Who Spoke from the Burning Bush? The Mystery of "I AM" Revealed

Welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick, a 30-minute walk through the Scriptures, teaching in-depth Bible truths that change people's lives. Now, here's your host, Les Feldick. And it's good to have everybody back. My, we haven't lost anyone today, have we? Okay, turn back with me again to Exodus chapter 3. We'll pick up where we left off. And for those of you watching on television, I know some of you are just catching our program in the last week or two. And if that's the case and you'd like to catch up on everything since Genesis 1 -1, you write to us or call us, and we have VCR videos available, very nominal price, six hours or 12 programs for $20. After one more taping, we'll have seven of these ready. Six of them are already out there, and believe it or not, they've gone to at least 25 states, and people are using these tapes in Sunday school classes, home Bible classes. Some are taking them into nursing homes, and the response has just been unbelievable. So, if you have a way of using a VCR, you contact us, call us on the 800 or write to us, and we'll send you a table of contents, or we'll send you a tape for $20, and we'll stand the postage. All right, now let's get back to Exodus chapter 3. These moments are precious. And now Moses, of course, has come to Mount Sinai. He's seen the burning bush, and he draws aside because it's not consumed, and as he approaches it, remember, God speaks out of the bush. And as we pointed out in our last program, it's God, but yet the person of the Godhead who is communicating and who is actually there in the burning bush is Jehovah, or God the Son, and we're going to prove that here in just a little bit. In fact, this is one of my favorite lessons. I shared it with an Israeli young man, a high school superintendent with a master's degree back in 1975 when we had the privilege of going to Israel for 10 days, and he was walking guard duty as the bus stopped just for, I don't know, what was it, at the Dead Sea, I guess, wasn't it, honey? And we didn't care about floating in that salt water, so Iris and I just went for a walk, and we ran across this young Jewish fellow walking guard way out there, you know, where it wasn't anything militarily that important. So it was all informal, and so he was more than willing to visit with us, spoke perfect English because he had been educated, of course, in Boston, but as we shared what I'm going to be teaching in this half hour, he was just aghast, and he said, well, he said, you've got the Hebrew 100 percent right. But he said, I've never heard it explained like this before. He said, as soon as I get home, he said, I'm going to get my New Testament and check this out. Well, from that time on, I was just more confident than ever that when I teach this lesson on Exodus chapter 3, down there at verse 14, you go back and tell the children of Israel that I am a sent you, and as you'll see before the half hour is over, that we're not stretching any points, we're just staying strictly according to the biblical language. So anyway, God has now told Moses out of the burning bush that it was time to deliver the children of Israel out of bondage, and that he's going to be the man. Verse 10, Come now therefore, God says, out of the bush, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. 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. Now, I pointed out in the last few moments of the last half hour, what did the Egyptians think of it? It has been for 40 years. And see, this is sticking in Moses' craw. He said, God, I can't go to Pharaoh. I'm just a shepherd. I'm an abomination to those Egyptians. And then, you know, he's going to say over in verse 15 and 16, I think it is, Lord, I can't do this. I can't speak. And no, I guess it's in the next chapter. We'll probably pick it up in our next lesson. But anyway, why does he make such an argument? I can't talk to a Pharaoh. I haven't got words. Well, stop and think. For 40 years, where has he been? With nothing but sheep to talk to. Oh, I know he's got a wife and a kid or two. But nevertheless, for the most part, so far as his public connections, he has none. And he's just become an old country boy who is going to feel completely out of place in Pharaoh's palace. And so this is the argument that he's going to put before God. All right, now let me come back to chapter 3 and verse 12. And God says, 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 of Israel, of course, out of Egypt, you, that is the nation, shall serve God upon this mountain. And of course, you know, that's exactly where they went. They went down to Mount Sinai and camped around the base of it. And as Moses went up into the mountain and he received the Ten Commandments, it was up in Mount Sinai, he received instructions for building the tabernacle. And it was around Mount Sinai that the tabernacle was finally built and the priesthood was established. And then Israel gets ready to move straight north into the land of milk and honey. But for now, let's come back to verse 13. Now, remember, Moses spent 40 years steeped in all the mythologies and all the idols of Egypt. And every idol and every god in Egypt's culture had a name. Whether it was the frog or whether it was the Nile or whether it was the sun or the