Exodus 3-4: Deliverance From Egypt: Moses in Midian
From Oppression to Commission: God Prepares a Deliverer and Reveals His Eternal Identity to a Reluctant Moses
In Exodus chapters 1 & 2, we saw the accounts of the undramatic way of listing the twelve sons of Jacob as this information builds an essential bridge between Exodus and the preceding book of Genesis. Then we also saw the rapid increase in Israel's descendants, which was God's original plan for Israel. This remarkable growth fulfilled various divine promises to Abraham, Issac and Jacob. The new Pharaoh viewed the fruitfulness of the Israelites as a significant threat to the security of his kingdom, and the Egyptians acted shrewdly with the Israelites. Consequently, the Israelites had to be forced to labour in the construction of store cities for the Pharaoh. Also, Pharaoh looked for another method of birth control: under his order, the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, were to kill all newborn boys. This eventually sets up the scene for the birth of Moses and his remarkable deliverance. Ironically, he was not only rescued from the river by the Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2:5-6), but he also grew up under the protection of the one who threatened his very existence (Exodus 2:9-10). When Moses was 40 years old, three incidents occurred. First, Moses killed an Egyptian who was beating two Hebrews and reprimanded the one in the wrong. Secondly, following his flight from Egypt, and thirdly, he came to the rescue of the daughter of Reuel. In each of these incidents, Moses is portrayed as the defender of the weaker party. God, like Moses, cares for the oppressed. Although there have been brief allusions to God’s creation for his people, only now does the narrative reveal in detail his awareness of the Israelites’ suffering: God hears, remembers, sees and knows.
Exodus 2:5-6 CSB: [5] Pharaoh’s daughter went down to bathe at the Nile while her servant girls walked along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds, sent her slave girl, took it, [6] opened it, and saw him, the child and there he was, a little boy, crying. She felt sorry for him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew boys.”
Exodus 2:9-10 CSB: [9] Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the boy and nursed him. [10] When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
God’s Call to Moses: A Pivotal Moment in Israel’s Deliverance
In contrast to the initial two chapters, which span a long period, the pace of the narrative in this section slows down significantly. Here, God reveals what action he intends to take on behalf of the oppressed Israelites. Moses is commissioned as the one who will lead the people out of Egypt. Because of its importance, the encounter between God and Moses is recorded in considerable detail, with much attention being focused on their conversation. The entire event had a profound effect on Moses.
The Burning Bush: A Symbol of God’s Presence and Holiness
Several elements of the meeting between God and Moses are noteworthy. First, Moses encounters God in a burning bush. Throughout the Exodus story, the divine presence is frequently symbolized by fire and smoke. Exodus 13: 21-22, Exodus 19:18, Exodus: 24:17, Exodus 40:38, Leviticus 9:24, Leviticus 10:2, Numbers 11: 1-3, Deuteronomy 9:3 and Deuteronomy 18:16).
Exodus 13:21-22 CSB: [21] The Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to lead them on their way during the day and in a pillar of fire to give them light at night, so that they could travel day or night. [22] The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night never left its place in front of the people.
Exodus 19:18 CSB: Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the Lord came down on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently.
Exodus 24:17 CSB: The appearance of the Lord’s glory to the Israelites was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop.
Exodus 40:38 CSB: For the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and there was a fire inside the cloud by night, visible to the entire house of Israel throughout all the stages of their journey.
Leviticus 9:24 CSB: Fire came from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell facedown.
Leviticus 10:2 CSB: Then fire came from the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.
Numbers 11:1-3 CSB: [1] Now the people began complaining openly before the Lord about hardship. When the Lord heard, his anger burned, and fire from the Lord blazed among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp. [2] Then the people cried out to Moses, and he prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. [3] So that place was named Taberah, because the Lord’s fire had blazed among them.
Deuteronomy 9:3 CSB: But understand that today the Lord your God will cross over ahead of you as a consuming fire; he will devastate and subdue them before you. You will drive them out and destroy them swiftly, as the Lord has told you.
