Exodus 3:7-12
The Call of Moses
A Sign of Promise
Introduction: As we go through today’s verses, it will seem like God is doing something for Israel that was previously unplanned. It kind of sounds that way as you read them, doesn’t it? Israel is in Egypt, Israel is in distress, and because of that, God is going to deliver Israel. We can leave it at that, can’t we?
But that isn’t at all the whole story. The promise of being brought out of Egypt preceded their journey into Egypt. And the promise of possessing Canaan preceded even that. The reason for Israel’s deliverance from Egypt is based on several things which have now all come to pass at the same time.
In other words, it is the perfect time for it to come about based on those things which were already promised and also which are in accord with the very nature of God. Now why is this relevant to us? The answer is that the exact same thing has happened in our own lifetime and it is still on-going.
God said, in advance, that Israel would be returned to the land. Like when He spoke to Abraham about the exodus from Egypt, He in advance also gave the exact time that they would be returned. Further, He has made more promises to them which are future to us right now.
We can read the words spoken to Abraham and say, “Sure it came about just as expected. God said it would and it did.” And so we can feel good about how nifty it was and how sure God’s word is because of it. But do we have the same confidence in that same word about the issues which surround us today?
Apparently not! Most of the Christian world either rejects the notion of predictive prophecy, or they say it only applies to the church now, not to Israel. There is actually an immense lack of faith in the surety of God’s word when it deals with things that we either disagree with or purposely misunderstand.
Let’s not have that attitude. If we aren’t sure of an issue, we should research it and then accept or dismiss it, not dismiss it first. I can tell you with all confidence that the surety of God’s word is tied up in how God deals with Israel which exists in the world right now.
Text Verse: “I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” Isaiah 42:8, 9
I’m not the biggest fan of Israel as a people, but I am the biggest fan of Israel as God’s people. This is why I support them. And I know this because this is what the Bible shows us. And that same word has made many wonderful promises to us as well. The promises are a sign to us that they will come about.
If we have faith in the sign, then the journey getting to that sign is guaranteed and nothing can hinder us in the process. The down and outs that we face are simply a part of us getting there. That should be a wonderful reassurance, especially because the down and outs can really, really stink.
But if the sign is true, then what really stinks will pass and the good, pleasant, and aromatic promises which are ahead are a great hope and anchor for our soul. Moses will be given a sign today to give him hope and help him through something he won’t want to do. Let’s cherish the signs we have been given because they offer us the same hope and help.
It’s all to be found in His superior word. And so let’s turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.
I. Deliverance is Promised (verses 7 & 8)
7 And the Lord said:
Because we take sermons in small bite-sized nuggets, we need to remember what it said in verse 4 of our previous sermon –
“So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!'” Exodus 3:4
It said then that the Lord saw and that God called. Now it says that “the LORD said.” It is Jehovah, the establisher and keeper of the covenant who is speaking. He is God. Though they are being used interchangeably, they are also used to form distinctions in our minds. If it were not so, either only “God” or “Lord” would be used. Because both are, we’re asked to reflect on the role of each.
7 (con’t) “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt,
There is a lot in these few words. First, the Hebrew says raoh raiti – “seeing I have seen.” This phrase isn’t saying that all of a sudden He noticed the oppression, but rather that He had continually seen the oppression. His eyes had not be inattentive to their plight, but the fullness of time had not arrived.
God told Abraham a definite amount of time that the people would be afflicted, he told him that those who afflicted them would be judged, and he also gave the reason for what would occur. All of that is found in Genesis 15:13-16 –
“Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Genesis 15:13-16
As a display of grace and mercy upon another group of people called the Amorites, the affliction of the covenant people was allowed to continue. But we did see in a previous passage that the affliction was not wholly undeserved. Israel followed after other gods while in Egypt and they suffered for their actions.
However, they finally called out to “the” God, the true God in their plight, and so the attentive ears of the Lord had heard. As this verse says, “I have surely seen the oppression of My people.” They are His people, He had called them, and He would never leave them nor forsake them.
