This Bible study is all about how God is the Great I AM, regardless of who you are (and why that’s a good thing!).
Get access to the complete Exodus Bible study and free guide Here!
In these four chapters, we will pass over 400 years of suffering for the Israelites in Egypt. It is at this point in time when Moses is born. Through man’s triumphs and failures, God remains the Great I AM! It does not matter how great or insignificant man is, all that matters is the One who is, was, and always will be.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Read all about the Great I AM, before reflecting on it below.
Exodus 1-4
Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth
The Israelites had lived in Egypt for four hundred years. What started off as a small clan with Joseph’s family had grown into a large nation. They were fruitful, they multiplied, and they filled the land. These are the same three words used in Genesis 1:22 and 9:1, where God was both giving a blessing and a command.
Why would these same three words be repeated (Psalm 127:3-5)?
Fear of God
The Hebrew midwives feared God more than they did Pharaoh. They knew that God considered all life to have value, and they refused to kill the baby boys, even if it meant their own death. Because of their faithfulness, God blessed them with their own families as they continued to serve Him. Typically, women became midwives because they were unable to have children of their own. After all hope was lost, they were surprised with blessings of their own.
Do you bow down to earthly authorities, or stand true in what God has commanded (Matthew 10:28)?
The character of God
No names are used in the passage depicting the birth of Moses because the point is not about the characters in it, but the character of God – to bring deliverance to His people. Moses’ birth occurs at just the right time when the Egyptians oppression is at its worst. God knew that His people needed a deliverer, and He made a way.
Just as God had a plan to deliver His people from the Egyptians, God had a plan to deliver His people through the redemptive work of Jesus on the cross. Jesus’ death and resurrection made a way for your deliverance from sin. Is there anything you are letting yourself be a slave to even though Christ has set you free (John 8:34-36)?
Who am I that I should go?
Moses knew that God would use him to deliver the Israelites – after all, he was educated in all of the ways of the Egyptians. However, the Israelites rejected him. After killing and man, he ran for his life and spent 40 years humbling himself in Midian. It is here that he sees a bush on fire and investigates. It is here that God told Moses that he was going to go back into Egypt and God would use him to deliver the Israelites. At this point, all of Moses’ insecurities came back and he replied “who am I that I should go?” God did not answer Moses’ question, but rather said “I, the Lord, will be with you.”
Moses was focused on himself and questioned who he was. In Egypt, he pridefully focused on his accomplishments. In Midian, he shamefully focused on his faults. He should have been focused on God – the great I AM – and stepped out confidently into His will. Are you focused on yourself or on God (Hebrews 12:1-2)?
God is the great I AM
God told Moses “I AM who I AM.” The Hebrew phrase here is “hayah, hayah.” Hayah means “to come to pass, to exist, to happen, and to become.” God is saying that He always was, always is, and always will be. God is also saying that he becomes what we need when we need it. Jesus is bread when we are hungry (John 6:35), He is light when we are in darkness (John 8:12), He is our protector from predators (John 10:7), He is our resurrection and life (John 11:25), He is our good Shepherd (John 10:11), He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6), He is our true vine when we need growth (John 15:1).
Our identity, just like Moses, is not found in who we are, but in who God is. We can accomplish the impossible, not because of how great we are, but because God is in control of the universe. We only have to be willing to accept whatever God tells us to do. Are you willing to accept whatever God tells you to do (John 15:14)?
Compromise in God’s people
The story of an angel of the Lord meeting Moses in the desert, about to kill him until Zipporah cut their son’s foreskin seems out of place in the Bible. Why is it included? The covenant of circumcision was given to Abraham as a command and sign of the covenant that He would be their God, and they would be his people. By not circumcising his son, Moses had compromised on the command of God.
Have you compromised on a command of God (John 14:15)?
Reflect on the great I AM – regardless of who you are
God is, was, and always will be. God is the begining and the end. He is the Great I AM! What have you learned about God’s character today? God spoke to Moses’ insecurities by telling him who God is. How does it help you to know that God is enough even when you are not?
