Friday, September 27, 2019

Exodus 3:11 says, And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?  Moses asked the question that we as followers of Christ ask too often when God calls us to do something big for Him.  That question is , "Who am I?"  Verse twelve declares, And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.  God assured Moses that He would be with them.  Then God said that He would offer a token as proof, but really that proof would not come until after Moses had done what God sent him to do.  Our ultimate proof that we have been delivered into everlasting life will never come in this world.  Verse thirteen states, And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?  Moses wanted to know what to tell the children of Israel when they asked him Who the God was that sent them.  We have no evidence of Moses ever being in a personal relationship with God before, so his question may have been as much for his benefit as far the children of Israel.  We can safely say that before we can do anything for God, we must first know Who He is.  Verse fourteen declares, And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.  God's answer to Moses was very clear.  God told Moses that he was to tell the children that He was I Am THAT I AM.  God offered no empirical proof, but only a declaration of the fact that He was God.  God said tell them that I AM sent them.  When we tell people about God today, we cannot prove His existence empirically, but can only present His word by faith that He is God.  Verse fifteen adds, And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.  God told Moses to tell the children of Israel that He was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  God has never changed in Who He is.  He has always and will always be God.  Verse sixteen continues, Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:  God told Moses to go to the elders of Israel and tell them what God had shown him.  The elders were the ones who should have known the most about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Verse seventeen still continues, And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.  Basically, God told Moses to tell the children of Israel the He was going to deliver them from oppression to a land flowing with milk and honey.  God delivers us form the oppression of sin when we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, and He will ultimately deliver us to our heavenly home.  Verse eighteen adds, And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.  Moses was to go with the elders of Israel to Pharaoh and ask that he allow them to go three days' journey to worship God.  Moses was not sent to Pharaoh alone, and we are not alone today when we worship and witness for God.  Verse nineteen says, And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.  God said He was sure that Moses and the elders would fail.  Even if we do fail when we witness to lost people in the world, we are still commissioned to go to them.  Verse twenty states, And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.  God said that He would smite Egypt for the kings refusal.  I personally don't believe that God caused the king to deny them, but that He knew the nature of the king.  Verse twenty-one adds, And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:  God further promised the people of Israel that when they left Egypt that they would not go empty handed.  Verse twenty-two concludes, But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.  Though we as followers of Christ may not receive a lot materially in this world, we are going to a heavenly home that is full of riches beyond measure, though they really won't matter.  Being where God is will be our reward.

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