Here, in the last moments of the allotted time which was spoken to Abraham 430 years earlier, the Lord calls out to Moses from the burning bush. The moment of Israel’s deliverance is drawing near.
7 (con’t) and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters,
The word for “taskmasters” is not the same as was used previously. Before it was sare missim, or the “chief of tributes.” These would have extracted tribute from the people in labor, but most probably also in heavy collections that we might call taxes.
This word is nagas, which comes from a word meaning to drive like an animal, a workman, a debtor, or an army. The implication is to tax, harass, and tyrannize someone. The people were constantly afflicted and were never given rest from it.
It sounds a lot like what Israel faces today with all of their enemies around them, constantly needling them. But it is a state which can only be expected to get worse, not better, until they call out to the Lord for His deliverance.
This concept of the people crying out for deliverance is not an unusual thing in the Bible. In fact, Scripture is replete with examples of it. The people turn from God, they suffer, the people call out to God, and He responds.
No sooner does He respond, then the people turn back to their old ways, forgetting the Lord. Because of this they once again face oppression. In turn, they call out to Him, and He responds. It is a repetitive cycle of arrogance, followed by immense disobedience, followed by humility, followed by torn heart-strings which result in the bestowing of mercy.
In one of the most memorable examples of this, we can go to the book of Judges. The pattern had repeated itself four previous times in that one book. The people turned from the Lord, the Lord let them have their own way, they didn’t like how it turned out, and so they cried out to Him. In response, He delivered them. However, in Judges 10, it appeared that they had gone too far –
“So the Lord said to the children of Israel, ‘Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the people of Ammon and from the Philistines? 12 Also the Sidonians and Amalekites and Maonites oppressed you; and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand. 13 Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. 14 Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.'” Judges 10:11-14
But, the people continued to acknowledge their guilt and in the next verses we read this –
“And the children of Israel said to the Lord, ‘We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray.’ 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.” Judges 10:15, 16
Although America is not Israel, we have followed this same pattern several times. When things have gotten bad, we’ve turned to the Lord and He has heard. I’m afraid though that we may be past our time of final restoration. We have gone from arrogance to complete wickedness. Without a true change, I believe we may be at the end of our story.
7 (con’t) for I know their sorrows.
The expression, “I know their sorrows” implies understanding and comprehension which must then include feeling, compassion, and even a tender desire to help. As Adam Clarke words this –
“I have considered their sorrows, and my eye affects my heart.” Clarke
In this one verse, we have seen four distinct attributes of the Lord. First, it said “the Lord said.” Next the Lord saw. Third, the Lord heard. Finally, the Lord knew. To speak implies a mouth, to see implies eyes, to hear implies ears, and to know implies a mind.
The question is, “Are these physical attributes or not?” In the case of God, the answer is, “Surely not.” God doesn’t have parts. In the case of the Lord, He has appeared in the garden, he appeared to Abraham, He wrestled with Jacob, and He will continue to appear throughout the Old Testament. Finally, He will come in the Person of Jesus Christ in the New.
How do we interpret the attributes of the Lord, Jehovah, of the Old Testament? It is perplexing and difficult to grasp, but I believe in the eternal Christ, not a pre-incarnate Christ. The Lord of the Old Testament is the same Lord in the New.
8 So I have come down
The Lord descending, or coming down, is something seen again and again in the Bible. He is in heaven, we are on earth. At times, He comes down in judgment upon the earth, such as when He came down to see and attend to Sodom and Gomorrah.
At other times, He comes down to help the downtrodden and the afflicted. In His grace and mercy, He condescends to come down to view our miserable plight and attend to it. In the case of what will happen in Egypt, both will actually apply. He has come down in pity upon Israel which will in turn result in coming down to judge Egypt.
8 (con’t) to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians,
Because of the circumstances which surround His people, the Lord tells Moses why he has come down. It is specifically to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians. Forty years earlier, Moses thought he would be their deliverer, but they rejected him. His time hadn’t come. Now, the Lord is there to tell him that it has.
