Êxodo 3

Êxodo 3

Cole - God does not ultimately forbid men to approach him: but Moses is not yet ready, for he does not recognize the presence or nature of God. There will be times later when Moses will ‘come near’, to intercede for others (Exod. 32:30+), and his greatest prayer will be to have this vision of God. Here is a message Show Me Your Glory by Dr Steven Lawson in which he encourages us to begin to pray a prayer that we may not have heretofore considered, but one which has the power to radically impact our life. Listen and you will be blessed, edified, convicted and challenged! Moses' prayer (which Cole alludes to above) is "Then Moses said, "I pray You, show me Your glory!" (Exodus 33:18+) Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." - Stephen quotes these same words in his sermon to the hostile Jewish crowd (Acts 7:33-34+). This is the first use of "holy" in the Bible. It was holy ground because the Holy One was there. Where God chooses to reveal Himself is holy (THOUGHT - today that "WHERE" is our bodies, His temple 1Co 6:19-20+ --- Are you living up to the potential of your calling as a "holy one," a saint? The only way is by learning to rely on the Holy Spirit to obey His command to be holy as I am holy! 1Pe 1:14-16+). This ground was different, set apart, because of God was there in a unique way (God is of course omnipresent, but this was unique and special). NET Note - Even though the LORD was drawing near to Moses, Moses could not casually approach him. There still was a barrier between God and human, and God had to remind Moses of this with instructions. The removal of sandals was, and still is in the East, a sign of humility and reverence in the presence of the Holy One. It was a way of excluding the dust and dirt of the world. But it also took away personal comfort and convenience and brought the person more closely in contact with the earth. Ryrie on sandals - A sign of respect toward a superior. Slaves characteristically went barefoot (cf. Luke 15:22+). (ED: Feet in ancient world were often dirty from dusty roads.) Holy (06944)(qodesh/kodhesh) is a masculine noun which means set apart, distinct, unique. Qodesh describes that which has been consecrated or set apart for sacred use and was not to be used for common or profane tasks. If it were used for profane things, in simple terms, it became "not holy." Qodesh in Exodus - Ex 3:5; Ex 12:16; Ex 15:11; Ex 15:13; Ex 16:23; Ex 22:31; Ex 26:33; Ex 26:34; Ex 28:2; Ex 28:4; Ex 28:29; Ex 28:35; Ex 28:36; Ex 28:38; Ex 28:43; Ex 29:6; Ex 29:29; Ex 29:30; Ex 29:33; Ex 29:34; Ex 29:37; Ex 30:10; Ex 30:13; Ex 30:24; Ex 30:25; Ex 30:29; Ex 30:31; Ex 30:32; Ex 30:35; Ex 30:36; Ex 30:37; Ex 31:10; Ex 31:11; Ex 31:14; Ex 31:15; Ex 35:2; Ex 35:19; Ex 35:21; Ex 36:1; Ex 36:3; Ex 36:4; Ex 36:6; Ex 37:29; Ex 38:24; Ex 38:25; Ex 38:26; Ex 38:27; Ex 39:1; Ex 39:30; Ex 39:41; Ex 40:9; Ex 40:10; Ex 40:13 Question: "What does the Bible mean when it refers to holy ground?" Answer: The phrase “holy ground” is found only twice in the Bible, once in the Old Testament and once in the New. God Himself first identified the area in which He met with Moses on Mount Horeb (Sinai) as holy ground. It was there that God commanded Moses to go to Pharaoh and demand that he let the people go from bondage to Egypt. At the moment Moses came upon the burning bush out of which God spoke to him, God gave him two commands: don’t come near and take off your sandals. Both commands were to impress upon Moses that he was standing on holy ground (Exodus 3:5). Joshua 5:15 describes a similar incident, but the phrase "holy ground" is not used. It was not that the actual ground on which Moses stood was holy; rather, it was the presence of the holy God that made it holy. The direction to Moses to remove his shoes was in conformity with what was well known to Moses, for, having been brought up in Egypt, he would have known that the Egyptian priests observed the custom in their temples. Today it is observed in all Eastern countries where the people take off their shoes or sandals before entering mosques and synagogues as a confession of personal defilement and conscious unworthiness to stand in the presence of unspotted holiness. (ED: WOULDN'T IT BE INTERESTING IF WE DID THIS TODAY IN AMERICAN CHURCHES? I'M AFRAID WE WOULD PROBABLY TURN INTO A RITUAL OR SOMETHING "CULTIC!") Moses responds by not only removing his shoes, but also by hiding his face, a sign that he understood he was in the presence of the glory of the divine Majesty and was conscious of his own sinfulness and unworthiness. In fact, Moses was so aware of God’s holiness that he was afraid to look at Him (Exodus 3:6). In the New Testament, the event described in Exodus is reiterated by Stephen as he was preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ before the Sanhedrin. He recounted the history of the Jews and their dealings with the God of their forefathers (Acts 6—7). He reminded them of the incident of the holy ground on which Moses stood and spoke to God (Acts 7:33). The holy ground was rendered sacred by the presence of God, who is the very essence of holiness. The lesson for us is that we should enter the sanctuary, the place set apart for divine worship, with reverence in our hearts. Solemn awe and deep seriousness are appropriate for coming into the place set apart for the worship of God, for wherever the Lord is constitutes holy ground. Exodus 3:6 He said also, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. I