Exodus 3:1-4:17 Comments by Stephen Ricker
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I Am Who I Am
Comments for Study 2

Exodus 3:1-4:17
Memory Verse: 3:14

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I. I Am the God of Your Father (3:1-10)

>1. How drastically had Moses life changed since he ran away from Egypt? (1)

* Exodus 3:1 "Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God."

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>How did God intervene in his life? (2-3)

* Exodus 3:2 "There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight--why the bush does not burn up.""

* Psalm 104:4 "He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants."

* Hebrews 1:7 "In speaking of the angels he says, "He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire."

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>Who was in the flames of fire?

* "the angel of the LORD"

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>2. When Moses attention was gained what did God do? (4-6)

* Exodus 3:4-6 "When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God."

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>How did God identify himself?

* "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob."

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>What does Moses' response tell us about him?

* "At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God."

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>How does the Lord's words in verse 7 reveal what Moses had been thinking about since he left Egypt?

* Exodus 3:7 "The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering."

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>3. By what means was God going to help his people? (8-10)

* Exodus 3:8-10 "So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey--the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

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>Why this way instead of directly helping them? (Heb. 3:1-2)

* Hebrews 3:1-2 "Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house."

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>How is this similar to the spread of the gospel? (Luke 9:1-2, 9:6, 24:46-47)

* Luke 9:1-2 "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick."

* Luke 9:6 "So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere."

* Luke 24:46-47 "He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

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II. I Am Has Sent Me to You (3:11-22)

>4. What does Moses response to God reveal about himself? (11)

* Exodus 3:11 "But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

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>How did God reassure him? (12)

* Exodus 3:12 "And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."

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>5. What hypothetical situation did Moses use to ask God his name? (13)

* Exodus 3:13 "Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"

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>What did God say his name is? (14-15)

* Exodus 3:14-15 "God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, '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, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation."

* "I AM WHO I AM" -also can be translated as "I AM WHO I WILL BE".

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>What else can we learn about God from his response?

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>6. What mission did the Lord give Moses? (16-17)

* Exodus 3:16-17 "Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-- appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites--a land flowing with milk and honey.'"

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>Why might this be a hard mission?

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>After reassuring Moses of success in the first part of his mission what was his second mission? (18)

* Exodus 3:18 "The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God.'"

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>Why did the Lord give him this direction when he knew it would fail? (19)

* Exodus 3:19 "But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him."

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>What would Moses and the Israelites learn from the way the Lord rescued them? (20, Rom. 9:17-18)

* Exodus 3:20 "So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go."

* Romans 9:17-18 "For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

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>7. How would the Egyptians hearts change? (21-22)

* Exodus 3:21-22 "And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians."

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>How does this foreshadow Jesus' second coming?

* Hebrews 11:10 "For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."

* Zechariah 14:1-9 "A day of the LORD is coming when your plunder will be divided among you. I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime--a day known to the LORD. When evening comes, there will be light. On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter. The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name."

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III. Signs (4:1-17)

>8. What doubt did Moses have? (1)

* Exodus 4:1 "Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"

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>What sign did the Lord give Moses? (2-5)

* Exodus 4:2-5 "Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied. The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has appeared to you."

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>What was the second sign? (6-7)

* Exodus 4:6-7 "Then the LORD said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, like snow. "Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh."

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>What was the third sign? (8-9)

* Exodus 4:8-9 "Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.""

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>What can we learn about the Lord with the way he was dealing with Moses' concerns?

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>9. What new doubt did Moses verbalize? (10)

* Exodus 4:10 "Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."

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>How did the Lord respond? (11-12)

* Exodus 4:11-12 "The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."

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>With every one of Moses objects overturned what did he finally confess? (13)

* Exodus 4:13 "But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."

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>10. What can we learn about the Lord was his response to Moses? (14-17)

* Exodus 4:14-17 "Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it."

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