09/01 /2020 – Day 093 Exodus 1-4 – Commentary – Two short verse sections – the unfathomable and the hard question that can’t be completely answered….
- First the unfathomable – 3:14 : And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.”
For this first one, I am going to an authority on scripture – Matthew Henry which covers verse 13 through verse 15:
“III. He (Moses) begs instructions for the executing of his commission, and desires to know by what name God would at this time make himself known..
- He supposes the children of Israel would ask him, What is his name? This they would ask either, (1) To perplex Moses. Or (2) For their own information.
- He desires instructions what answer to give them: ‘What shall I say to them? What name shall I vouch to them for the proof of my authority?’
IV. Two names God would now be known by: —
- A name that denotes what he is in himself (v. 14): I am that I am. This explains his name Jehovah, and signifies, (1) That he is self – existent; he has his being of himself, and has no dependence upon any other. Being self-existent, he cannot but be self sufficient (Jimmy note: “First cause”), and therefore self -sufficient, and therefore all-sufficient, and the inexhaustible fountain of being and bliss. (2) That he is eternal and unchangeable. (3) That we cannot by searching find him out. Let Israel know this, I AM hath sent me unto you.
- A name that denotes, what he is to his people. The Lord God of your fathers hat sent me unto you (v. 15): Thus God had made himself known to him (v. 6) and thus he must make him known to them, (1) That he might revive among them the religion of their fathers. (2) That he might raise their expectations of the speedy performance of the promises made unto their fathers. God will have this to be his name forever, and it has been, is, and will be, his name, by which his worshippers know him, and distinguish him from all false gods; see 1 Kings 18:36. “
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Oops, time ran out on me tonight. I’ll come back to explore the hard passage: Exodus 4:24 – 26 : The Lord seeks to kill Moses, and Moses is saved by the quick thinking and actions of his Midianite wife, Zipporah. So, the Holy Spirit used Zipporah as a messenger. What’s up here? We’ll explore it although I expect we can’t sort it all out, nor do we need to…
Back again tonight! So let’s stop back and look at the paradox linkage throughout this passage:
- THe Lord is seeking to kill Moses! Whoa! Moses disobeyed God’s command to circumcise his son on the 8th day after birth. Now, Moses wrote Exodus as a messenger of the Holy Spirit, writing about himself just avoiding death in the nick of time, thanks to the quick action of his wife Zipporah. Midianites generally had multiple gods and idols. Yet Zipporah is God’s messenger here. Preventing a death at God’s hand? Zipporah proclaims the faith in the God’s law, yet she is not even a Hebrew child of God.
- By Jewish tradition, the biological father determines the child’s ethnicity. So Zipporah is therefore is protecting her son’s Jewish heritage, a heritage she does not share by tradition.
- Overall message theme: Fear the Lord; and back to one of my favorite verses: Luke 12:48 – ” For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” All scripture is God breathed. (See 2 Timothy 3:16) But , can I expect to answer all questions? Of course not so our charge is to praise Him; obey; and have faith!
- And Nancy’s take: THe lesson is another instance where the woman has to bail her husband! This from a woman whose favorite movie scene is “The Rookie” where she proclaims to her husband: “Jimmy, I am a Texas woman; I don’t need a man around to get things done!”
- Einstein discovered and postulated the theory of relativity. Did he fully understand it. Nope. God is unfathomably omniscient and Holy!