V7 – God tells Moses that He has certainly seen the oppression and suffering of the children of Israel. He says He is aware of how they are suffering under these oppressors. The Egyptians in an effort to decrease the number of Israelites were focused on crushing them with hard labor and this weighed down heavily on the Israelites. They groaned under the pain. But God says to Moses that He has seen their suffering and pain.
I find this so comforting. He has seen my/our troubles and pains. He is aware of what is happening to us. He has heard and continues to hear our cries for help. He is not blind to our situation.
Psalm 56:8 NLT– You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.
Psalm 18: 6 NLT – In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.
V8-9 – After saying that He has heard and seen our troubles and suffering, He says He has come to rescue the children of Israel from Egypt and their slavery. The Lord comes to take his people from their dark times and brings them into a land of flowing milk and honey.
Oh, Hallelujah, why should I afraid when He the Lord is on my side? My soul… sing praises to the one who rescues you from pain and suffering. Praise to God in the Highest who sees our suffering and pain. Even if the whole world gangs up against me/us and we remain with Jesus, then we shall not be afraid because no one wins against the Lord. He is mighty in power, and He is mighty to save.
Psalm 56:3-4 NLT– But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?
Psalm 56: 9-11 NLT – My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side! I praise God for what he has promised; yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?
V10 – God sends Moses and appoints Moses as leader of the people of Israel, to lead them out of Egypt and to take them into Egypt. The Lord choses a man to lead his people. In the earlier verses, God had said He has heard the suffering of the people and now He wants to use a man to lead and to be used of Him in guiding them to be saved from Egypt.
There are times when the Lord chooses us to be his vessel to help other people. Are we willing to yield and be used of Him?
V11-12 – Moses protests about being chosen. He sees that He is not qualified. But God says that He will be with Him. God’s answer to Moses is that He will be with Him but at this point, Moses does not yet seem to know that it is God who choses and qualifies him for the mission and that God being with and over him is sufficient. His trust in the Lord is shaky and that’s why He protests.
Dear friends, we have to remember that these things were written or recorded for our benefit now. Moses here is a reflection of how I/we sometimes protest against the Lord when it comes to doing his purposes. It is a reminder of how we can be so inward looking into our weakness and disqualification not realizing that it is indeed the Lord who chooses us. We do not choose Him first, He chooses us, and it is Him who strengthens us to do his will and his desires.
Philippians 2:13 NLT: For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
V13-15 – Moses continues protesting but through this conversation God tells us the name He will be remembered by for all generations. He is:
“I Am Who I Am”. Yahweh, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
He is God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ
V16-22 – And the Lord now gives clear instructions for what his servant Moses must do. He tells him the words to use to speak to the elders of Israel but He also tells him what will happen including that Pharaoh will be hard hearted unless a strong forces him. The Lord also tells Moses about how they will take wealth from the people of Egypt.
His Instructions are therefore clear for Moses. The only thing that Moses needs to do is just follow exactly what God says.
The Lord does not require much of us, He just needs us to follow his instructions. His Word is clear to us, we only need to read it, and obey it.
His instructions for life and godliness are available for us in scripture. Do we want to know what God wants of us? Do we want to know what to do in different situations? The Lord will help us by his Holy Spirit and through his Word.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
(Lord, I pray for my heart and the hearts of all peoples, all over the world. Cause us to hear your calling unto us and cause us to know your word and after knowing you, to obey you and to heed to your voice. For there is no life or salvation apart from you. May you break all these barriers that hinder us from hearing you. May you humble us so that we hear you because it is for our good since it comes out of your love for us. Be glorified Oh God in the Highest, May the earth and all who are in it proclaim your praises oh God. For you alone are worthy to receive all the glory. Be Glorified. In the name of Jesus our Lord and savior, Amen)