Exodus 3:13-22 Notes: The Divine Name Revealed

Section 6: The Divine Name Revealed – Exodus 3:13-22

Theme or topic of this section

Look, I’m God, This is the Plan, You’re My Man, and
             Here’s Your Instructions

Moses’ Assignment

Start Packing

Trust Me

I Have a Name and You Have a Mission

Questions written by the class

- Moses, what are your intentions when you get to Egypt?  How are you able to do this chore, and why did you take it on?

- How is God going to make the Egyptians give the jewelry and other articles?

Some interesting points

- Moses’s second objection is “The Israelites won’t know who you are.”

- Why does God need Moses to speak instead of just God speaking himself?  Perhaps because generations after will know that an ordinary guy could do an extraordinary task.   See Philippians 4:13

- God says his name is

            I am who I am                       or

            I will be what I will be          or

            I am who I will be                 or

            I will be who I am                 or...

In other words, God is infinite, and has no definition.

- Moses needs to know that God is not one of the Egyptian gods.

- God has to re-establish monotheism (and is still re-establishing it today).

- Does Moses get a satisfactory answer to his question about God’s name?

            - Yes and no.

            - It’s as clear as it could be.

            - Moses wanted him to say something like, “My name is Paul.”

- the name “I am” denotes just how big God is.  There are no words to describe God in human terms.

- Throughout the Bible we see these regular old schmoes getting a mission.

- What would you do if your rhododendron started talking to you?

What we learned about the nature of God from this passage

- God is everywhere all the time.

- God has compassion.

- God is trying to give Moses confidence.

What we learned about other characters from this passage

- Moses was Prince of Egypt, now humble shepherd, is wanted for murder.  He’s not too ambitious now.

- Moses was probably used to the wilderness.

- Pharaoh will not easily let them go, but God wil compel him.

- Egyptians will be disposed to give plunder willingly.

What we learned from this passage that we can apply to our lives

- Trust God even if you are not feeling qualified.

- God helps me out of difficulty.  I thank God every day for that.

- Some things don’t have an answer that can be articulated.