Session 1
EXPLORE THE TEXT
Believers can be assured of God’s presence with us when we follow Him.
11 But Moses asked God,
“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 He answered, “I will certainly be with you,
and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you:
when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.”
read the information for verses 11-12 (PSG, pp. 15-16)
identify the two things for which Moses felt inadequate.
explain the connection between worship and service.
the question Moses had amounts to “Why me?”
His personal doubts remind readers that the Bible is not about great men and women of faith,
but about a great God who can use weak and flawed people like us.
On the surface, it might seem like Moses was questioning God. More likely, he was questioning himself.
His failures in Egypt and his exile in the desert likely humbled him and taught him not to trust his own abilities.
Like Moses, believers often feel inadequate and have more questions than answers.
We fear failure, despite our desire to accomplish His will and bring Him glory.
The wording is similar to Jesus’s promise to His disciples when He issued the Great Commission.
God never abandons those He has called. Whatever happens, He will do good for and through us as we accomplish His will.
Even when we stumble, He faithfully restores His children and continues to walk with them (Luke 22:31-34; John 21:15-19).
After the approaching ordeal in Egypt, Moses and Israel would reach Mount Sinai
as proof that God is God and that He was with them.
A biblical sign (Hebrew, ‘ot)
is a reminder, guarantee, or proof of God’s faithfulness to His promises,
The sign of the rainbow and circumcision appear in Genesis,
and Moses’s miracles and the Sabbath are established in Exodus.
The Hebrew verb rendered worship can also be translated as “serve.”
It is related to the noun ‘ebed,
which means “servant” or “slave.”
When Israel reached Sinai, they would no longer be Pharaoh’s slaves.
Instead, they would be the servants of the one, true God, commissioned agents of the King of kings.
One theme in Exodus is worship as a purpose for God’s people. (See 4:23; 7:16; 8:1,20; 9:1,13; 10:3-26; 12:31).
Biblical worship begins in the heart with reverential awe (“fear”),
trust, gratitude, and delight in the Lord.
This should overflow with expressions of worship, such as offerings,
ordinances, hearing and declaring God’s Word, words of testimony,
praise, prayer, and singing.
These should grow into a lifestyle of love, humility, kindness, encouragement, and service.
True worship also has a transforming effect of nurturing God’s character in us (2 Cor. 3:18).