Exodus chapter 3

After reading chapter 3:

*In Chapter 2, Moses's father- in-law's name was Reuel, here it is Jethro. There us no Biblical explanation for the name change, it is just assumed to be the same person, because he was the priest of Midian. Anyway, Moses was tending his father- in- law's flocks when he came to Horeb "The mountain of God." Nobody today knows the exact location of Horeb, if it existed. There is only speculation. At the mountain, the angel of the lord ( yahweh) appeared to him in a bush that appeared to be burning, yet didn't burn up.

* God speaks to Moses from the bush. He tells Moses to take off his sandals because he is standing on holy ground. This seems very silly to me. How is ground made holy? What does that mean? And what difference do shoes make? God tells Moses who he is, then Moses is afraid to look at him. He wasn't afraid before that. Then God tells Moses he has seen the plight of the Israelites and he wants to rescue them and give them a bunch of land that currently belongs to other people. God is sending Moses to the Pharoah to take his people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. So here we have it. Out of all the people in the world, the Israelites are God's  people. They now have favored nation status. Where was God for the four hundred years before that time?

*Moses is understandably dismayed. God promises to be with him and a special sign will be that when they people are brought out of Egypt, they will worship God on that very mountain. This seems like a very easily manufactured sign.  Moses doesn't think the Israelites know who God is! He wants to know how to explain God to them. God says,  "Just tell them I am who I am. ' I am ' has sent me to you. " Very convincing. So, God says "I am" is his forever name and how he wants to be remembered. He is rarely called that again in the whole bible. Instead he is called yahweh . My study bible says it mean "he is."

*So, Moses was to go to the elders of the Israelites and explain that the God of their long, long ago ancestors has been watching over them and has promised to help them get out of Egypt and move to the land of Canaan. They will believe him, and will go with him to the Pharoah to ask to be let go for a three day journey into the desert to sacrifice to their God, Yahweh. Because Yahweh can't be worshipped in Egypt? God already knows Pharoah will not agree to this, so he will strike the Egyptians with wonders. Then the Israelites will be let go. When the Israelites leave, the Egyptians, who are their neighbors and members of their households, will be happy to give them all their wealth.