Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 3:9-10

9 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.

10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

In verse 7 God had said that he heard the children of Israel, seen their oppression, and had come to free them. In today’s verse 9 God repeated that He has heard the children of Israel and seen their oppression, but now He proclaimed that He would send Moses to bring them out of Egypt! Thus, God was saying the same thing twice, but the second time with more specificity. Yes, He was here to free the Israelites, but He was here to do it through Moses.

This was God calling Moses to be an extension of Himself, calling Moses to be the Lord’s hands. It was an incredible vote of confidence in Moses, and an incredible amount of responsibility for him. Thus far Moses has shown inklings of fearlessly standing up for what is right, but this is on a whole other level. As we will see, this lack of qualification is not lost of Moses. God knows what Moses can become, but Moses is only aware of who he is now.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 3:7-8

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 taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

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 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.

The first verse speaks of God’s ever-present and ever-knowing nature. He didn’t say that he has been “told about,” or “had reported to Him,” or “been made aware of” the suffering of the Israelites. His words were those of a firsthand witness. He mentioned the affliction He has seen, the cries He has heard, and the sorrow that He knows. God had directly observed and cared for all of their trouble, just as He does for all of us. Sometimes it is hard for us to believe that, given that we do not see Him seeing us. When we raise our cries to Him it is always an act of faith to believe that He really hears us.

The Lord then tells Moses “I am come down to deliver them,” and indeed, here He is residing within, calling His champion to liberate the Israelites. This is not the first time that we have seen God and His messengers personally and directly working in our world, either. I pointed out the presence and direct labor of God’s angels when they saved Lot and smote the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. Obviously, we do not have the fullest picture of what processes God uses to work His miracles in our lives, but it seems clear to me that He is more directly, physically, and personally involved than we often give Him credit for.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 3:6

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 afraid to look upon God.

After giving Moses the instructions to remove his shoes, God introduced Himself more fully. He explained that He is God, and not just any “god,” but the God of Moses’s forefathers. The interaction of the Lord with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were, of course, the thing of legend, and Moses’s reaction to joining that same association was one of deep humility, even fear.

Throughout the scriptures we see that whenever Lord enters such an intimate closeness with a child, it is because He is about to give them a calling that will consume the rest of their life and change countless souls around them. It was the case for the patriarchs, and it was certainly the case for Moses as well. There is an incredible gravity to these moments, and whenever they show up in the scriptural record one may know that whatever comes next, everything is about to change!

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 3:5

5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

There is much to be discussed about God’s command that Moses not come any nearer until he had first “put off the shoes” from his feet. For starters, this illustrates that there are conditions to enter God’s innermost circle. Some things in the gospel have no conditions upon them, they are given freely to all, such as the gift of life and having the spirit of Christ within us, but other things do have conditions. If we are to dwell in the full glory and holiness of the Lord, there are preparations that we must all perform.

This leads into a second point, which has to do with the fact that Moses was performing a ritual with God. He was learning a specific manner of dress and behavior, a certain way of conducting himself with the Almighty. This foreshadows the exhaustive detail that Moses will give to the Israelites for the dimensions of the tabernacle, the ornate instruments to be housed therein, the dress and decorum of its priests, and the appropriate offerings to be made there. Ritual would become a hallmark of the Law of Moses, and we see him being inducted into its patterns here in this verse.

A final point worth considering is why God commanded Moses to remove his shoes. One reason might be that shoes tend to be the hardest article of clothing that we wear, preventing one from treading softly. They also tend to be the dirtiest article of clothing, carrying all the dust and dirt from everywhere that we have been. Taking off the shoes can therefore be symbolic of setting aside our sins and our hardness, proceeding forward as gently and cleanly as we can. We remove our burdens so that we can better come to God. The symbolism of shoes and feet will return at various times throughout the scriptures, such as when Jesus cleans the feet of his disciples, and in many of these instances the symbolism remains consistent.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 3:1-4

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 mountain of God, even to Horeb.

2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

4 And when the 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.

There is special symbolism in Moses’s new occupation being that of a shepherd. This is a type for Christ, and also a foreshadowing for the future role that Moses will have in guiding the Israelite masses. He is learning how to herd a multitude of sheep, in preparation for herding a multitude of people.

I also think it is notable that Moses was simply going about the duties of his day-to-day life when the burning bush appeared off to the side. This seems to be how it plays out for must of us. We’re just living our little lives as best we can, when suddenly a glimpse of something greater catches our eye, and we are invited to step into a much bigger story. We can ignore it if we want, continuing on a pre-appointed path, or we can make a diversion to see what this bigger story is.

And that is what Moses did. Noticing a miracle, he decided to “turn aside,” change his predetermined course, and get closer to understand. There is a basic faith in this, a willingness to give up original plans to seek divine holiness. If Moses had instead been too absorbed in his sheep, he would have missed this call to liberate and lead the people of Israel.

And notice what verse 4 tells us: God saw Moses turn. God was watching closely and took special notice of this shift in Moses’s intention, and apparently this was the prerequisite to God speaking to him. For no sooner does Moses turn then God calls out. Moses’s answer has special significance, too. By saying “here am I,” he is not only declaring his physical location, but also that he is present and ready in his soul. God is calling for all of Moses, and Moses is saying “here am I.”

