The Greatest Romance (Exodus 3)

Summary:

What’s the way to your heart? If someone were to just really get you and sweep you off of your feet and make you fall for them, what would be the reason? What would they have to do? It’s fun to think about, to create in our minds the perfect soulmate, the dreamlike romance. Everyone’s castle in the sky is constructed a little differently, but there’s something all of these romantic daydreams have in common, something that appeals to every one of us. What do women and men really want?

Over in Midian, to where Moses had fled from Egypt, it seemed as if there was nothing he could want. He had a wife, a son, a home, a job and he wasn’t about to be thrown in jail anytime soon for his crime. Moses seemed to be living the life! This went on until one day he saw a burning bush and everything changed.

A bush on fire that is not yet ash nor about to be ash is somewhat of a miracle, so naturally Moses inspected it further. This is when God called his name. Imagine Moses’s reaction. I wonder when was the last time he had spoken to God or thought about Him. What had Moses’s relationship with God been like up to now? Whatever his emotions in the past, Moses was now filled with awe and shock and confusion as God laid out for him a very specific plan.

God knew that His chosen people, the Israelites, were suffering. He was going to deliver them from their slavery and He had chosen Moses to do it. God was detailed. He was thorough. The path to the Israelites’ freedom was laid out before Moses. The way was opened for the Israelites to throw off the chains of oppression. This is exactly what Moses was after when he killed the Egyptian in the first place. How would he respond?

The Treasures Within:

Hook, Line, Sinker

I don’t know about you, but I find God’s entire speech to Moses so beautiful. From beginning to end, it is a progression of love for both Moses and the Israelites who are his people. God starts out by catching Moses’ attention. God chose Moses. He wanted Moses. In that moment the Lord desired Moses and the Israelites – He wanted to save and love them both. So He made His move.

God explains everything and in doing so pours out His heart. The Lord heard and saw His children. What they were going through hurt Him and He wanted better for them. So He planned and He dreamed about the life He could give them (verses 7-8). Not content to leave it there, God also made a promise. He would rescue them. He would take His beloved away from their suffering (verse 12). So in love and with perfect knowledge of His people, God chose the best way to free them (verses 18-22). This was love. This was a hero. This was all the Israelites could ever want. If such a Man approached you this way and held out His hand, asking you to trust Him, what would you do?

God’s Message To Us:

“I am your answer.” Sometimes we look around and everything is falling apart. Or something is missing. Or we just need somebody. The puzzles of life are tricky and deceptive, so much so that a lot of times we find ourselves making do with temporary solutions, like ill-fitting puzzle pieces that we’ve forced into the holes. But Jesus fits perfectly. When He said just five words to Moses – “I AM WHO I AM” – He said so much. That statement had no qualifiers, no extras. God doesn’t have to explain Himself or prove Himself, He just is. He is fundamental. He is God and always will be and no matter how many times we fool ourselves into believing in a different god, He will always be the One we need. He will always be what we want. Because what else do women and men want than to be heard? To be seen, dreamt of, planned for, and cared for? To be known? He has laid out His plan before you. He is waiting for your answer. What will it be?

What do you think? What jumped out at you from this chapter of the Bible? What did you notice about God in His message to Moses?