am - Ex 3:14,15 4:5 29:45 Ge 12:1,7 17:7,8 26:24 28:13 31:42 32:9 1Ki 18:36 Es 3:4 Ps 132:2 Jer 24:7 31:33 32:38 Eze 11:20 Zec 8:8 Mt 22:32 Mk 12:26 Lu 20:37 Ac 7:32 hid - Ge 17:3 Jdg 13:22 1Ki 19:13 Ne 9:9 Job 42:5,6 Ps 106:44,45 Isa 6:1-5 Da 10:7,8 Mt 17:6 Lu 5:8 Ac 7:34 Heb 12:21 Rev 1:17 MOSES REVERENTIAL FEAR OF GOD God reminds Moses of the covenant He made with the patriarchs. He said also, "I am the God of your father (Amram), the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob - Note he does not say "I WAS" but "I AM" and in the Septuagint that is "ego eimi" which means "I am continually." By implication Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are alive! And second, note that God is mentioned before each name, indicating He is not some far off God but is up close and personal to each one! And He is the same to every believer today - UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL! Do you feel far from Him today? Guess who moved? He is calling you into a personal relationship that is real, vibrant, active, fulfilling, exciting, etc, etc. If you do not know Jesus as Savior then you do not Know the God of Abraham. You need to place your trust wholly in Him, not just for today in time, but forever in eternity. God testifies He is the same God had spoken with the patriarchs. His mention of the 3 patriarchs is clearly an allusion to the covenant (Ex 2:24) God had made with Abraham (Ge 12:1-7+, Ge 15:13-18+) and which was passed to Isaac (Ge 26:1-6) and then to Jacob (Ge 28:10-15 who was given a name change to Israel in Ge 32:28). Notice the inclusion of Moses' father indicating that Amram was a recipient of the covenant made with Abraham. Presumably Moses would have been aware of God's full covenant name used here (having been taught by his mother - see note on Ex 2:10 "The child grew"). God’s opening words, although important for Moses to hear, point the reader back to Exodus 2:24+—showing that the God of Israel has remembered His people and has begun to take action NET Note - This self-revelation by Yahweh prepares for the revelation of the holy name. While no verb is used here, the pronoun and the predicate nominative are a construction used throughout scripture to convey the "I AM" disclosures – "I [am] the God of…." But the significant point here is the naming of the patriarchs, for this God is the covenant God, who will fulfill his promises. Believer's Study Bible - Based upon the grammatical form of this expression, Jesus spoke of the continued existence of the patriarchs after death (Matt. 22:32). The immediate theological significance is that Moses was not introducing another religion, nor bringing a new god to Israel; he was being called by the one true God to fulfill the covenant promises already made to the nation (cf. Ge 9:13). Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God - This reminds me of John's reaction on the Isle of Patmos when the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him - "When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man." (Rev 1:17+, cf Ezekiel - Ezek 1:28+) Luke gives us a parallel description quoting Stephen who in turn quoted God who said "‘I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC AND JACOB.’ Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look." (Acts 7:32+) What a contrast with those who have entered the New Covenant, for example Jude writing in a prayer "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1:24-25+). Was afraid (03372) (yare) fear as when one senses a threat to one's life, but in other contexts expresses the idea of reverence and deep respect (as in Ps 25:14+). In the OT fear of the Lord involves a person's total response to the Lord. It is notable that more than 75% of the over 370 uses (see below) of yare are in the context of reverencing the Lord. In English our word reverence (from Latin reverentia "awe, respect," from revereri "to stand in awe of, respect, honor, fear, be afraid of; revere,") refers to a feeling of profound respect for someone or something, and with yare in the OT as noted this is most often to God. The classic use is Pr 1:7+ "The fear (yare) of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge." Notice that a genuine holy fear of the Lord is often equated with believers (e.g. Mal 3:16+, Mal 4:2+, Eccl 8:12-13, cf the last worldwide proclamation of the Gospel which says "Fear God..." - Rev 14:6-7+) Yare in Exodus - Exod. 1:17; Exod. 1:21; Exod. 2:14; Exod. 3:6; Exod. 9:20; Exod. 9:30; Exod. 14:10; Exod. 14:13; Exod. 14:31; Exod. 15:11; Exod. 18:21; Exod. 20:20; Exod. 34:10; Exod. 34:30; Exodus 3:7 The LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. I have - Ex 2:23-25 22:23 Ge 29:32 1Sa 9:16 Ps 22:24 34:4,6 106:44 Ps 145:19 Isa 63:9 Heb 4:15 because of - Ex 1:11+ = "So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor" I am aware - Ge 18:21 Ps 142:3 The LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry (see below on tseaqah) because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. - This is a reiteration of Exodus "Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them." (Ex 2:23-25+) He is no passive spectator of the misery of his chosen, but his hands go with his heart. -- C H Spurgeon THOUGHT - You can mark it down dearly beloved child of God who is suffering, in affliction, etc. (1) God sees - Ex 2:25, (2) God hears (so be sure to "cry out") (3) God is aware of your suffering. It will not last forever!