Deuteronomy 18:16 CSB: This is what you requested from the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not continue to hear the voice of the Lord our God or see this great fire any longer, so that we will not die!’
Secondly, because of his awesome nature, God had to be approached with caution. Moses acknowledged God’s holiness by removing his sandals. The concept of divine holiness reappears in Exodus as a major theme. Having led his father-in-law’s flock through the desert to Horeb (Exodus 3:1), Moses would later lead the Israelites to the same location (Exodus 3:12 & Exodus 19:1-2), where they also would confront God’s holy presence revealed through fire in Exodus chapter 19.
Exodus 3:1 CSB: Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
Exodus 3:12 CSB: He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.”
Exodus 19:1-2 CSB: [1] In the third month from the very day the Israelites left the land of Egypt, they came to the Sinai Wilderness. [2] They traveled from Rephidim, came to the Sinai Wilderness, and camped in the wilderness. Israel camped there in front of the mountain.
God’s Call and Moses’ Crisis of Identity: A Divine Commission Rooted in Trust
Although the background details are noteworthy, the narrative focuses more attention on the ensuing dialogue between God and Moses. From the outset Moses needed to know the identity of the one who spoke to him: ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’ (Exodus 3:6). Next, God revealed to Moses what the reader already knows; He was passionately concerned about the suffering of his people in Egypt (Exodus 7-9, Exodus 2:24-25). Now was the time for action. Through Moses, he intended to rescue them from Egypt, a land of oppression, and bring them to Canaan, a land of opportunity. Moses' response was harshly surprising: ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ (Exodus 3:11). What qualifications had Moses for this task? How could a fugitive from Egypt possibly confront Pharaoh? God’s response was direct: ‘I will be with you’ (Exodus 3:12). This was accompanied by the promise of a sign. However, God did not promise an instant miracle; Moses had to exercise trust first before seeing it fulfilled.
Exodus 3:6 CSB: Then he continued, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.
Exodus 2:24-25 CSB: [24] God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. [25] God saw the Israelites, and God knew.
Exodus 3:11 CSB: But Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
Exodus 3:12 CSB: He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.”
The Revelation of Yahweh: God’s Unchanging Identity and Eternal Presence
Moses raised a further difficulty. How would he convince the Israelites that God had sent him to them, Exodus 3: 13-15, which focuses on God’s identity, is difficult to interpret. Moses’ request for God’s name is important because the Israelites believed that the name reflected an individual’s essence. In Genesis, different aspects of God’s nature are highlighted by the names used to designate him: El Elton (God Most High; Genesis 14: 18-20), El Row (God Almighty; Genesis 17:1), El Olam (the Eternal God; Genesis 21:33). Here God introduced himself by the personal name ‘Yahweh’, translated in most English version as the Lord (Exodus 3:15). The Hebrew divine name ‘Yahweh’ is closely related to the phrase in Exodus 3:14 which may be translated in a variety of ways: I AM WHO I AM, ‘I will be who I will be’, ‘I will be what I was’. An abbreviated form of this phrase comes in the statement, ‘I Am has sent me to you’. Unlike previous names, ‘Yahweh’ does not limit God’s nature to any particular characteristic: he is what he is. Furthermore, his nature does not change. He is the God worshipped by earlier generations (the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob) and generations yet to come (this is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
Exodus 3:13-15 CSB: [13] Then Moses asked God, “If I go 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 should I tell them? ” [14] God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” [15] God also said to Moses, “Say this 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; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.
Genesis 14:18-20 CSB: [18] Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High. [19] He blessed him and said: Abram is blessed by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, [20] and blessed be God Most High who has handed over your enemies to you. And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Genesis 17:1 CSB: When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and be blameless.
Genesis 21:33 CSB: Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.
Exodus 3:14-15 CSB: [14] God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” [15] God also said to Moses, “Say this 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; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.