Posted on by Abe Austin

What We Need

I had a tender moment yesterday with my three-year-old daughter. She had an ear infection and my wife had scheduled an appointment to go and get a prescription, but in the meantime she was irritable and sad. I had a few minutes of break from work, and I saw her moaning on the couch and asked her if she would like me to hold her. She nodded, so I sat down, put her on my lap, wrapped my arms around her, and gently rocked back-and-forth. She gradually started to breathe more deeply, relaxed into my chest, and stopped her fussing. She was calm and content in her daddy’s arms. I have learned from past experiences that it is also helpful in these moments to show some attention to the little details, such as noticing if her fingers are dirty and meticulously cleaning them with a washcloth, one-by-one.

The thing that stood out to me from this most precious moment was that I didn’t even resolve her underlying problem in the slightest! I couldn’t hurry up her doctor’s appointment, and her ear infection wasn’t reduced in any way by my holding and rocking her, but she was comforted still the same.

I realized that it is very much the same with me. I have had sacred moments where I was able to let go of everything else and just be held by my Heavenly Father. I have felt connected to Him as He showed awareness and attention to the littlest of details, washing my hands meticulously and methodically. And when all was said and done, He usually didn’t take away the issue that was originally distressing me, and there was still a process ahead of me to overcome it, but that was okay, because I felt comforted and cared for in the moment, and that was all I needed to keep moving forward.

Posted on by Abe Austin

The Whole From the Parts

Individual notes might have a beautiful resonance, but if they stand alone they seem random and purposeless. It requires as an external composer who can arrange them in a sequence for them to have a greater function and beauty. Each note knows nothing of the greater song, yet each is essential to it.

So it is for the stars in the heavens. Individually each is beautiful, but if separated from the rest there are no constellations, no signs of the seasons, no greater whole in the heavens. The full picture only comes when all are taken as a whole, but the whole can only exist because of the individual contribution of each member.

And so it is also for us and the good that we do. We do not know the greater song, the greater sign that we are a part of. We try to live good lives, we try to help where we can, we try to make something beautiful, and each of our efforts are worthy in their own way, but they tend to be localized and short-lived. But if we could see how all of our small, random efforts were being combined and arranged alongside of one another, we would realize that a great author and composer has arranged us with purpose and intent, forming a crescendo, a constellation, a beautiful, greater whole.

Now and again, if we are lucky, we occasionally catch the smallest glimpse of the larger picture, just enough to convince us that there is a symphony and a shape formed through all of humanity. That greater whole surpasses each individual part, but it can only exist because of each individual. I am sure that when we pass over to the other side we will finally be able to appreciate the finished work at a distance, and we will find closure in knowing the vast beauty we were all a part of.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 2:23-25

23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

The tyrant Pharaoh passed away, but the new king continued the same oppression of the Israelite people. I can only imagine how discouraging it must have been for the Israelites to see their bondage continued under a new master, for the persecution persisting from one generation to the next established a pattern, one that would crush any expectation for it to ever be repealed by a decree of man. Thus, the Israelites only remaining hope would be in an act of God.

And so, in verse 23, we hear how they raised their cry to the heavens, and God, we are told, heard them and “had respect unto them.” Of course, the fact that He had respect to them may not have been appreciated at the time. It was likely only afterward, in hindsight, that the people came to appreciate how God was already putting together His plan of deliverance. How often do we also cry to the Lord, wondering why He seems slow to respond, when really His other hand is already preparing our salvation?

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 2:21-22

21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

I wonder what sort of life Moses expected when he fled to Midian. I can only assume that he thought he would never return to Egypt, that he intended to start over with a new life in a new land. It makes sense, then, that he would take the daughter of the priest for his wife and settle down with a family.

However, he is still removed from this place in his heart. One would think that the birth of Moses’s son would be an event that might anchor him to this new life, but instead he used the moment to confess a lingering feeling of being “a stranger in a strange land.” Moses has been blessed with life, family, and home, but he does not belongs here. This will never be his place, and as we will see where he really belongs is with his people in Israel.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 2:18-20

18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?

19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.

20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.

Moses had saved the sheep of Reuel, but the daughters did not invite him back to meet their father. Perhaps they were nervous inviting a stranger to their home? Reuel soon sets the matter right, upbraiding them for their lacking manners he speaks of hospitality as a matter of common sense.

It was mentioned back in verse 16 that Reuel was a “priest of Midian,” and his name literally means “friend of God.” However, while the “el” at the end of his name might mean the God Elohim, or it could be referring to any pagan god as well. Thus we cannot tell just from his name and station whether he is a priest for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or for some idolatrous being.

Obviously, Reuel isn’t one of the Israelites in Egypt, but that doesn’t mean that he cannot be a believer of the one, true God. King Melchizedek, to whom Abraham paid tithes, was a priest of God, even though he was clearly not part of the Abrahamic lineage. Thus we know that there were other factions who knew about the Lord. Not only this, but Reuel is the priest of Midian, and the land of Midian presumably got its name from its progenitor, Midian, who was the son of Abraham and Keturah. While Midian, Abraham’s son, may not have been part of the covenant, we can assume that he was still raised in the tradition of worshipping the Most High God, and would hopefully have continued those lessons with his descendants. Thus, while we do not explicitly know the background and beliefs of Reuel and his family, there is reason to believe that Moses was being taken into the home of distant kin who still worshipped the one, true God.