But we don’t want to lose sight of the bigger picture. In the greatest sense of all, deliverance from the bondage of Egypt pictures deliverance from the bondage of sin. While looking at the true story of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, as well as the pictures this story is making concerning Israel’s deliverance during the tribulation period, we need to remember this above all else.
The work of Christ on our behalf is what should come to our minds. Jesus makes this explicitly clear in John 8 –
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:31-36
The apostles refer to this several times in the epistles as well. Man is in bondage. When man tires of that bondage, He calls out to the Lord and the Lord rescues him. If we can keep this thought in our mind – that the mercy upon the Israelites is reflective of the Lord’s mercy upon us, it makes the story all that much more relevant to our own lives and circumstances.
Just as the Lord came down in pity towards Israel and in judgment upon Egypt, the Lord Jesus came down in pity upon humanity and in judgment upon sin which separates us from the Father.
8 (con’t) and to bring them up from that land
In Exodus 1:7, it said that Israel filled the land. They had outgrown Goshen and at the same time they had caused the Egyptians to fear. Now the Lord is ready to make good on his promise to Abraham which He made 430 years earlier. At that time, he said to him –
“I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” Genesis 15:7
The Land was promised to Abraham, and then to Isaac, and then to Jacob. Just before entering Egypt, 215 years after speaking to Abraham, and 215 years before now speaking to Moses, the Lord said this to Jacob –
“I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. 4 I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.” Genesis 46:3, 4
8 (con’t) to a good and large land,
The actual size of the land promised to Abraham is much larger than they possessed for most of their history. Only for a very brief time did they possess the entire land of promise. It includes all of where Israel is today, Gaza, the Golan Heights, through Syria, and all the way up to the Euphrates. Deuteronomy 11:24 gives a good outline of it.
In all, it is about 450 miles long and it varies from 60 to 120 miles wide and it comprises about 50,000 square miles of land. Surely it is to be considered “a good and large land.” The spiritual picture we are given is similar.
We live in the narrow confines of a sin-filled world, but the Lord has promised to deliver us to the broad spaces of the infinite realm of heaven. We live in the narrow confines of time which eventually consumes us at our death, but the Lord has promised to deliver us unto eternal life. The 118th Psalm gives us a hint of this –
“I called on the Lord in distress;
The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.” Psalm 118:5
Interestingly though, the only way to reach this place of infinite broadness and eternal duration is through a very narrow gate. As Jesus said –
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13, 14
The contrast couldn’t be clearer – a narrow path to an infinitely wide and unrestricted paradise, or a broad path to the narrowest confines of hell itself. Choose wisely.
8 (con’t) to a land flowing with milk and honey,
This is the first of 20 times that this expression will be used in the Bible. The last time will be in Ezekiel 20 where it is also called “the glory of all lands.” A land flowing with milk and honey implies richness and fertility.
Milk comes from cows and so it means there will be abundant pasture lands. Honey comes from bees which pollinate flowers and so it implies all sorts of fruit trees, herbs, and flowers. Deuteronomy 8:7-10 gives a beautiful picture of the land –
“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 9 a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.”
I should note because I have been there that the land of Israel today is once again like that. It is a land overflowing with abundance. And yet, scholars of the not-too-distant past described it as a desolate land lacking people or produce. Adam Clark who lived in the early 19th century says about the land of Israel –
“…cultivation is now almost entirely neglected in this land, because of the badness of the government and the scantiness of the inhabitants.”
I bring this up to highlight the lie that there never was any sizeable portion of “Palestinians” residing in the land before Israel returned and brought it back to usefulness. It was a wasteland, devoid of people and unfit for any type of productive use.
And one more point about the term “a land flowing with milk and honey.” It isn’t just speaking of the physical abundance of the land, but also of the spiritual abundance. It is the land of God’s word and the people through whom that word has come. The word of God is said to be sweeter than honey. It is also equated with milk which nourishes. Thus, this is a reference to that as well.
8 (con’t) to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.
Six groups of people are mentioned here. At other times, five or seven or eight are mentioned. At Abraham’s time, ten people groups were mentioned. It isn’t certain why the names are stated sometimes and overlooked at other times, but God has His reasons, even if they aren’t plainly evident.