Pharaoh’s Resistance and God’s Powerful Hand: The Prelude to Israel’s Deliverance
On his return to Egypt, Moses was to assemble the elders of Israel. Together they were to ask permission from Pharaoh to take the Israelites on a short three-day journey into the desert so that they might worship their God (Exodus 3:18). Pharaoh’s reaction to his relatively minor demand would reveal his strong antagonism towards the Israelites. He would refuse to accommodate them, not because their request was excessive, but probably because he suspected that if he allowed them to go they would leave for good. The narrative in Exodus chapters 7 to 15 reinforces this initial observation. Pharaoh would not change his mind unless a mighty hand compelled him (Exodus 3:19). The influence of God’s hands upon the Egyptians, would be such that they would readily give up their possessions to see the Israelites leave Egypt. These gifts would compensate the Israelites for the suffering they had already endured.
Exodus 3:18-19 CSB: [18] They will listen to what you say. Then you, along with the elders of Israel, must go to the king of Egypt and say to him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us go on a three-day trip into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. [19] “However, I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go, even under force from a strong hand.
Divine Signs for a Reluctant Leader: God Equips Moses to Convince Israel
Despite this divine assurance, Moses continued to drag his feet by raising another problem. What if the Israelites did not believe him? How would he convince them that God had indeed appeared to him? In response, god provided three signs which involved miraculous transformations for Moses to show to the people: his staff would become a snake (Exodus 4: 2-4); his hand would become leprous (Exodus 4: 6-7); and Nile water would become blood (Exodus 4:9). Moses witnessed for himself the first two of these signs. The third, at this stage, had to be accepted by faith. Later, when all three were shown to the Israelites they were convinced that God had indeed sent Moses (Exodus 4: 30-31).
Exodus 4:2-4 CSB: [2] The Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. [3] “Throw it on the ground,” he said. So Moses threw it on the ground, it became a snake, and he ran from it. [4] The Lord told Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail.” So he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand.
Exodus 4:6-7 CSB: [6] In addition the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was diseased, resembling snow. [7] “Put your hand back inside your cloak,” he said. So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, it had again become like the rest of his skin.
Exodus 4:9 CSB: [9] And if they don’t believe even these two signs or listen to what you say, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”
Exodus 4:30-31 CSB: [30] Aaron repeated everything the Lord had said to Moses and performed the signs before the people. [31] The people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention to them and that he had seen their misery, they knelt low and worshiped.
Overcoming Hesitation: The Reluctance of Moses and God's Unfailing Call
Moses still hesitated. He offered another excuse for not accepting God’s call: he was not eloquent (Exodus 4:10). With a series of rhetorical questions God revealed that his power could overcome any inability which Moses might have felt. When Moses asked that someone else should be sent, God understandably, became angry (Exodus 4:13). How could Moses continue to refuse? As a final gesture of divine patience, God promised him the assistance of his brother Aaron. With this, Moses resigned himself to returning to Egypt. The fact that Moses did not reveal to his father-in-law the true reason for his departure to Egypt possibly suggests that he remained unconvinced of God’s ability to accomplish his plans. God’s call of Moses is a vivid reminder of how we are all called to serve the living God. Moses' hesitant response has a familiar ring to it!
Exodus 4:10, 13 CSB: [10] But Moses replied to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent either in the past or recently or since you have been speaking to your servant because my mouth and my tongue are sluggish.” [13] Moses said, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”
The Staff of God: A Symbol of Divine Authority and a Tool of Judgment
Among the possessions taken by Moses on his journey to Egypt, special attention is focused on the staff of God (Exodus 4:20). As is revealed later, this staff was used by Moses when he performed before Pharaoh all the wonder God had given him (Exodus 7:10, 20; 8:5,17; 9:23; 10:13). Moses as God’s ambassador was empowered to exercise divine authority (Exodus 3:20). The staff was a symbol of this authority, not a magic wand. However, he was warned that Pharaoh would stubbornly refuse to let the Israelites leave. As a result, God would punish the Egyptians through the death of their firstborn, a response which parallels Egypt’s dealings with Israel, God’s firstborn son (Exodus 4:22). This prediction is fulfilled in Exodus 11:1 - 12:30.