stars or any other animal or a snake, they had a name for every god. Now, Moses hasn't forgotten that. And so with that background, look at his next question. And he said unto God, Behold, when I come to 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? Now, isn't that typical? Because remember, the children of Israel are in Egypt. They too are surrounded and have been inundated with all the gods of Egypt, and they all had a name. And then here comes this man, Moses, out of the backside of the desert, and he speaks of a god. And what's the first thing they're going to say? All right, Moses, what's his name? And so Moses anticipates, What is his name? What shall I say to them? And now look at the answer. And God said unto Moses, Now, I think in every Bible and every translation I've ever seen, it's capitalized. God said unto Moses, I am, that I am. Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you. Now, you remember way back when we were in Genesis chapter 4, after we came out of Genesis 1, if you remember. I'm going to try to write this big enough for you way at the back. In Genesis 1, in the beginning, God, isn't it? And so it is all through chapter 1 of Genesis. God said this, and God did that. And then all of a sudden, when you get to chapter 4, let's go back and look at it, if you will. Chapter 2, everything in chapter 1 has now been created. It's all been accomplished. Man is on the scene. He's in the garden. And then in chapter 2, verse 4, I think it is, you suddenly see the term, not just God, but Lord God. Isn't that right? Isn't that the way it is in every one of your Bibles? Lord God. Now, is that a misprint? Is that a mistake? No, because you see, all through the first chapter, we're dealing with God, the Creator. But as soon as we get into chapter 2, man has now come on the scene, and man is going to need a what? You remember those, you and me? Huh? A Savior. But what else? Communicator. That's the word I wanted. Somebody in that Godhead has to be able to communicate with this created being, Adam. Go back in your mind. You all know the verse. In John's Gospel, verse 1, chapter 1, verse 1, what does it say? In the beginning, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And that word, Word, is capitalized, so it was a name of deity. It's the name of God. Now, what do we do with words? We communicate. So, in the beginning was the Word the communicator. See? God the communicator. And now, as the communicator now has to come on the scene, in order to do just that with Adam, we get one person out of that Trinity who is the communicator, the Word. And who is it? Jesus in the New Testament, God the Son in the Old Testament. It's Jehovah. It's Lord, L-O-R-D, capitalized. So, what you really have here in chapter 2, verse 4, is a couple Hebrew root words. And I suppose I should erase this so we can keep it up where those in the back row can see this a little better. Now, the term Jehovah, then, comes from the old Hebrew term for Yahweh, for God. But it's a connecting word, or another word connected to it, Havah. And those two Hebrew words are Yahweh was the I Am of Exodus chapter 3. Havah, you remember, meant to become more and more and more revealed. That's the very explanation or definition of the word Havah. Now, then, you take Yahweh, Havah, the I Am who is to become more and more revealed, and you contract them, and that's where that Jewish young man caught it so quickly. You come up with the name Jehovah. So, who is Jehovah? Jehovah is the I Am, but the I Am who would become more and more revealed. Now, as you come on up through human history, so far as the Bible is concerned, isn't that exactly what has happened? All the way up through the Old Testament, God the Son is revealing more and more of Himself. And then, finally, He comes in the form of flesh, a further revelation. And then, of course, He goes the way of the cross, and He ascends back into heaven. But He's going to come again, and we see that all revealed in the last book of your Bible. And what do we call it? The book of Revelation. And so, this is exactly what the Bible has been doing. It's been a continuing, ongoing revelation of God the Son, the Jehovah of the Old Testament. Now, I said I was going to show you more clearly just exactly what was entailed with all this. Now, turn all the way, if you will, with me to John's Gospel again. John's Gospel, chapter 8, and come all the way up to, oh, verse 49. And we're going to take the time to read all these verses, so we're sure we get the setting. This, of course, is during Christ's earthly ministry as He is being confronted by the Jews, and especially the religious leaders of Israel, who were constantly accusing Him of being an imposter. He was supposedly demonic, and they wouldn't give Him credit for who He was. And so, here again, they are claiming that He has a demon. Drop down to verse 48 of John's Gospel, chapter 8. Then answered the Jews and said unto Him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a demon? I like the word demon rather than devil. And Jesus answered, I have not a demon, but I honor my Father, and you do dishonor me. And I seek not my own glory, there is one that seeketh and judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. Now, what did those Jews know concerning life and death? Hey, now He's getting on pretty