Exodus 3:1-15; 22nd
Sunday after Pentecost; November 10, 2019;
Life in Christ
Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;
Now Moses was
keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he
led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the
mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire
out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it
was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight,
why the bush is not burned.” When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God
called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then
he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on
which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your
father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses
hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 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, 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. 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. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the
children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I
should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 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.” 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?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.”
And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to
you.’ ” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The
LORD, 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.” (Exodus 3:1–15, ESV)
Grace and peace to
you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Moses was doing
what he always did, watching sheep for his father-in-law. When the sight caught
his eye. A flaming bush, that wasn’t consumed by the fire, up on the mountain.
He went to see what it was about. “The Angel of YHWH appeared to him.” But this
was no ordinary messenger. It was YHWH himself in the bush. God present with
him at that very time in that very place. “Moses, Moses!” called YHWH. “You are
in the presence of God. Take off your sandals it is holy ground, for wherever I
AM present, it is holy ground. I have seen the affliction of my people in
Egypt. And I have come down to rescue them, to be present with them and deliver
them from Egypt.” God called Moses to go to Pharaoh. Moses was the reluctant
prophet. “Who am I, that I should do this?” YHWH answered, “But, there is no
need to fear, I will be present with you the whole time. When you deliver the
people, you will bring them into my presence here at this mountain. When you
have accomplished that, it will be a sign to you.” “But”, Moses answered, “when
I say the God of your fathers has sent me, they will want to know your name.”
And God answered. “I AM WHO I AM. Say to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me
to you.”
I AM WHO I AM. It
seems simple enough. But there’s more to it than God saying that he exists.
“ehyeh ashar ehyeh”
I am who I am. It
is a simple translation. But there’s more to it than that. “I am, I exist, I
will be”. All of these contained in the language that Moses used to pen these
important words of God, but most importantly, in this context, “I will be present
as I am present”. The Angel of YHWH is present in the burning bush. God says
his presence makes holy ground. He says he has come down to be present to
rescue his people. And that he will be present with Moses the whole time. From
Jeremiah:
“Am I a God at
hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away?” (Jeremiah 23:23, ESV)
God “at hand”,
“near”, “present”. His name is his promise. His promised presence. God, YHWH,
present with his people in their deliverance from slavery. And the account goes
on; YHWH present with Moses and Aaron as they confront Pharaoh. YHWH present
over and above Satan’s presence with Pharaoh’s magicians. YHWH terrifyingly present
in the nine plagues, and ultimately in the 10th plague and the
Passover where every firstborn who was not protected by the blood of the Lamb
on the doorpost was killed by YHWH. YHWH present in the pillar of fire and
cloud that led the people through the wilderness. YHWH present as the waters of
the Red Sea covered the soldiers of Egypt. YHWH present when they crossed the
Jordan River into the promised land. YHWH present when the walls of Jericho
fell. YHWH present when they occupied the land. When the children of Israel
looked back on the Exodus, they saw the defining moment of God’s name, YHWH.
They saw YHWH present with them just as he promised. God says אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה (ehyaw) “I AM present”, his name. The people call him YHWH, “He
is present”. When God’s people look for salvation, they look for it through his
presence.
On a quiet night
in Bethlehem, in a stable, YHWH is present again. Emmanuel is born. Emmanuel
means “God with us.”
“Behold, the
virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).” (Matthew 1:23, ESV)
[Mary] will bear a
son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their
sins. (Matthew 1:21, ESV)
The name Jesus
means “YHWH saves”, Immanuel saves from sin by being present with us. YHWH
present in the person of Jesus Christ. YHWH present as Jesus confounds the
priests in the temple at 12 years of age. YHWH present as Jesus is baptized in
the Jordan river by John. YHWH present in all his miracles. YHWH present as he
stands condemned before Pilate. YHWH present as he allows nails to be spiked
through his hands and feet. YHWH present as he dies on the cross, that bloody
and brutal death. YHWH present, dead in the tomb. YHWH present on the first
Easter, when he rises from death to life. This is YHWH present for you. As
Luther said, the most important words in all of scripture are “for you”. YHWH
is present for you, to save you from your sin.
And your story
goes on. YHWH is present with you in your Baptism. In Holy Baptism, God, YHWH
puts his name on you. Where God’s name is all his promises are present. In that
blessed flood, that water mixed with the name of God, he promises to be with
you always. In baptism you are adopted into God’s family. Joined with him. YHWH
is forever present with you.
For as many of you
as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you
are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s
offspring, heirs according to promise.” (Galatians 3:27–29, ESV)
It is just as
Jesus said,
Go therefore and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””
(Matthew 28:19–20, ESV)
And there is more.
In his Holy Supper he is present for your forgiveness, also. Jesus Christ, YHWH
himself, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. There is no
way to be closer to Jesus than to open your mouth and take in what he offers,
his body and blood and forgiveness of sins.
Every time we hear
his word read to you, or open the Scriptures for yourself and read, YHWH is
with you. Especially when you read about Jesus and his promised presence.
In these ways
specifically, God is working to comfort and encourage you. Just as he says:
He has said, “I
will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is
my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5b–6, ESV)
So, when you face
loneliness, illness or death:
He has said, “I
will never leave you nor forsake you.”
When you struggle
with doubt, trouble, or sharing your faith with a friend:
He has said, “I
will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Your God, YHWH,
the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who appeared to Moses in the
burning bush, to rescue his people from slavery in Egypt, the God who appeared
in the flesh in Jesus Christ, who hung on the cross for your sins, and defeated
your death with his resurrection, that God, YHWH is with you always. He has
come down to you and is present with you forever. Amen.
The Peace of God
that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
[1] Biblia Hebraica
Stuttgartensia: with Westminster Hebrew Morphology. (2001).
(electronic ed., Ex 3:14). Stuttgart; Glenside PA: German Bible Society;
Westminster Seminary.
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