God called Moses to bring the Israelites out of Egypt because Israel had grown into the great nation He promised Abraham and Jacob in Egypt, and the time had come to deliver them.
In the burning bush, God told Moses, 'Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt' (Exodus 3:10). Les Feldick points out that God had promised Jacob, 'Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation,' and Israel became that nation while in Egypt, which is why Moses was then sent to lead them out.
Exodus 3:10 — This is the direct command God gave Moses at the burning bush — the immediate reason he was called to lead Israel out of Egypt.
Genesis 46:3 — This verse records God's promise to Jacob that in Egypt He would make him a great nation, which is the background for why Israel needed to be brought out as a nation under Moses.
Scripture records that God told Moses at the burning bush, 'Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt' (Exodus 3:10). This was the direct, specific reason Moses was called to go to Pharaoh. The context goes back to God's promise to the patriarchs. God told Jacob, 'I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation' (Genesis 46:3). God also told Abraham that He would make of him a great nation (Genesis 12:2). The biblical narrative shows the children of Israel multiplying in Egypt, so that when Moses led them out they were a vast company, not merely a family.
Les Feldick teaches that God's call of Moses was tied directly to the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He emphasizes that God told Jacob not to fear going down to Egypt, because there God would make him a great nation. Israel entered Egypt as about 70 souls and, after years there, came out under Moses as a company of millions — Les estimates anywhere from 3 to 7 million — making Israel the largest nation in that part of the world at the time. Les also emphasizes the supernatural dimension: God supernaturally brought about the nation through the promised son Isaac, then Jacob's twelve sons, and then supernaturally brought them out of Egypt with miracle after miracle, with Moses as their leader. At the burning bush, God told Moses that the time had come to deliver the children of Israel out of bondage and that Moses was to be the man sent to Pharaoh. According to Les, the nation of Israel had become a nation of people while in slavery in Egypt, and that is why Moses was called to lead them out.
Les Feldick teaches that Israel became a nation while they were in Egypt. God told Jacob, 'Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation' (Genesis 46:3). Jacob went down with his twelve sons, and after the children of Israel had been in Egypt, they multiplied from about 70 souls to as many as 5–7 million people by the time Moses led them out. Les's point is that the nation of Israel did not become a nation in Canaan; it became a nation in Egypt, in slavery, before the exodus under Moses.
According to Exodus 3:10, God said to Moses, 'Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.' Moses' immediate response was, 'Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?' Les reads this as the moment God told Moses out of the burning bush that it was time to deliver the children of Israel out of bondage, and that Moses was the man to do it.
Les teaches that God's promise to Abraham was that He would make of him a nation of people, give that nation a geographical area of land, and later set up the government over them. Israel became a viable nation in Egypt, and so they came out under Moses as a nation. This is why the exodus is not simply a rescue story; it is the continuation of God's national purpose for Israel.
Is God Done With Israel? What the Bible Really Says - Romans 9 Explained
the Jew, because they rejected and crucified their Messiah, they've been called everything and anything ever since. And so most, most church members today see no connection between the little nation of Israel that's sitting there like, what shall I say, like a little hornet's nest ready to be knocked down, and if they do, it's going to be cataclysmic.
Israel's supernatural beginning and exodus
Les shows that God's calling of Moses as leader was not isolated — it continued the chain of God's supernatural promises from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob, and brought Israel out as His chosen nation.
Israel's size at the exodus
Les points out that Israel had become the largest nation in that part of the world, which is why the exodus under Moses was a major national event, fulfilling God's promise to Jacob.
The burning bush commission
Les directly cites God's words to Moses from the burning bush: 'I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt' — the direct answer to why Moses was called.
God's promise to Jacob of a great nation
Les explains that the nation of Israel came from Jacob's family in Egypt, fulfilling God's word to Jacob, and Moses later leads that nation out.
The nation emerges in Egypt
Les shows the exodus under Moses was the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham — that the people in Egypt were now a viable nation, ready to be brought out.
From 70 souls to millions
Les stresses the massive growth of Israel in Egypt, which is why Moses leads out a large national company, not just a family.
God's encouragement to Jacob before Egypt
Les teaches that God told Jacob not to fear going to Egypt because a great nation would be made there, and after 215 years Moses led that nation out.
Exodus 3:10: 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 speaks to Moses from the burning bush and gives him the commission to go to Pharaoh.
Genesis 46:3: And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
God encourages Jacob to go down to Egypt and promises to make his descendants a great nation there.
Genesis 12:2: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Les refers to God's original promise to Abraham about making a nation — the promise that led to Israel becoming a nation in Egypt.
God told Moses at the burning bush, 'Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt' (Exodus 3:10). This was the next step in God's plan that began with His promises to Abraham and Jacob to make Israel a great nation. Israel had become that nation in Egypt, and Moses was the man God chose to lead them out.
God said to Jacob, 'Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation' (Genesis 46:3). Les Feldick points out that exactly that happened: Israel went into Egypt as 70-some souls and came out under Moses as a nation of millions.
Les estimates that Moses led a company of anywhere from 3 to 7 million people out of Egypt. He notes that this made Israel the largest nation in that part of the world at the time.
Watch the Teaching: Is God Done With Israel? What the Bible Really Says - Romans 9 Explained