3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the
priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of
the desert, and came to the a mountain of God, [even] to
b Horeb.
(a) It was so called after the law was given.
(b) Called also Sinai.
3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of
fire out of the midst of a c bush: and he looked, and,
behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush [was] not
consumed.
(c) This shows that the Church is not consumed by the fires
of affliction, because God is in the midst of it.
3:4 And when the d LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God
called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said,
Moses, Moses. And he said, Here [am] I.
3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: e put off thy shoes
from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest [is]
f holy ground.
(e) Resign yourself to me; (Ru 4:7, Jos 5:15).
(f) Because of my presence.
3:6 Moreover he said, I [am] the God of thy father, the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses
hid his face; for he was g afraid to look upon God.
(g) For sin causes man to fear God's justice.
3:7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my
people which [are] in Egypt, and have heard their cry by
reason of their h taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
(h) Whose cruelty was intolerable.
3:8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the
Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good
land and a large, unto a land i flowing with milk and
honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites,
and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and
the Jebusites.
(i) Most plentiful of all things.
3:9k Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel
is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression
wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
(k) He heard before, but now he would avenge it.
3:11 And Moses said unto God, Who [am] l I, that I should go
unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of
Israel out of Egypt?
(l) He does not fully disobey God, but acknowledges his own
weakness.
3:12 And he said, m 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.
(m) Neither fear your own weakness, or Pharaoh's tyranny.
3:14 And God said unto Moses, I n AM THAT I AM: and he said,
Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath
sent me unto you.
(n) The God who has always been, am, and shall be: the God
almighty, by whom all things have their being, and the
God of mercy, mindful of my promise.
3:18 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 o sacrifice to
the LORD our God.
(o) Because Egypt was full of idolatry, God would appoint
them a place where they could serve him purely.
3:22p 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.
(p) This example may not be followed generally: though at
God's commandment they did it justly, receiving some
recompence for their labours.
