Exodus 3 Devotional

The God Who Comes Down

“God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’””Exodus 3:14 (BSB)

Moses is tending sheep on the far side of the wilderness when he sees a bush on fire that does not burn up (3:2). From the flames God calls him by name, tells him to take off his sandals on holy ground, and introduces himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (3:4-6). He has seen his people's misery, heard their cry, and come down to rescue them (3:7-8).

When Moses asks who he is to stand before Pharaoh, God does not list Moses' strengths. He promises his own presence (3:11-12). When Moses asks for God's name, God gives it as I AM (3:14). He depends on nothing outside himself, and he does not change. He is the same God who kept faith with Abraham, and this is how he wants to be remembered in every generation (3:15). Jesus later took this name on his own lips, claiming to exist before Abraham (John 8:58). The question for anyone God sends is less who you are than who goes with you.

To think about: Where are you measuring a task by your own ability instead of by the God who promises to go with you?