thin ice. That's the territory of God. And now look what they said, verse 52. Then said the Jews unto Him, Now we know that thou hast a devil, or demon. Abraham is dead, the prophets, they're dead. And thou sayest, if a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who's dead? Man, yeah, I guess he's dead, has been for 2,000 years. And the prophets, they're all dead. Jeremiah's gone, Isaiah's gone, Daniel's gone, they're all gone. Whom makest thou thyself? Who are you? Well, they should have known who He was, but they didn't. Now read the next verse. Jesus answered, and now I'll tell you what, He's not very kind to them here. And He says, If I honor myself, my honor is nothing. It is my Father who honoreth me, of whom you say, He's your God. Oh, yeah, they thought they knew the God of Abraham. They thought they knew Jehovah, see. And yet, verse 55, He says, You have not known Him. But I know Him. Well, I guess He did. And if I should say, I know Him not. Now, here's what I was making reference to. This is sharp. If I were to say that I know Him not, I should be a liar like you. See, that's pretty strong, isn't it? Now, why could He call them liars? Because they claimed to know Him and didn't. And they said that He didn't know Him, but He did. And so, He said, If I agreed with you that I don't really know God, I'd be as big a liar as you are. Now, read on. Verse 55, Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I should say, I know Him not, I shall be a liar like unto you. But I know Him, and I keep His saying. Now, verse 56, Your father Abraham, two thousand years ago, rejoiced to see my day. He saw it and was glad. Now, get the response of those Jews. And then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Can you get the sarcasm in that? Oh, what a blasphemer this is. How can he say things like this? You have seen Abraham? All right. Now, remember what he told Moses. His name was, I am that I am. Now, look at the next verse. And Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was what? I am. What's he claiming? He's the I am of the burning bush. He's the I am of pre-eternity. He's the I am of all of Scripture. Now, it's interesting to note that throughout the book of John, there are seven distinct I am's that fit so perfectly with seven distinct Jehovah's, or I am's, in the Old Testament. And those of you who've memorized any Scripture at all, what are some of them? I am the bread of life, see? I am the way and the truth. I am the resurrection. I am the good shepherd, and so on. There's seven of them. He never backed away from being the I am. But now, what I want you to see, let's use Scripture too. And they took up stones to cast at him. Why? They were going to kill him for being such a blasphemer, to claim that he was the Jehovah, the I am of the Old Testament. And they attempted to kill him, but he hid himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them. And so he passed by. All right, now let's flip back in these closing moments to Exodus once again, chapter 3, verse 15. Moses now has it clearly put that the I am, God the Son, Jehovah, is the one who is doing all of the preparation work. He's the one that's going to be the pillar of fire, the pillar of smoke. And when we get to the tabernacle—now, I usually don't spend a lot of time in the tabernacle because it's an area where, except for somebody who is really, really deeply interested in the Word of God, you can get kind of bored real fast. But when we get to the tabernacle, I'm going to at least show very clearly that the word propitiation back there in Romans chapter 3 is lived out in all of its fullness in every jot and tittle of that tabernacle back here in Exodus. Everything that's in that tabernacle is a picture of Christ. For example, the Ark of the Covenant back there in the Holy of Holies, it was a box made of wood, which spoke of Christ's earthly side. But it was covered with what? Gold, which spoke of his deity. And all the way through that whole tabernacle, the fence and the blocks in which it sat and the hides that covered the tent and the sacrifices and the priesthood, the Day of Atonement, everything speaks of the finished work of Christ on the cross, see? But now let's come back here to Exodus chapter 3. And so, after revealing himself as the I Am, verse 15, God said moreover to Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, and here it comes again, The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath sent me unto you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. Now then, they were to bring all the heads of the people together so that he could announce to them that the time of their deliverance is at hand. And then come down to verse 19. Now we want to save some time. And God says, I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go. God knows what's going to have to happen. And he says, No, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand and smite Egypt with all my wonders, which I'll do in the midst thereof. And after that, after the plagues, he'll let you go. And then verse 22, there's a statement in here that I want to clarify, lest anybody get the wrong, I think it's unfortunate that the translators have done this, but it says in verse 22, Every woman shall borrow. Now, all the commentaries and all the scholars I've ever read are agreed