§34. The Call in the Wilderness (Exod. 3:1-11; 4:1-17)

A. THE BURNING BUSH

Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

And Moses said, "I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt."

And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, "Moses, Moses."

And he said, "Here am I."

And he said, "Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."

And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt."

B. MOSES' HESITATION

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? Behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, 'The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.'"

And the Lord said unto him, "What is that in thine hand?"

And he said, "A rod."

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.

And the Lord said unto Moses, "Put forth thine hand and take it by the tail."

And he put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand.

And the Lord said furthermore unto him, "Put now thine hand into thy bosom."

And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.

And he said, "Put thine hand into thy bosom again."

And he put his hand into his bosom again; and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.

And the Lord said, "It shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign."

And Moses said unto the Lord, "Oh Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue."

And the Lord said unto him, "Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh a man dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? is it not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt speak."

And he said, "Oh Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of another whom thou wilt choose."

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, "Is there not Aaron thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put the words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people. And thou shalt take in thine hand this rod, wherewith thou shalt do the signs."

And the Lord said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses."

And he went, and met him in the mountain of God, and kissed him. And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord wherewith he had sent him, and all the signs wherewith he had charged him.

§35. The Return to Egypt (Exod. 4:18, 20, 27-31)

And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said unto him, "Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive."

And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt.

And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel: and Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

§36. Pharaoh's Harshness (Exod. 5:1-6:1)

A. THE CHALLENGE

And afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said unto Pharaoh, "Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.'"

And Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should hearken unto his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, and moreover I will not let Israel go."

And they said, "The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God."

And the king of Egypt said unto them, "Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, loose the people from their work? get you unto your burdens. Behold, the people of the land are now many, and ye make them rest from their burdens."

B. THE BITTER BONDAGE

And the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, "Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. And the number of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish aught thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.' Let heavier work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not regard lying words."

And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, "Thus saith Pharaoh, 'I will not give you straw. Go yourselves, get you straw where ye can find it: for nought of your work shall be diminished.'"

So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. And the taskmasters were urgent, saying, "Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw." And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, "Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task both yesterday and to-day, in making brick as heretofore?"

Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, "Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, 'Make brick': and behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people."

But he said, "Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.' Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the number of bricks."

And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, and they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: and they said unto them, "The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made us to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us."

C. THE PROMISE OF THE LORD

And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, "Lord, wherefore hast thou evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath evil entreated this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all."

And the Lord said unto Moses, "Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for by a strong hand shall he let them go, and by a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land."

THE MEANING OF THE STORY

96 (§34A). We left Moses in Midian. Locate it again on the map. With whom did he live? What was his occupation? Notice that he came to Mt. Horeb, which is also called Mt. Sinai. Locate it on the map.

97 (§34A). As Moses was alone in the wilderness, his thoughts would naturally turn to his people. What would he wish for them? How greatly they needed a leader! If ever the thought occurred to him that he ought to be their leader, how would he feel about it? At last God's message came to him. It is one of the beautiful stories of God speaking to man. How was Moses told to show his reverence? It is the custom in the East. How could they take off their shoes so easily? (See illustration of the sandal.) What custom do we have to show reverence? How did Moses show a still deeper reverence?

98 (§34A). What did God tell Moses? It might have seemed to the lonely exile that the Lord had forgotten all about the people in bondage. A commission is a duty given to a man: what was Moses' commission? At last God's plan for poor Israel was clear. The deliverer had been found.

99 (§34B). It was a startling commission for Moses. He remembered how the people had treated him when he had tried to help them. (Recall §31.) What was he now afraid of? Tell the story of the signs with which the Lord gave him confidence. People were always anxious for something wonderful in those old days.

100 (§34B). Moses had another reason for hesitation. Is humility a good preparation for a great work or is confidence better? How does the Lord fit an earnest man for his work? Humility is not good when it is through lack of faith. "The anger of the Lord" means his displeasure at what is not right. Who was sent with Moses?

101 (§35). How did Moses act after receiving the commission. Did he tell his father-in-law his plans? Describe the meeting, as you may imagine it, between the two brothers and the Hebrew people.

Copyright 1904 by Underwood and Underwood

BRICK-MAKING IN EGYPT

102 (§36A). It was a bold thing to go to the king. What did Moses and Aaron demand? What did the king say about the Lord? What did he say Moses and Aaron were doing?

103 (§36B). Brick was made from the black Nile mud mixed with sand and with chopped straw. There are pictures in Egypt of captives making these bricks with overseers guarding them. The soft mud would be put into a wooden mold, which would then be lifted off and the brick left to dry in the sun. Sometimes the captives had to gather waste material or stubble instead of straw. Why was this such a hardship to the Hebrews?

104 (§36B). Note how the orders were carried out. There are two classes of officials mentioned: the Egyptian taskmasters and the Hebrew officers. The latter were responsible for the full work being done by their countrymen. Tell the whole story of the bondage.

105 (§36B). Describe the interview of the officers with Pharaoh. How did they feel toward Moses and Aaron?

106 (§36C). How did all this affect Moses? It is often darkest just before day. What did the Lord promise?

WRITTEN REVIEW

Think over the story carefully and prepare for a debate, the students taking different sides on the question: Resolved that Moses was wrong in settling down in Midian and leaving his people so long without help.