1 Moses grazed the flock of Jethro, the priest of Midian, his father-in-law; One day, he led the sheep into the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, Horeb Mountain. The angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in flames from among thorns. Moses looked, and behold, the thorns were on fire, but they were not consumed. Moses said, "I will go over and see this great vision. Why doesn't this thorn burn? " ? When the Lord God saw that he was about to see, he called out from among the thorns and said, "Moses! Moses! " He said, "I'm here. God said, "Don't go near. Take off your shoes, because the place where you are standing is holy land "; He said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. The Lord said, "I really saw the suffering of my people in Egypt;" I also heard their cry, because they were under the supervision of the overseers. Knowing their pain, I came down to save them from the hands of the Egyptians and bring them out of that land to a land flowing with milk and honey, namely, the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. I heard the cries of the Israelites and saw how the Egyptians oppressed them. Therefore, I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you can bring my people Israel out of Egypt. Moses said to God, "Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? God said, I will be with you. After you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will serve me on this mountain. This is the certificate I sent you. Moses said to God, "I went to the Israelites and said to them,' The God of your fathers sent me to you. If they ask me, "What's his name?" "What should I say to them? 14 god said to Moses, "I am forever"; And he said, "Say to the Israelites,' He sent me to you. God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites,' The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. Jehovah is my name forever; This is also my commemoration, until ten thousand generations. 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel and say to them, The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has appeared to me and said, I really care for you, and I have seen what the Egyptians did to you. 17 and I said, I will bring you out of the misery of Egypt and go to the land of Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, which flows with milk and honey. They will listen to you. Go to the king of Egypt, you and the elders of Israel, and say to him, The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met us. Now please let us go into the wilderness for three days to sacrifice to the Lord our God. 19 I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go even if he uses tough means. I will stretch out my hand and do all my wonders in Egypt, and then he will let you go. 2 1 I will make you find favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, lest you go away empty-handed. But every woman must ask her neighbors and women who live in her house for gold, silver and clothes for your children. So you robbed the Egyptians of their property. 」
The third chapter of Exodus is also called "Thorn", which is named after Moses foresaw that thorns were burned by fire but not burned. Eighty-year-old Moses was called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
Section 15 of this chapter can be divided into four sections:
(1) The vision of the thorn flame, knowing the holiness of God (1-6),
The flame represents the sanctity of God here. This sacred god is not in the high sky, but falls from the sky and is close to people. His holiness is not to destroy sinners, but to give others his holiness.
(2) The promise of a land flowing with milk and honey and the faithfulness of knowing God (v. 5. 7-9),
As early as Abraham's time, God promised to give them a land flowing with milk and honey (Chuang 15). 400 years later, this promise will come true, showing God's faithfulness and love.
(3) Leading the people out of Egypt to know the guarantee of God's presence (section 10- 12)
Faced with the Lord's sending, Moses felt unworthy. But God said to him, the problem is not that Moses said, "Who am I?" "But who sent him? God promised to be with him and asked him to lead the people to this mountain to serve God.
(4) The revelation of God's name from the Lord, knowing God's name (section 13- 15)
Most importantly, God answered Moses' question: What does God's name "Jehovah" mean? (13) God's answer is: "I am me" (14). This has at least the following six meanings:
He is the only true god (no other god);
He is self-existent (no other external force makes him exist);
He is the god of creation (from which everything is born);
He is an unchanging god (not limited by time and space);
He is an experienced god (people turn God's experience into a witness of life, like Rafa and Nessie);
He has a name, which shows that he is not an unknown god. He is willing to use his name to meet people, make people worship him, preach him and pray to him.
Meditation: (1) People know themselves by knowing God. (2) In daily life, stay alert and be ready to accept God's call and accept new missions.