This is what God said to Moses from within the burning bush. My first reaction is, "...or else you'll get burned, silly!" But the moment captured in Exodus 3 is much more serious than this.
It is holy ground that Moses now stands barefoot on. After the Lord tells Moses that He's going to use him to bring his people out from Pharoah's Egypt, his first response is like, "Why me?" God comforts this question with the assurance that He'll be with him. Then Moses asks, "Who am I going to say told me this? What if they ask for Your Name?" I can imagine that the Lord might've thought this line of questioning humorous, kind of like a parent putting up with excuse after excuse from his or her child... "I Am Who I Am," said the Lord. "Tell the Israelites, 'I Am has sent me to you.'"
While this exchange certainly has its moments of awe, what a precious promise and hopeful time it must have been. The Israelites had been treated horribly in Egypt, and their cries were finally being met with action from their God. Moses persisted and even asked God to let him out of this responsibility. God, in His ever graciousness, made a way for Aaron to help Moses along the way, being his spokesman. This soon-to-be hero certainly tried to get out of the job! It's interesting, sometimes, to see the beginning of a dramatic story. Sometimes confidence is built up over time and can be traced back to great uncertainty and fear.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at November 2, 2004 09:42 AM