I’M COMING DOWN THERE!/EXODUS 3:1-9

In our text we find the enemies of God’s people making life very hard for them, and under the burden of suffering and oppression they cried out to God, and God heard them and told them He was coming down there to make things right. God entered into the concerns of His people then, and He does so now. We will consider this morning why this is important to us, as we again consider the ministry of the preincarnate Christ. First, we begin with ...

I) THE LARGER CONTEXT OF EXODUS 1-3

A) In chapter 1 we find Joseph dying, and a new king coming to power in Egypt who did not know of Joseph. Also, we find God multiplying Jacob’s descendants which caused fear to arise in the king’s heart. So, the king tried to stop their increasing numbers by oppressing them. Drastic measures were now going to be implemented–put all male born children to death immediately upon delivery. Yet, the midwives feared God and did not do so.

B) Into this situation we are introduced to the child Moses in chapter 2. Moses, to be protected from those that sought the death of male born children, was put into a basket and placed in the Nile River. He was found by the daughter of the Pharaoh, and providentially raised by his birth mother. Moses grows up in the finest that Egypt had to offer. Yet, he was overcome by the Egyptian treatment of the Hebrews, and one day it got the best of him and he killed an Egyptian who was fighting with a Hebrew man. In fear for his life he flees Egypt, and his problems. At the beginning of chapter 3 we find Moses in the wilderness working for his father-in-law (v.1). Now, we are going to slow the story down and consider ...

II) MOSES’ INTERACTIONS WITH THE ANGEL OF THE LORD–Vv.1-5

A) Let’s make no mistake about it, God was orchestrating all that had happened to get Moses to the wilderness. In the wilderness, God met with Moses in an extraordinary way. In what had to be a startling moment, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a burning bush (v.2). The bush Moses saw burned but was not consumed by the fire. Such a sight caused Moses to take a closer look (v.3). And, when he does, God speaks to him by calling out Moses’ name twice (v.4). And, as did Abraham, Moses replied "Here I am" (v.4). God then replies by telling Moses that he was on holy ground, and as such he must remove his sandals (v.5).

B) Let me make a brief application of this to us here today. Maybe God has taken you out of your comfort zone and into a place that seems like a wilderness. Maybe you are wondering what God could possibly be up to. Maybe God is preparing you to meet Him, and in preparation for that meeting He is taking all the obstacles out of the way so He can have your full attention. Why would He do so? Because He wants to have sweet, uninterrupted communion with you. Let’s hear these helpful words from theologian John Calvin: "Let us learn, then, by the example of Moses, as often as God invites us to Himself by any sign, to give diligent heed, lest the proffered light be quenched by our apathy." And, let’s consider James 4:8 "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded."

III) THE POINT OF THE ENCOUNTER–Vv.6-9

A) First, we see God calling Moses to service in His cause, and that cause being the deliverance of His people from bondage in Egypt. When God identifies Himself to Moses, Moses sought to hide his face out of fear (v.6). God goes on to make clear that He is intimately aware of the afflictions, sufferings, and cries of His people (vv.7,9). The second point of the encounter had to do with God’s promise that He would intervene–"I have come down to deliver them ..." (v.8). In all of this, we must be reminded that God was going to bring them into the Promised Land just as He had promised He would. This was intended to bring them hope in the midst of despair.

B) What might all this mean to us today? God sees us in our own bondage in our own Egypt. Egypt represents our own bondage to sin, and our need for deliverance. God sees our desperate condition, and He promises a deliverer like Moses, but different in many ways to Moses. In our story in Exodus 3 we find the work of Christ prefigured in two ways: 1) In the Angel of the Lord, and 2) In Moses as the deliverer. God comes down in the person of His Son to deliver us from our sins, our afflictions, and our oppressors. If we cry out to God for a deliverer from our sins, afflictions, and oppressors, then He hears us and sends His Son, the Savior, Jesus Christ. It is He who delivers us from spiritual Egypt and takes us to the heavenly Canaan. If you haven’t, and your heart desires, then cry out to God to deliver you. And, we have this promise in Romans 10:8-11 "But what does it say? The word is near you, even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; [9] That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. [10] For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [11] For the scripture says, Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed."