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Exodus 3: The Bush and the Name

At a burning bush on holy ground, God reveals himself as I AM and commissions a reluctant Moses to bring his people out of Egypt.

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Exodus 3 (WEB)

1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to God’s mountain, to Horeb.

2 Yahweh’s angel appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3 Moses said, “I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.”

4 When Yahweh saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said, “Moses! Moses!” He said, “Here I am.”

5 He said, “Don’t come close. Take your sandals off of your feet, for the place you are standing on is holy ground.”

6 Moreover he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look at God.

7 Yahweh said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.

8 I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey; to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

9 Now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me. Moreover I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

10 Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

11 Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

12 He said, “Certainly I will be with you. This will be the token to you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

13 Moses said to God, “Behold, when I come to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you;’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ What should I tell them?”

14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” and he said, “You shall tell the children of Israel this: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

15 God said moreover to Moses, “You shall tell the children of Israel this, ‘Yahweh, 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 this is my memorial to all generations.

16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and tell them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt;

17 and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’

18 They will listen to your voice, and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you shall tell him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Yahweh, our God.’

19 I know that the king of Egypt won’t give you permission to go, no, not by a mighty hand.

20 I will reach out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in its midst, and after that he will let you go.

21 I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it will happen that when you go, you shall not go empty-handed.

22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her who visits her house, jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons, and on your daughters. You shall plunder the Egyptians.”

Summary

While shepherding Jethro's flock at Horeb, the mountain of God, Moses sees an astonishing sight: a bush burning with fire yet not consumed. As he turns aside to look, God calls to him from the bush, telling him to remove his sandals, for he stands on holy ground, and declaring himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, so that Moses hides his face in fear. The Lord announces that he has surely seen the affliction of his people, heard their cry, and known their sorrows, and that he has come down to deliver them and bring them to a good land flowing with milk and honey. Then he commissions Moses to go to Pharaoh and lead Israel out. Moses protests, “Who am I?” and God answers with a promise: “Certainly I will be with you.” When Moses asks God's name, God replies, “I AM WHO I AM,” and gives his memorial name, Yahweh, the God of their fathers, forever. God assures Moses the elders will listen, warns that Pharaoh will resist until struck by mighty wonders, and promises that Israel will not leave empty-handed but will plunder the Egyptians. The encounter reveals a God who is holy, eternal, faithful to his covenant, and committed to redeem.

Main Characters

  • Moses — The shepherd-exile whom God calls from the burning bush, who hesitates and questions but is commissioned to lead Israel out of Egypt.
  • Yahweh (the LORD) / God — The holy, eternal God who reveals himself as I AM, the covenant God of the patriarchs, who has seen Israel's affliction and comes down to save.
  • Israel's elders and people — The afflicted descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob whose cry has reached God and whom he promises to deliver to a good land.

Key Verse

Exodus 3:14 (WEB)

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” and he said, “You shall tell the children of Israel this: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

Lessons Learned

  • God meets us in holiness, and his presence makes common ground holy ground.
  • The Lord is not distant; he sees affliction, hears cries, and comes down to deliver.
  • Our adequacy for God's call rests not in who we are but in his promise to be with us.
  • God's eternal name, I AM, assures us that he is self-existent, faithful, and ever-present.
  • God is holy and must be approached with reverence. “Take your sandals off of your feet, for the place you are standing on is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5, WEB). Encounter with God calls for awe.
  • God sees and acts on his people's suffering. “I have surely seen the affliction of my people… and I have come down to deliver them” (Exodus 3:7-8, WEB). He is moved to rescue, not merely to observe.
  • God's presence is the answer to our inadequacy. To Moses' “Who am I?” God replies, “Certainly I will be with you” (Exodus 3:11-12, WEB). The call rests on God's sufficiency, not ours.
  • God reveals himself as the eternal I AM. “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14, WEB) names the self-existent, ever-faithful God whose covenant name endures to all generations.
  1. What does the burning, unconsumed bush suggest about the God who speaks from it?
  2. How does God describe his awareness of Israel's suffering, and what does he intend to do about it?
  3. Why does God answer Moses' objection “Who am I?” the way he does?
  4. What does the name “I AM WHO I AM” reveal about God's character and being?
  5. When you feel unqualified for what God asks of you, how does his promise “I will be with you” change things?
  1. The bush burns but is not consumed, picturing a God of holy, self-sustaining fire whose presence draws Moses in yet demands reverence (3:2-5). It hints at a God who can dwell among his people without being diminished or destroyed.
  2. God says he has surely seen, heard, and known Israel's affliction, and has “come down to deliver them” to a good land (3:7-8). His compassion is active; he involves himself personally in rescuing those who suffer.
  3. God does not bolster Moses' self-confidence; he shifts the focus from Moses to himself: “Certainly I will be with you” (3:12). The mission's success depends on God's presence, freeing Moses from relying on his own credentials.
  4. “I AM WHO I AM” reveals God as self-existent, unchanging, and eternally present—dependent on nothing, faithful to his covenant, the same God of the patriarchs (3:14-15). His very name is a guarantee that he will be who he has always been.
  5. This is a personal-application question. Invite members to name a calling that feels beyond them. As leader, point them away from self-assessment toward the promise of God's presence, which is the true ground of every faithful step.

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), the King James Version (KJV), and the American Standard Version (ASV), all of which are in the public domain.