that the word there should not be borrow, but ask. A-S-K. Because see, the word borrow implies that they would have it and then what? Give it back. God never intended that. And so all he told the women to do, and of course all of Israel, was to ask the Egyptians if they had something to give them to send them on their way. And we know from the account that by the time Egypt had gone through the plagues and Egypt was in a shambles economically, physically, and every other way, the Egyptians literally unloaded all their wealth on the Israelites. Just get out of here. Get going. And God had something else on his mind. It wasn't just to make the Jews or the Israelites rich as they left Egypt, because as soon as they get down to Sinai, he's going to give them instructions to build what? The tabernacle. And that tabernacle is just literally filled with silver and gold and precious stones, fine linen, all the wealth of Egypt. So it was in God's sovereign plan, and it was unfortunate that our translations used the word borrow. They asked, and the Egyptians gave it to them gladly. All right, now then, in the moments, we have left chapter 4. Here's where I wanted to come to a moment ago, but I thought we'd wait. Moses answered and he said, but. Isn't that just like us? How many times haven't you and I, God probably wants us to do something. He wants us to accomplish something for him. And what do we say? But, but God, you know, I know I have, but God and Moses was no different. He said, but God, they behold, they'll not believe me. Hey, I've been gone 40 years. I've been on the backside of the desert. I'm a shepherd. They won't believe me when I tell them. Now, what else did he remember? He went to him when he had all the pomp and circumstance of Egypt, and he thought he could have had everything going for him, and they didn't believe him. Now he says, I come back as an old lowly shepherd. Do you think they're going to believe me? Now look what God says. Or Moses has finished the verse for, he says, they will say the Lord hathn't appeared unto thee. Now, verse 2, and the Lord said unto him, what is that in thy hand? And he said, a rod, a shepherd's staff. And he said, cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground and it became a serpent. And Moses fled from before it. I mean, that thing was real. And Middle Eastern serpents can be deadly poisonous. So he runs from it. And the Lord said unto Moses, put forth thy hand and take it by the tail. Now, I don't like to handle snakes, but I've watched others. And the place you grab a live snake is not by the tail, but where? Right behind the head where the fangs can't touch you. But see, he tells Moses to do the impossible, you know, catch it by the tail. And so Moses does. And he put forth his hand and caught it. And immediately it reverted back to his shepherd's rod. Now, what I like to point out here is the beginning of what Paul claims back here in 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Turn with me, if you will. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. And this could avert so much confusion. And doubt and wonder that is crossing people's minds these days. Verse 22 of 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Now, remember, this is Paul writing to a Gentile church, and it's Paul writing to you and I. And look what he says. For the Jews require, they demand, what? A sign. Now, just think about that for a moment. Beginning with Moses going to Pharaoh, or to the children of Israel really first, and then later on to convince Pharaoh that he was representative of the God of Israel, what did he use as proof? Signs. Miracles. And think of it. All through Israel's history, as much Bible as you can possibly remember, didn't it just happen over and over? The supernatural, the miraculous. You take the night that the shepherds were on the hills of Judea, and that great angelic host appeared, singing the choruses of heaven concerning the birth of the Christ. Did that drive those shepherds insane? No, they weren't that shook up. They were almost used to those sort of things. It was part of Israel's history. Well into the book of Acts, Peter is locked up in prison, and what comes and escorts him out of prison? An angel. Now, I'll tell you what. If an angel would suddenly go into Big Mac down at Macalester, there'd be a lot of people faint and dead away, wouldn't they? I mean, we're just not programmed for that kind of thing. But Israel was used to it. It was happening all through their history. And it begins right back here when they are now a nation, and God is beginning to work with them. And so, now come back with me to Exodus. He sends them back to the people under slavery in Egypt, and God says, if they don't believe you, throw this rod on the ground, and it'll become a serpent. And pick it up, and it'll become your rod. Now then, let's read on in just a few minutes. And he said in verse 5, that they may believe, see, that they may believe that the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. And then he goes into the next verse, and he gives him yet another sign. And what is it? He puts his hand in, and it becomes leprous. He takes it out, and it's just as perfectly whole as it was before. Now, these were signs given to Moses to prove to Israel that he was God's man. And we'll see you next time.