Exodus 3: A Reluctant Deliverer — A Resolute God Pt 3
b. God reveals His identity -
the covenant God of the patriarchs (v. 6)
++ "He said also, 'I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob.' Then Moses hid his face, for he
was afraid to look at God.”
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* ++Not just talking about Moses – God reveals His own character
* ++He gives identity before assignment
* ++Roots servants in belonging before sending them into service
* ++Establishes relationship, not just attributes
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"I Am the God of Your Father" (Singular)
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* ++Exodus 3:6 – "I am the God of your father"
* ++Later: "your fathers" (plural) – vv. 13, 15, 16
* ++God binds Himself to real history, families, relationships
* ++Locates Moses in the covenant – not self-speculation
* ++Identity matters because God gives it to those He calls
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Moses' Identity Crisis – 80 Years of Confusion
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* ++Biological family → Pharaoh's house (adopted by Pharaoh's daughter)
* ++Raised as Egyptian prince → identity questions: "Who am I?"
* ++At 40: Kills Egyptian taskmaster – identifies with Hebrew people
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* ++Flees to Midian → 40 years in wilderness, another culture
* ++Adopted children often wrestle: "Who am I really?"
* ++Personal parallel: Speaker's adoption story – biological vs. adoptive traits
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Widening the Lens – From Personal to Generational
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* ++God moves from "your father" → "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob"
* ++Reveals Himself as God of Covenant Faithfulness
* ++Covenant: Initiated by God with Abraham (Gen 12, 15, 17) passed to Isaac, Jacob
* ++Anchors Moses' confidence in God's proven faithfulness
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"I Am" – Not "I Was"
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* ++"I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob"
* ++Implication: Patriarchs are still alive in God's presence
* ++Jesus' teaching: God of the living, not the dead (Mark 12:26–27)
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* ++Same unchanging God: Called Abraham from idolatry, faithful through barrenness, patient with Isaac, faithful despite Jacob's failures
* ++Message to Moses: "I have not changed. My promises endure."
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Covenant Faithfulness Defined
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* God's purposes move forward
* Promises remain intact
* People never forgotten
* Builds trust: "You can trust Me – I keep My word"
* Leads to awe/fear – standing before faithful, living, unchanging God
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Response to God's Revelation – Fear & Holiness
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* Moses hides his face: "Afraid to look at God" (Exodus 3:6)
* Not just power/faithfulness/eternity → Holiness
* Covenant draws close; holiness limits how close
* Instinctive response: Moses hides face (no command needed)
* Acts 7:32 – Trembled with fear, would not look
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God's Holiness – Pure, Not Evil
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* Overwhelming pure light of God's identity
* Reverent awe, holy terror, sense of unworthiness
* Analogies: Fire warms but don't grab; electricity lights but don't touch; sun gives life but don't stare
* Dangerous because pure – not evil
* Tension: God reveals in holiness, but no finished way for sinful man to stay near
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No Finished Mediator Yet
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* Moses before holy God without full atonement
* Sin not dealt with; price of nearness unpaid
* Fear = honest response to holiness
* But not final response – God will make a way
* Foreshadows: Sacrifice, blood, substitute needed
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The Rest of Exodus Points Forward
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* Lamb slain for firstborn
* Blood on doorposts
* Tabernacle to protect from consuming holiness
* Priesthood to mediate between God and man
* Burning bush reveals God's identity
* Sacrificial system reveals how sinners draw near
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From Moses to John – The Cross Changes Everything
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* Revelation 1: John falls like dead man before glorified Christ
* Same holiness, glory, fear
* Difference: Jesus touches him – "Do not be afraid"
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* "I am the first and the last… I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore"
* Moses: Under promises, uncovered sin
* We: Under fulfillment, sin washed away, uncovered faces
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Communion – Invited to the Table
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* House invitation: "You may enter"
* Table invitation: "You belong"
* This table: Covenant God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
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* Same God from burning bush
* Because Christ finished the work → No hiding; draw near through Son
* "Do not come near" → "Draw near"
* Place of grateful nearness, not fear
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Final Identity Declaration
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* God who calls and keeps promises
* Justifies by faith, gives life from death
* Provides what He requires, finishes what He starts
* And He is holy
* The God who met Moses
* The God who sent His Son
* The God who invites us to His table
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c. God reveals His awareness of Israel’s suffering (v. 7)
“The LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings.”
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d. God reveals His redemptive plan (v. 8)
++"So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite."
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e. God reveals His divine motivation (v. 9)
++"Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.."
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f. God reveals His purpose for Moses (v. 10)
++"Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt."
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