Exodus 3:7–12 “Who am I?”

Exodus 3:7-12 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:

• Casting Crowns – Who Am I
• Sanctus Real – Confidence
• Not Alone – Red Rocks Worship  

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• Moses And The Burning Bush Bible Story Animation – Exodus 3 | Online Sunday School | ShareFaith.com – Lesson for Kids
• Jesus is My Superhero Hillsong Kids – Song for Kids
• BE BOLD BE STRONG! | Central Sunday School – Song for Kids
• He Knows My Name – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth arelocated in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

After introducing who He is, God explains to Moses why He has appeared to him. God refers to the Hebrews as “my people who are in Egypt” (v. 7). To God, all humanity is “my people.” The Israelites are special to God in that they were chosen for the salvation of all humankind. Under Pharaoh’s harsh tyranny, the Hebrew people likely felt as though God had abandoned them. But God was present with them in their suffering. Expressions such as “I have indeed seen,” “I have heard them crying out,” and “I am concerned about their suffering” emphasize that God was suffering with them. What was described in the third person in Exodus 2:23–25 is now expressed in the first person.

God suffered alongside the people of Israel and waited until the right moment, until they reached a critical point. That process was necessary for God’s plan to be fulfilled. Now that the critical point has come, God plans to deliver the Israelites and lead them to “a land flowing with milk and honey” (v. 8), a land symbolizing fertility and abundance. At that time, several nations inhabited the land. The reason God would drive those nations out and allow the Israelites to dwell there is because of the wickedness of those nations, causing the land to “vomit out its inhabitants” (Leviticus 18:25).

God states that the suffering of the Israelites is still ongoing (v. 9), and He declares that He will send Moses to Pharaoh (v. 10). For Moses—who had spent the past 40 years living a quiet life as a shepherd in the wilderness of Midian—this was a sudden and overwhelming command. He responds, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (v. 11). Though Moses still had affection for his people, the failure and shame he experienced 40 years earlier made him believe he was not fit for such a task.

In response, God says, “I will be with you” (v. 12). In other words, “It is not you who will accomplish this, but I.” God then tells Moses that after leading the people out of Egypt, he will worship God on that very mountain with the Israelites. This will serve as a sign for Moses that God indeed sent him.

Meditation:

When God reveals His plan for the people of Israel and tells Moses to go to Pharaoh, Moses immediately responds, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (v. 11). As we will see later, Moses resists, avoids, and declines God’s calling no less than eight times before he finally obeys.

Moses’ reaction is entirely understandable. Compared to Pharaoh, the absolute ruler of a mighty empire, Moses was nothing. He was already old, a solitary shepherd living in obscurity. On top of that, he was a fugitive, having committed murder and fled. In a time when there was no concept of a statute of limitations, returning to Egypt was as if he were walking straight into prison.

Moses believed he had no qualifications to be a deliverer—but to God, that was precisely the most important qualification. God’s plan was to liberate the Israelites and lead them into the land of Canaan. It was God who initiated it, and it would be God who would bring it to completion. Therefore, God needed someone who would fully rely on Him and obey Him. That is why He came to Moses, who had been humbled and reduced during forty years in the wilderness of Midian.

If God needed human passion and strength, He would have come to Moses forty years earlier, when Moses had first fled to Midian. At that time, if God had ignited the fire of resentment already burning in Moses’ heart, Moses might have recklessly confronted Pharaoh without hesitation. If that had happened, he likely would have ended up as a miserable rebel, executed in disgrace. And even if he had succeeded, he might have tried to build his own kingdom instead of God’s.

But when Moses responded, “Who am I?” God must have rejoiced in His heart. He may have thought, “Now you are finally ready to be used.” As the Apostle Paul said, “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Prayer:

Lord, sometimes we think and act as if we are something on our own. How pitiful and fragile we must look in Your eyes. Once again, we surrender our old selves that keep rising up within us day after day. Help us deny ourselves and rely entirely on You. Let it not be our plans but Your will that is fulfilled. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: God doesn’t choose people because they are strong or famous. He chooses those who trust Him and know they need His help, just like Moses. When we feel weak or unqualified, God can still do great things through us if we rely on Him.

• For Preschool-Elementary
  • How do you think Moses felt when God asked him to do something big?
  • Have you ever felt like you weren’t good enough to do something important? What did you do?
  • What can we say to God when we feel scared or unsure, like Moses?

• For Youth
  • Why do you think God waited until Moses was older and weaker before calling him?
  • What does it mean to rely on God instead of your own strength? Can you think of a time when you had to do that?
  • In what areas of your life do you feel unqualified or afraid? How might God be preparing to use you there?