Women of the Word

In our continued study of Exodus, we see a qualitative change from Genesis,
which is largely a descriptive account of the family dynamics and background of
the Israelites. In Exodus, God is the force and hero of the story.

God actively sought Moses' attention with fire in a bush on Mount Horeb. When
He called Moses in chapter 3:4, Moses' response, much like Abraham, Jacob andSamuel, was "here I am." The patriarchs were all present and open to God's
call. God's presence turned the ordinary land on Mount Horeb into a holy and
sacred space. As such, it was to be set apart during this divine conversation. God
required Moses to remove his sandals.

Moses was having an identity crisis. He was an Israelite by birth, but raised as an
Egyptian. He had killed an Egyptian and had run from Pharaoh 's wrath, but was
not accepted by the Israelites. He was living with his new family in the land of
Midian, far away from both. In the encounter on Mount Horeb, God immediately
cleared up any confusion Moses may have had regarding his identity. "I am the
God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob."
He leaves no room for doubt. God then laid out the plans for Moses' fellow
Israelites: they needed to be rescued, God would do the rescuing, and Moses
would be the agent of that rescue.

But Moses didn't want the job.

Moses had 5 objections:
1. Who am I that I should go? God answered that He would be with Moses

2. What is your name? God's response was a verb: Ehyeh asher ehyeh (Hebrew), I AM
WHAT I AM. God's name is not static, but active. Moses' attempts to control God by naming
Him were unsuccessful.

3. What if they don't believe me? God demonstrated His power with signs (i.e., turning
Moses' staff into a snake, Moses' hand leprous)

4. I am slow of speech God told Moses that He made Moses, and reassured that He would
be the force behind Moses' speech

5. Send someone else God finally became angry with Moses, yet He provided Moses with
his brother Aaron to assist him in his new job as representative of God's agenda


submitted by Gina White