It is to the place where these people dwell that Lord promises to deliver the people of His inheritance.
I have seen the oppression of My people
And the great miseries they have had to endure
But I will deliver every true heart under the church steeple
My promise to them is eternal and sure
Not forever will I remain silent
I will not wait too long to receive them unto Me
Someday the time will have been sufficiently spent
And the trumpet will sound out jubilantly
I have a plan and it is being worked out
And at the right moment I will rise to receive My bride
There will be a loud, resounding shout
And My people will forever be by My side
II. I Will Send You to Pharaoh (verses 9 & 10)
9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me,
This verse is stated in the opposite order of verse 7. That verse began by saying He had seen their oppression and then that He had heard their cry. This verse begins with hearing their cry first. The reason goes back to the previous chapter where it said –
“Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.” Exodus 2:23
At that time, a definite article preceded the word God – “the” God, implying that they had decided to call on the true God. Their oppression had gone on since Moses left 40 years earlier, but only when they called out to the true God would He respond. The same is true with Israel today.
They have been under punishment since Christ left, but only when they call out to the true God will He hear and respond. This was all exactingly pictured in our Joseph sermons.
9 (con’t) and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
Because of their cry, He acknowledges their oppression. It is a repetition and yet a rewording of verse 7 in preparation for His response and remedy which is to be found in the next verse. Israel is oppressed, the Egyptians have been the oppressors, and the people have cried out to the God. Now the God, the Lord, will respond.
10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh
In Genesis 12, the Lord called Abraham with these words –
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3
In what is not a dissimilar occurrence, the Lord now calls Moses. He has been in Midian for 40 years. He has a family, flocks, and a life which has been at best routine and uneventful. But like Abraham, he is now called to put that aside and to place his faith and trust in the Lord’s direction.
For Moses, that direction is to go to Pharaoh, to the house that he was raised in, and to a family that would still have the remembrance of him and what he had done and which caused him to leave in the first placed.
He had departed 40 years earlier after killing an Egyptian in an attempt to save one of his brothers. But he was rejected by the people whom he had hoped would recognize him as their deliverer.
10 (con’t) that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
This is the second time the Lord has identified Himself directly with Israel. They are called “My people.” As Moses is an Israelite, then he is identified with them too. The Lord isn’t going outside of His people to find a deliverer, but to one from within His people.
Others have received similar calls throughout Scripture. Amos, like Moses, was one who tended the flocks. His call came to prophesy to Israel and he responded to the call. When he was told by the king to stop prophesying, he basically said, “You must be kidding.” His answer to him was –
“Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah:
“I was no prophet,
Nor was I a son of a prophet,
But I was a sheepbreeder
And a tender of sycamore fruit.
15 Then the Lord took me as I followed the flock,
And the Lord said to me,
‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.'”” Amos 7:14, 15
After that, he went on to pronounce words of judgment on the king. Many years later, a group of men were fetched off of fishing boats and asked to speak out to the people, becoming fishers of men. The call is made and the one called is expected to respond.
However, there is, at times a note of rebellion before the call is actually accepted. Moses will fit this category. Probably the most famous such rebellion is that of Jonah, but both he and Moses eventually came through. They were men of Israel, called to minister to Israel.
Likewise, God didn’t call an angel to deliver humanity, He called a Human to deliver them. Hebrews 1 explains this in detail. In order to redeem us, God chose to send His Son into the world, uniting with humanity. In Him, there was no hint of rebellion or reticence. Rather, the Bible says He was called and He responded –
“Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.'” Hebrews 10:7
And He will send Him again, Jesus – both Human and of Israel, to deliver Israel in the future. It is amazing to think on these things and to ponder them.
I am calling you to do My will o man
Your commission is there, in My word
Go and tell all the people you can
That God’s love is found in Jesus the Lord
Go forth! Tell the message while there is time
I am with you and will be your guide
There is a hope in Christ, wonderfully sublime
There is joy everlasting there by His side
Don’t wait! Don’t put it off another day
Now is the time of God’s favor, today is the day of salvation
Let the world know that Jesus is the way
He is the hope for every person in every nation
III. You Shall Serve God on This Mountain (verses 11 & 12)
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
Again, there is a definite article in front of God. It says v’yomer Mosheh el ha’elohim – “And said Moses to ‘the’ God.” It is as if Moses, remembering the conversation as he wrote the account, was also remembering the utter folly of his words. The Lord, who is the God, has called and he has questioned.
