“Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro.. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. Then the Lord said, ‘I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey…’ Then Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” what shall I say to them?’ God said to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: “I am has sent me to you.” ‘ ” (v1-2,7-8,13-14 abr)
Moses is confronted by the angel of the Lord (ie. pre-incarnate Jesus) through a bush that is on fire, yet is not consumed by the fire. He is commissioned to approach the elders of Israel and Pharaoh and request the release of the Hebrew people, though God says they will not be released without His intervention. There are two major takeaways for me in this passage.
First, God calls a completely ill-equipped man for a crucial task: “But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’ ” (v11) That’s how I feel most of the time when God calls – “but who am I that I should…..” Maybe you ask this as well. Thankfully, God replies ” ‘I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you…’ ” This is the same thing that happens when we first accept Jesus as our savior and we receive the Holy Spirit – we are not called into the family of God because we are already equipped (this isn’t a corporate hiring from a resume), we are called to be part of the family and then we are equipped/qualified: “though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad – in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls…” (Rom 9:11) We are called because of who God is, not because of who we are. The sign He gives us that shows it is Him who sent us, is the indwelling Holy Spirit (and the Fruit of the Spirit is the outward sign people will see).
Second, God (the angel of the Lord) does a fantastic thing in the way He introduces Himself – ” ‘ I am who I am.’ ” (v14a) It’s interesting the we, as mere humans, need a “third word” that adds a distinction when we introduce ourselves – “I am Timothy”, “I am Canadian”, “I am a Christian”, “I am tall”, “I am hungry”, “I am a Company Controller” etc. We constantly fill in the blank. God does not need to fill in the blank: “I am.” The interesting thing is, unlike us, who have identity issues, God doesn’t need to separate Himself from any other for His purposes – it’s only when Moses is completely confused by God’s response (okay, that’s an inference, but God’s response would confuse me) that God expands His response to “The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” His expanded response is to add some context so Moses’ can understand, not because God needs the broader context. Now, I ask you, how many times have we allowed others to give us a third word? Perhaps someone told us “You are too young”, “You are too short”, “You are ugly”, “You are needy”, “You are annoying”, etc. Those are lies from the enemy. God refutes those false “third words” by extending His identity to us through Christ: “You are loved”, “You are my child”, “You are made in my image”, “You are my pride and joy”, “You are co-heir with my son Jesus”, etc. God gives us new “third words” that override the ones that the world gave us. This is often tied into the equipping of the called – when God calls us we are no longer what the world called us (eg. Simon), we are what He calls us (eg. Peter – the rock on whom the church is built).
Father God, we praise You for the new people that You have made us to be. This broken world tells us “you are not qualified”, “you are not good enough”, “you are sub-par” – yet You have redeemed us through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, giving us new “third words” for our identities. We are now “called”, “blameless”, “righteous”, “equipped for every good work”, and “Your beloved children, made in Your image”. Father thank you for making us new creations in Christ, that we may be identified by and through You. Father thank you that all we need to bring to the table is willingness and obedience – like Moses we don’t have much to offer for the missions You give us, yet that doesn’t stop You from calling us. All You require from us is a willing spirit and a heart of obedience. Thank you Father for the lavish gift of the calling that You have given each of us.
~ Conqueror in Training