God calls Moses

Exodus 3:7-15; 10/26/2025; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang

Introduction

         430 years had passed, and God finally heard the cries of His people “because of their oppression under the taskmasters.”  He decided to “come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians.”   It was in this context that Moses was called.  Let us now look at the first point:

 He heard the cries of the people

        Why is it significant that God heard the cries of His people?  Because this marks the starting point of God’s calling of Moses.  It may seem ordinary, but in reality, it is deeply connected.  First of all, God who hears prayers.  Did you know? That God hears prayer is the hope of His children – it’s our courage and strength to keep going.  Think about the Israelites back then — it must have been so hard for them.  Four hundred and thirty years! But He is the Lord who sees a thousand years as a single day.  Even so, God will eventually hear our prayers— and that is our joy and hope!  Sometimes it’s not easy, especially when we’re in seasons of waiting and endurance, right?  Paul said, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2).  To pray in the midst of pain is already hard enough— and to be thankful on top of that, is it even possible?   But the prophet Jeremiah received this promise: “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you” (Jeremiah 29:12).

         Secondly, God who knows.  God not only hears our cries and our prayers—He also knows our suffering.  What’s important is that the Bible says God already knew their pain.  In other words, God’s hearing and knowing are part of His divine nature and power.  Those who are prone to complain often ask “why” questions, such as: “God, since You already knew, why did You only now hear my suffering?”  If you ask God that way, He usually won’t answer you.  Why? Because you don’t truly understand Him—you’re not His close friend, nor His confidant.  And honestly, such questioning can hurt God’s heart.  God longs to see us as His friends, yet we so often fail to appreciate that relationship.  We overlook His love, sometimes even feel numb to it.  Let me ask you: Do you understand what it means that God knows you?

         Lastly, God is faithful.  God keeps His promises — and that means everything to us!  He said to Moses: “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”  This was a reminder to Moses: We have a relationship.  And that relationship was established 430 years ago.  So, you don’t need to worry. You don’t need to be anxious.  Today, I am calling you — and the purpose of this calling is to lead My people back to the Promised Land.  Maybe you’ve forgotten what kind of land that was— but it is “a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey”!  Right now, it’s occupied by the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.  From the time of Abraham, God’s promise has stood for about 600 years.  Now, let’s move on to the second point:

 The Lord will surely be with Moses

         Moses heard: “The God of our fathers has come down to rescue my people ‘from the hand of the Egyptians’ and to bring them out of that land”—that land being Egypt—but where to?  It turns out: “to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey,” the Promised Land.  First: “Now I send you to Pharaoh.”  When Moses heard this, he realised something was off.  Wasn’t it supposed to be You, Yahweh God, coming to save the Israelites and bring them out of Egypt?  How did it become “You are sending me”?  Indeed, I was once Pharaoh’s adopted son, even called an Egyptian prince.  But that was long ago.  Besides, You are the Lord —You speak and it is, You command and it stands; nothing is impossible for You.  You asked me to lead the Israelites out of Egypt — that’s so very difficult!  After all, they’ve been away from the Promised Land for over four hundred years, and now in Goshen, Egypt they live well, eat and are satisfied.  God said to Moses: “Now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen how the Egyptians oppress them.”  Do you think I, the Lord, can be neglected?

   Secondly, who am I to go to Pharaoh?  Moses’ unease deepened.  He thought to himself, “Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” In this moment, Moses forgot who God was.  After many years, Moses would come to understand: “Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”   We are the same. We often feel unworthy, and deep down, we may be unwilling.  Even in the church, when there is a need for service, we may miss the opportunity to love God because of our weaknesses.   But since there is God’s calling and a relationship with Him, why should we be afraid or make excuses?  Moses said to himself: “By faith, let’s embrace the challenge.”

 Lastly, I will be with you on the holy mountain.  There is a phrase that deeply moved Moses: “I will be with you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain. This will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you.”  God’s presence is the source of strength, the manifestation of His grace and power.  The incarnation of Jesus Christ is called Immanuel,  meaning “God with us.”  Having God’s presence means His power accompanies us.  No matter what difficulties we encounter or challenges we face,  we need not be afraid!  Moreover, God left a sign,   embedded in Moses’ future journey: one day, you will return to Mount Sinai and worship Me there.  Let us now look at the third point:

  I AM WHO I AM

      Human weakness often leaves us speechless!  God had clearly promised His presence and even given visible signs, yet Moses remained weak and afraid.  First,  “What is Your name?”  Moses thought to himself, “Wait a minute!  What if my fellow Israelites don’t believe what I say? What should I do then?  Look at me—I don’t even know God’s name!  How can I possibly lead the Israelites out of Egypt?”  So he decided to ask God directly, “What is Your name?”  Actually, that was a good thing!   When we have questions, it’s always best to bring them straight to God.  That’s far better than worrying on our own, being anxious, or feeling unsettled.  Then God said, “I AM WHO I AM.”  That is His name!   God exists by Himself—He always has, and He always will.   Before the heavens were made, God already was.  Before anything in creation came into being, God was already everywhere, doing all things with His limitless power—because He knows all things. 

         Secondly, God said, “I am the God of your ancestors!”  Moreover, the Bible says: “God also said to Moses, ‘Say this to the Israelites: The LORD, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’”  This means that God was not only Moses’ personal God, but the God of all Israel.  In other words, every Israelite had a relationship with God.  The One who would lead them out of Egypt was the same God who had been with their people for generations.  Six hundred years earlier,  God had called Abraham to leave Ur and go to the land of Canaan, where he entered and settled.  Four hundred and thirty years before Moses’ time, their forefather Jacob led seventy of his family members to Egypt to escape famine and find refuge in the land of Goshen.

         Finally, God said, “My name is the LORD!”  The Bible continues: “The LORD is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.”  In fact, the name God means “I AM WHO I AM”—Its extended meaning reveals the One who exists by Himself.  God as the eternal Creator, Savior, and Judge—the One who was, who is, and who will be forever.  The name Yahweh is made up of four unpronounced Hebrew letters, YHWH,   known as the Tetragrammaton.  The Israelites regarded this name with deep reverence—they would not even speak it aloud.  Whenever they referred to God’s name, they would leave a pause, a silent space, to express the holiness and awe they felt before Him.

Conclusion

   Amen! Praise the Lord!  From Moses’ calling, do you truly see God’s heart?  He is the God who listens to our prayers and whose faithfulness is vast and unfailing!  Just as He accompanied Moses every step of the way, we too can see that God is Immanuel—the Lord who is always with us, the God who is ever-present.  May God have mercy on us, help us walk with Him daily, and enable us to respond faithfully to His gracious calling in Christ Jesus!

   Let us pray together……

 

7 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, 

8 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, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 

9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 

10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 

12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

13 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?” 

14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”[a] And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 

15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord,[b] the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.