He’s standing in front of a burning bush that isn’t consumed. There is a voice, but no form. He’s identified Himself as the One who was there for Abraham, for Isaac, and for Jacob. He is the initiator and monitor of the covenant for the covenant people, and he has made a choice concerning them which involves Moses. And yet Moses questions the choice.
But more than questioning the choice, he repeats the words just as he received them. The Lord said, “I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” Moses responds, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
If you take this to its logical conclusion, every time we question the word of “the” God, we are in the same position as Moses. We can spend all day talking about how silly Moses was, but the point is that we then are far more silly when we do the same.
The words are carefully selected and recorded to ask us to consider them in the light of which they are intended. The words of Buddha, Krishna, and Muhammed are recorded but they have no power because they are not from the God. But the words of the Bible are, and they are to be accepted and acted upon.
Moses questioned after he knew the truth concerning Who was talking to him. We can question until we know the truth, but afterwards, we simply need to obey. He is the God and we are man. What He speaks is to be obeyed without question.
A perfect example of this is found in 1 Timothy 2:12. The word of the God says, “And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.” However, all over the world, the response is, “Who am I that I am not permitted to teach or have authority over a man.” The Anglican church just took this stand one week ago, departing from the word of “the” God.
And so in open rebellion to the word of “the” God, women preach and teach with men present, completely ignoring the instruction which is as weighty as the words which issued to Moses’ ears from the flames of the burning bush.
12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you.
The Hebrew says, “Since I will be with you.” The answer is in response to what Moses meant, not particularly the statement that was made. He implied that he wasn’t capable of the challenge set before Him, but the Lord’s answer says, “You are because I am with you.”
It is the same idea that we see in the words of Paul. He had an infirmity which he felt was a limiting factor in his life and in his ministry which he tells us about in 2 Corinthians –
“Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'” 2 Corinthians 12:8, 9
Moses looked at the challenge from his human perspective, knowing that he was incapable of rising to it, but the Lord, not he, was the decisive factor which would ensure the outcome.
12 (con’t) And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you:
The words here are v’zeh lekha ha’ot – “and this to you the sign.” The words “shall be” are inserted by the translators. They also add a colon at the end of the thought to show that the sign is to be announced. However, some argue that the sign is the burning bush. In essence, the sign has been given, it is not what is coming.
That is incorrect. The sign is forthcoming. The words “shall be” and the colon at the end of the thought are correct. It is the standard working of God to give a sign which is future as a testimony of the truth revealed in the present. The sign is an appeal to faith, not to sight. As Albert Barnes says about this –
“The word means a declaration or promise of God, which rests absolutely on His word, and demands faith. The promise that God would have the people serve Him in that place was an assurance, if fully believed, that all intervening obstacles would be removed by His power.” Barnes
This same giving of a future sign is seen several times later in the Bible. One was given to Eli, the High Priest of Israel in 1 Samuel 1, another was given to King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 19. One of the most famous of such signs was given by the Lord to the house of David in Isaiah 7 which says –
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
Like these other signs given to God’s people, the Lord has a sign for Moses if he is willing to accept what the sign implies…
*12 (fin) When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
The sign is given. It is stated as an accomplished fact. “When you have brought out the people” implies a deed which is past, even though it is still future. When it is performed, the sign will be confirmed. But once again there is a definite article in front of “God.” You shall serve “the” God on this mountain.
Not only is the sign given, but it is given in anticipation of serving “the God,” not “a god.” The Lord who has called is the Lord who will be served. The call ensures His presence; His presence ensures the outcome; the outcome is anticipated in the sign; and the sign gives credit to the God in the service of Him.