Exodus 4:20 CSB: So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took God’s staff in his hand.
Exodus 7:10, 20 CSB: [10] So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord had commanded. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent. [20] Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded; in the sight of Pharaoh and his officials, he raised the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile was turned to blood.
Exodus 8:5, 17 CSB: [5] The Lord then said to Moses, “Tell Aaron: Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, canals, and ponds, and cause the frogs to come up onto the land of Egypt.” [17] And they did this. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, and when he struck the dust of the land, gnats were on people and animals. All the dust of the land became gnats throughout the land of Egypt.
Exodus 9:23 CSB: So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail. Lightning struck the land, and the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.
Exodus 10:13 CSB: So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord sent an east wind over the land all that day and through the night. By morning the east wind had brought in the locusts.
Exodus 3:20 CSB: But when I stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my miracles that I will perform in it, after that, he will let you go.
Exodus 4:22 CSB: And you will say to Pharaoh: This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son.
A Mysterious Encounter at the Lodging Place: The Deadly Consequence of Neglecting God's Covenant
Exodus 4: 24-26, the location of the narrative moves to a lodging place on the way. Here we have a brief and enigmatic report of God's attempt to kill Moses. His life was spared only after his wife Zipporah intervened by circumcising their son Gershom (Exodus 2:22). This unusual incident possibly reflects Moses’ contained lack of faith regarding his mission. Although God had assured him that would deliver the Israelites out of Egypt because of his covenant with Abraham, Moses had failed to circumcise his son as requested by God under that very covenant (Genesis 17: 10-14). The incident serves as a reminder of the danger of failing to take God seriously.
Exodus 4:24-26 CSB: [24] On the trip, at an overnight campsite, it happened that the Lord confronted him and intended to put him to death. [25] So Zipporah took a flint, cut off her son’s foreskin, threw it at Moses’s feet, and said, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me!” [26] So he let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” referring to the circumcision.
Exodus 2:22 CSB: She gave birth to a son whom he named Gershom, for he said, “I have been a resident alien in a foreign land.”
Genesis 17:10-14 CSB: [10] This is my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you, which you are to keep: Every one of your males must be circumcised. [11] You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskin to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and you. , [12] Throughout your generations, every male among you is to be circumcised at eight days old every male born in your household or purchased from any foreigner and not your offspring. [13] Whether born in your household or purchased, he must be circumcised. My covenant will be marked in your flesh as a permanent covenant. [14] If any male is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that man will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
A Brief but Pivotal Meeting: Moses Reunites with Aaron and the Elders of Israel
With a minimum of detail, the narrative records Moses' encounter with Aaron and the elders of Israel. The brief description of these events stands in sharp contrast to the prolonged discussion which Moses had with God.
Contrary to what he expected, Moses received a most favourable welcome. When they learned of God’s concern for them, the Israelite's leaders bowed down and worshipped. As his earlier conversation with God reveals, Moses never anticipated a scenario like this. Everything looked set for a successful mission.
Key Note
Reuel
Exodus 3:1 - Jethro is also known as Reuel (Exodus 2:18). Horeb - The mountain of God is also known as Sinai.
Exodus 3:1 CSB: Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
Exodus 2:18 CSB: When they returned to their father Reuel, he asked, “Why have you come back so quickly today?”
A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey
Exodus 3:8 - Is a proverbial way of describing the fertility of the land of Canaan.
Exodus 3:8 CSB: and I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey the territory of the Canaanites, Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
The LORD
Exodus 3:15 - The English Translation, the LORD, fails to convey the idea that the Hebrew Yahweh is a personal name. In the past, it had been wrongly transliterated as Jehovah.
Exodus 3:14-15 CSB: [14] God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” [15] God also said to Moses, “Say this 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; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.
A Bridegroom of Blood
Exodus 4: 25 - The precise meaning of a bridegroom of blood is uncertain.
Exodus 4:25 CSB: So Zipporah took a flint, cut off her son’s foreskin, threw it at Moses’s feet, and said, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me!”