The Symbol of Fire
Exodus 3:2
Ex. 3:4–10. In this confrontation with Moses, God commissioned him to deliver His people from Egypt (v. Ex. 3:10). Aware that it was God who was calling him, Moses responded, Here I am. The same response was given God by Abraham (Gen. 22:11), Jacob (Gen. 46:2), and Samuel (1 Sam. 3:4). God told Moses to remove his sandals (cf. Josh. 5:15) in a gesture of worship. The ground was holy not by its nature but because of God’s presence. When the LORD identified Himself to Moses as the God of his ancestors (Abraham … Isaac … and … Jacob; cf. Ex. 3:15–16; Ex. 4:5) Moses covered his face, fearful of looking at God (cf. comments on Ex. 33:11, Ex. 33:20; John 1:18).
God then told Moses He was aware of the plight of His people (Ex. 3:7, Ex. 3:9; cf. Ex. 2:24) and that He planned to rescue them from Egypt. The result of His concern is captured in the words I have come down (Ex. 3:8), an idiom describing divine intervention. God would (a) deliver them from Egypt and (b) take them to a good and spacious land, unlike the Midianite desert.
Hannah, John D. “Exodus.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Vol. 1. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. 111–112. Print.
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