WEEKLY
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An
international Sunday school lesson commentary
For
Sunday July 2, 2017
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MOSES
AND THE BURNING BUSH
(Every
calling by GOD is unique)
(Exodus
3)
As
GOD’s special agent, Moses delivered Israel out of bondage in Egypt (after much
protesting), and delivered to them, a special code of laws (the Ten
Commandments) from GOD. They were, and are, a special set of precepts, that man
could never come up with on his own, and nor, could he ever equal, in moral and
spiritual quality, or tone.
The life of Moses can be divided into three
separate and very distinct stages that are eerily equal in length. In his first
40 years “he lived as a prince in Egypt”, greatly honing his “leadership skills”
for a task he did not yet know he would be called by GOD to do. During his
second 40 years, he lived in total humility, as an outcast in exile from Egypt,
and, as a shepherd of his father-in-law’s flocks, in the land of Midian. It was
there that he acquired all the “humbleness” that a leader under GOD must have
to succeed.
However, it was not until he had reached
the ripe old age of 80, and was entering into his third and final stage of
life, that the LORD deemed him ready to receive the charge to move forward, and
deliver HIS oppressed and stubborn Israelite nation out of spiritual, physical,
and psychological bondage in Egypt.
And so, here in Genesis 3, some forty years
after Moses had fled into exile from Egypt to Midian, and had just about
finished up his “training in humility”, laboring as a shepherd over Jethro’s
flocks, “the ANGEL of the LORD” (which is “a theophany of CHRIST” in the Old
Testament) appeared to him as “a burning bush”, deep in the wilderness, near
Mount Sinai. Moses was amazed because the bush, although it was engulfed in
flames, did not burn up.
When the LORD saw that HE had captured
Moses’ attention, HE called out to him from the flaming bush, and HE first, instructed
Moses not to come any closer. The LORD also instructed Moses to remove his
sandals because he was standing on “Holy Ground” (Moses was standing, quite
literally, in the company of divine holiness itself). The LORD then explained
to Moses, that, HE was the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and when Moses
heard this, he hid his face in his hands, so as not to see the face of GOD (something
that the Hebrews believed would mean certain and instant death).
Then, the GOD WHO sees all, hears all, and
knows all that we do, told HIS servant Moses that HE was keenly aware of
everything that was happening to HIS people in Egypt. GOD also told Moses that
that is why HE had, literally, come down to rescue them through divine
intervention, and that, HE would use “him” to lead Israel out of bondage, and
back into “the promised land” of Canaan, “a land flowing with milk and honey”.
Here in this passage we see Scripture’s
first use of the term “a land flowing with milk and honey” (v.8). It is a term
that suggests “a natural and somewhat automatic, agricultural prosperity”. The milk
producing animals such as cows, goats, and sheep, would always be full of milk,
and the bees would continually produce plenty of honey for pleasurable
consumption with their foods.
Sadly, taking up at verse 11, Moses would
spend the remainder of this chapter of Genesis (and half of chapter 4), trying
to explain to GOD why he could not answer HIS charge to lead the Israelites out
of Egypt. And even though GOD assures him that “HE would be with him” (v.12),
Moses continued to offer up excuses to the LORD, over and over again (Vs.13-4:17).
When calls us to task, HE is not
requesting or commanding that we act alone, nor under “our own inept human
strength”, but rather, HE is requesting the use of our faith, mind, and “human spirit”,
so that HE can empower us with HIS HOLY SPIRIT, and allow HIM to actually
complete the work that HE calls us to do (in other words, GOD wants to use our
bodies only as a earthly vehicle).
GOD went on to explain and expose to Moses
the details and end result of the entire mission that he was being charged with
(Vs.16-22). However, before that, GOD told Moses HIS OWN personal and redemptive
name, “YAHWEH”, that HE would be called by (but not in vain), and HE promised
him success in his mission to and from Egypt. The rescue mission that GOD was
about to work, would establish for all time, the redemptive meaning of his name,
the name by which HE prefers to be remembered, from generation to generation.
A Sunday school lesson
by,
Larry D. Alexander
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