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Read Exodus Chapter 3

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1Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

2And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

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

4And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

5And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

6Moreover he said, I am the God of thy 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 upon God.

7And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

8And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

9Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

10Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

11And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

12And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

13And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

15And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

16Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

17And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

18And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

19And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

20And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

21And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:

22But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

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Explanation

Exodus 3

In short

Moses is tending sheep when he sees a bush burning without being destroyed. God speaks to him from the bush, tells him to rescue the Israelites from Egypt, and reveals his name to him. God gives Moses signs to prove his mission and promises to help him.

What the text says

Moses is working for his father-in-law, keeping sheep near Mount Horeb, when an angel appears in a burning bush (verses 1-2). The bush is on fire but does not burn up. Moses decides to look at this strange sight (verse 3). When he moves toward it, God calls his name twice from the bush, and Moses answers (verse 4). God tells him to remove his shoes because he is standing on holy ground (verse 5). God identifies himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (verse 6). Moses is afraid.

God says he has seen the suffering of the Israelites in Egypt and heard their cries under their masters (verses 7-9). He has come down to rescue them and bring them to a land described as good, large, and "flowing with milk and honey" (verse 8). God sends Moses to bring the people out of Egypt (verse 10). Moses asks who he is to do this (verse 11). God promises to be with him and says the sign will be that the people will worship on this mountain afterward (verse 12).

Moses then asks what name to give God when the Israelites ask (verse 13). God replies, "I AM THAT I AM," and says Moses should tell them "I AM" has sent him (verse 14). God also says his name is "The LORD God of your fathers" and this will be his name forever (verse 15). Moses is instructed to gather the elders and tell them God has appeared, promising to free them from Egypt and bring them to the land described (verses 16-17). The elders will listen, and Moses with the elders will ask Pharaoh to let them go three days into the desert to worship God (verse 18).

God says Pharaoh will not let them go without a mighty hand (verse 19). God will strike Egypt with wonders, and then Pharaoh will release them (verse 20). The Egyptians will favor the Israelites (verse 21), and the people will ask their neighbors for silver, gold, and clothing, which they will take when they leave (verse 22).

Takeaways

  • God calls someone ordinary to a large task and promises to go with him.
  • God's name, "I AM," points to his existence and power in contrast to the names of other gods.
  • God hears the cries of suffering people and acts to free them.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.