ExodusStudy Guide

Chapter 3

Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.

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Scripture

KJV

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.

Key VerseExodus 3:14

And 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.

Overview

While tending sheep near Mount Horeb, Moses sees a bush that burns with fire but is not consumed. God calls to him from the bush, identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and commissions Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt. Moses objects, asking 'Who am I?' God responds not by listing Moses' qualifications but by declaring 'I AM THAT I AM' — revealing His eternal, self-existent name. God promises to bring Israel out of Egypt to a land flowing with milk and honey.

Key Themes

1

Holy Ground and the Holiness of God

God commands Moses to remove his sandals because the ground is holy — the presence of God transforms the ordinary into the sacred, and sinful man cannot approach Him carelessly.

2

The Revelation of God's Name: I AM

God reveals Himself as 'I AM THAT I AM' (YHWH) — the eternal, self-existent, unchanging God who is not defined by anything outside Himself but is the ground of all reality.

3

God's Call and Man's Inadequacy

Moses' question 'Who am I?' is answered not with a list of his abilities but with the sufficiency of God — the call of God does not depend on human qualification but on divine presence.

Study Questions

1.

What is the significance of the burning bush that was not consumed, and what does it reveal about God's nature and His relationship with Israel?

2.

Why does God identify Himself as 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' (v. 6) rather than simply stating His name?

3.

What does the divine name 'I AM THAT I AM' (v. 14) reveal about God's nature, and how does Jesus' use of 'I am' statements in John's Gospel connect to this?

4.

How does God's response to Moses' sense of inadequacy ('Certainly I will be with thee,' v. 12) reshape our understanding of calling and ministry?

5.

Why does God tell Moses to remove his sandals (v. 5), and what does this teach about how we should approach the presence of God?

Connection to Christ

Jesus directly claimed the divine name revealed at the burning bush when He declared 'Before Abraham was, I am' (John 8:58), and the Jews understood this as a claim to deity. The great I AM who spoke from the bush is the same God who became flesh in Jesus Christ — the eternal, self-existent One who came to deliver His people from a bondage far greater than Egypt.

Personal Reflection

Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Exodus 3. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?

Exodus

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