It looked like Moses could help out his people because of his position. But God didn't want to use an Egyptian prince. God had to make Moses into someone He could use. Someone that wasn't a worldly Egyptian.
Exodus 3:1-3- Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
Moses had gone from Egyptian prince to a lowly shepherd. And that is just where God needed him to be. He didn't need a prince to rule over His people. He needed a shepherd to guide them.
God decided to talk to Moses in a very special way. He appeared as a fire on a small bush on a mountainside. I don't know if anyone else saw this, but it looks like Moses was the only person God was interested in talking to.
Exodus 3:4-5- And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
The Bible doesn't say that God spoke to anyone during those 400 years of enslavement in Egypt. This may be the first time in 400 years that anyone had heard from God!
Exodus 3:6-8- Moreover he said, I am the God of thy 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 upon God. And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
God told Moses who He was, and what His plans for His people were. I'm sure Moses kept his face hidden almost the entire time!
Exodus 3:9-10- Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
God told Moses that He wanted to use him to help deliver His people. Wow! What would Moses think?
Exodus 3:11-And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
This shows exactly why God chose to use Moses. Moses was humble. I don't know if Moses had been humble as an Egyptian prince, but he learned to be humble as a shepherd. And God can use a humble shepherd!
Exodus 3:12-15- And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
Ever since Adam people always called God by The Lord God. But God told Moses that He had a special name for His people to call Him- I AM. Just like other people call your parents "MR" or "MRS" or maybe even by their first name, you get to call them something special, "daddy" or "mommy". The Hebrews got a name that was special, personal to call God.
God told Moses to go meet with the elders of the Hebrews and let them know God's plan.
Exodus 3:18-20- And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.
God had a very special plan for Egypt. He was going to show His wonders! The mighty power of God had not been shown upon the earth since the creation and the flood. It had been a long time since either event happened, and many people worshipped false gods. It was time for the world to see what the real God could do!
