WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary

For Sunday September 5, 2010
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GOD’S REVELATION TO MOSES
(The eternal GOD continues to reveal HIMSELF)
(Exodus 3)

Exodus chapter three tells of the confrontation of GOD with Moses, by way of the biblical Theophany, or manifestation of CHRIST, now known as “The burning bush”. Here GOD commissions Moses to deliver HIS Israelite people from out of the chains of slavery in Egypt. Verses 1-3 present the circumstances of Moses’ calling after he had spent some forty years in the wilderness of Midian tending sheep for his father-in-law, Jethro, near Mount Sinai.
During his first forty years of existence, Moses lived as a prince in Egypt, where he developed his leadership skills, and now his second forty years of existence has been spent as a lowly shepherd, where he was forced to learn about humility. However, the greatest and most memorable segment of his life, his final forty years, is still yet to come, because he is now ready to be used by GOD as the human instrument which GOD would use to set HIS chosen people free, and lead them in their exodus from Egypt. They had suffered greatly in the 450 years or so, since the death of Joseph, the son of Jacob, who had gained great favor with the Egyptian people during his lifetime.
Here in this passage, we see that, one day, as Moses was attending the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro, in the wilderness near the Sinai Mountain, an angel of the LORD appeared to him, in the form of a “burning bush”. Moses was amazed, because the bush was engulfed in flames, and yet, did not burn up. The angel instructs Moses, as to what GOD wanted him to do, regarding leading HIS people out of slavery in Egypt. He also instructs Moses to bring the people back to Mount Sinai, to worship GOD afterwards.
After much protesting, Moses reluctantly accepted the task that was presented to him from GOD that day. When he was a prince in Egypt, he was confident and sure of his abilities to lead any group of people. However, here we see an almost unbelievably humble man, greatly doubting he could tackle such a huge undertaking as the one that GOD was now assigning to him.
And so we see GOD’s plan of humbling Moses has worked. And now, Moses is about to learn something that men continue to learn today, and that is the fact that, it is by GOD’s strength, not ours, that we are successful in our struggles through the storms of life. Here we see that GOD has stripped Moses of an attitude of “self confidence”, and is now about to replace it, with an attitude of “faith and confidence in HIM”.
Through divine intervention, our struggles are made easy when we rely on, and believe in, the power of the only wise GOD. This book of Exodus, besides being one of the greatest adventure stories of all times, is particularly foundational in developing the Christian view of who GOD is, and also, in understanding morality and the nature of worship.
Moses must have deeply felt the stress of leading such a large group of unruly people out of the clutches of slavery. But his firm commitment to his calling, his steady reliance on prayer, and his eventual, total trust in GOD, lives on as an example for every spiritual leader to follow.
Remember, GOD does not forget HIS commitment to us, and we should not neglect our commitment to HIS covenant, that was ushered in by CHRIST JESUS. JESUS set the greatest example of suffering the world has ever seen, and we, in return, should set the greatest example of worship, service, and obedience to GOD, that the world has ever seen.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander


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