Such a sign always appeals to faith. In that faith it then provides every assurance necessary of the outcome. The end implies the means. If Moses looked forward and said, “Yes, I believe that this sign is true,” then he would know that nothing could thwart its outcome.
Understanding this in our own day and age, we can ask ourselves a simple question, “Do we have a sign which is comparable to the one Moses was given here?” Anyone? Is there something that we have been provided which follows the exact same pattern of what we have seen today? Anyone?
The answer is, “Yes.” Moses was given the word of the Lord, from the Lord. That’s all He was given. But it came from a bush which wasn’t consumed, so he had something extra that we didn’t have didn’t he? No. He had nothing extra. The bush wasn’t the sign, the bush was confirmation of the Giver of the sign.
We have the Bush. Moses saw a bush which wasn’t consumed. That is beyond the norm. The bush spoke to him, something also beyond the norm. The voice identified Himself and gave instruction for Moses to follow, and it gave a token of the truthfulness of what was spoken.
What we have is no less miraculous. We have the Bible which is the testament to the same Lord who spoke from the Bush. It is the voice and the word of the Lord. It has been through the fire of time and yet is has never been consumed. Christ went through the fire of our judgment and He wasn’t consumed. And finally, we have a group of people, Israel, who have been preserved and not consumed by times ravaging fire.
And He has given us direction to follow, just as Moses was given. And with the direction we have been given a sign. If we truly believe the giving of that sign, then the outcome must be assured for us, just as it was for Moses. Either that, or we’re just wasting our time. Who would put faith in a sign that has no meaning?
Our sign is the hope of the resurrection. Our sign is the promise of eternal life. Our sign is to serve God on His holy mountain. The sign has been given and it must surely come to pass. The last page of the Bible says so –
“And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.” Revelation 22:3
The reason why we are here is because of faith in the sign. However, one cannot receive what the sign implies without faith. There is nothing else we can do to be granted eternal life because the sign is based solely on faith. And so I would ask you to consider that. People want what the sign implies without the responsibilities expected by the Giver of the sign.
The Bible says there is a heaven and that only some will be headed there. The reason for this is that there is only one path which leads to it, and that is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. God asks us to have faith in what His word says – all of His word. And so God asks us to have faith in the work of His Son which is detailed in that word.
And so please give me just another moment to explain to you about what He did and how you to can receive it and be granted eternal life in His glorious paradise…
Closing Verse: “O Zion,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Isaiah 40:9
Next Week: Exodus 3:13-15 (I AM THAT I AM) (8th Genesis Sermon)
The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Even if a deep ocean lies ahead of You, He can part the waters and lead you through it on dry ground. So follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.
You Shall Serve God on This Mountain
And the Lord said:
“I have surely seen the oppression
Of My people who are in Egypt
And have heard their cry of affliction
Because of their taskmasters they have woes
For I know and am aware of their sorrows
So I have come down, them to deliver
Out of the Egyptian’s hand
And to bring them from there in this matter
To a good and large land
To a land flowing with milk and honey
To the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites too
And the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites
And also the Jebusites, a land which your fathers knew
Now therefore, behold, the cry in affliction
Of the children of Israel has come to Me
And I have also seen the oppression
With which the Egyptians oppress them constantly
Come now, therefore, and I will send you
To Pharaoh that you may bring
My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt
I am calling you to do this thing
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go
To Pharaoh, and that I should bring
The children of Israel out of Egypt as You have instructed so?
How can I possibly do this thing?
So He said, “I will certainly be with you
And this shall be a sign to you that you I have sent
When you have brought the people out of Egypt too
You shall serve God on this mountain, so be confident
Moses was given a sign, a token of guarantee
That the word would surely come about
Thus he could conduct his affairs confidently
For him there would be no reason for doubt
And the same holds true for each of us
We can be wholly sure and confident as we go
When we call out to the Lord Jesus
Our future hope is guaranteed, in this we can know
Is there a great and mighty mountain that stands in our way?
It is less than nothing when on our side is God
He can make the trials melt away
And gives us a smooth path on which to trod
So, let’s put all our confidence in the Lord
Because we have eternal assurances from Him in His word
Hallelujah and Amen…
