed on. He is, therefore, a God independently free to do what he wills; he needs nothing outside himself and is utterly sufficient.
• The holy God (v. 5). On the one hand, God is inapproachable; on the other, he makes it easy for those who dare not approach him to come near (Heb. 10:22; 1 Pet. 3:18).
• The God of the past (Ex. 3:6), the present (v. 7) and the future (v. 8). He is the God who sovereignly conscripts and commands his chosen agents (vv. 9–10).

If you sense that the Lord’s dealings with Moses were more than a bit peremptory, you are right! From God’s opening words, ‘Moses, Moses!’ (v. 4), to his final ‘Come now’ (v. 10), Moses is given no room for manoeuvre. We forget this to our detriment. We come into the presence of God through the unobtrusive mediation of Jesus. We come through the forgiving Mediator to the forgiving Father. Grace provides the way in; love overshadows us. His divine voice says, ‘Come in, and welcome’; but we enter the presence of the awesomely holy One; we stand before the eternal Majesty; we come into the place of authority, conscription and direction. The only proper reply is, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears’ (1 Sam. 3:9).

Reflection

Think about the greatness of God. Psalm 86:8–13 will give your thoughts a framework. Use verse 10 as a repeated cry of praise.