Taught by Philip de Grey Warter at UCCF South West Team Days, May 2009
Joanna Lumley grew up near the equator so had never seen the Northern Lights, but saw it in a picture book as a child. A TV programme followed her through Norway to Svalbard to try and see the Northern Lights. One of the true natural wonders of the world , when solar wind hits the magnetic field – it’s something of that awe we need to imagine when we consider the burning bush. It caught Moses’ eye – intriguing and captivating.
Some intriguing puzzles in 3v12. “This” may be referring to burning bush rather than the worship – if so, God’s telling Moses not to worry, but rather, this bush is a sign of God’s great power, a guarantee therefore that what he says will happen will happen. But it’s not the spectacle that’s the captivating point – not the attention grabbing spectacle, but the attention grabbing words. See v6, v15, 16. God introduces himself as a God of his people. Here is a God who has made and who keeps promises. It’s because of that promise that God is now acting to rescue his people. So where politicians make promises and break them, God makes promises and keeps them.
1. A God who is with his people.
v8, v9, v16. I know their sufferings = doesn’t just mean he knows about their sufferings; he somehow enters into the suffering of his people. He empathises. He doesn’t just look from the outside but steps in.
There was a faithful and long-serving gardener at Balmoral who, in his late years of service, caught pneumonia and died. Queen Victoria grieved her loss and arranged for his pension. Then a terrible winter came; and the family of the man were in great suffering; but then came a knock at the door of the widow. Outside was a fine carriage, and a messenger on the doorstep carried a hamper, with enough food for weeks; and the queen sat smiling in the carriage. The messenger passed on some words of sympathy, and the carriage moved on to the next house. “She came herself,” muttered the widow. v8 “I have come down”.
To know, to remember = covenant. See John’s prologue in the New Testament: “The true light was coming into the world.” God has come down in the person of Jesus Christ, to rescue as he did in the Exodus.
2. The God with a name.
What do you call a man with a spade on his head? Doug.
What do you call a Frenchman wearing sandals? Philippe Philoppe!
Names have meanings! Names in the bible are always more than just names. They describe someone’s character – what they’re like, or what they do (their job). Used to be the case here in the UK: someone who made bread = Baker. Same with God – in the bible his name describes who he is and what he does. Eg The Almighty; the Shepherd of Israel. Here v13-14: “I am who I am”. One of the most enigmatic verses in the Old Testament, with much debate about its meaning. Convention in English translations: when LORD is in small capitals, the Hebrew is YHWH (Hebrew has no vowels).
The verses imply that he wasn’t known as YHWH before these events, though there are references to it (eg Genesis 4:26). So here in Exodus God maybe not giving it for the first time, but it’s here it’s given real meaning and significance.
But what does it mean? God is saying that his nature is going to be shown by how he acts. Who he is will be made clear by what he does. I will be what I will be. Not a new thing here – he has acted already. This becomes clearer from the context:
(i) Throughout, Moses is very reluctant to be God’s agent.
First objection: “who am I that I should do this?”
Answer: “I will be with you.” Same word: “I will be. With you.” God is promising to be present.
So the meaning of his name, YHWH: not just that he is, but that he is the one that is present, and shows himself to be present. So when you’re having a tough time, what’s going to make the difference? That God is (somewhere, in heaven), or that God is with you (on earth)?
(ii) There is also a future sense: “I will be whatever its necessary for me to be.” They’ll need a guide, they’ll need a God who can perform miracles, they’ll need a God who can provide laws to govern them. We know this; not only do we know that God came down, but we’re also given the Spirit. Matthew 28: “I am with you always.”
