Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS025028S
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00:00 [uplifting music]
00:12 [uplifting music] 00:14 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:15 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:17 Glad to have you with us today. 00:19 We are on a journey, a journey through the book of Exodus, 00:24 looking at Moses, looking at the Israelites, 00:27 and especially looking at God as He led His people 00:31 and He leads His people today. 00:33 This week, we're looking at lesson number 2, 00:36 and that is "The Burning Bush," a fascinating story 00:40 from the book of Exodus. 00:41 But before we begin, let's start with prayer. 00:45 Father, we thank You for being with us 00:47 and guiding us through our study on the book of Exodus. 00:50 We're just beginning this journey, 00:52 as was Moses at this point in the book. 00:54 And we ask that You will guide and direct us 00:56 into a clearer understanding of You and Your character of love 01:00 and mercy and grace as we do so. 01:03 We thank You, in Jesus' name, amen. 01:06 >>Dr. Jiri Moskala: Amen. 01:07 >>Eric: Well, we're glad that you are here, 01:08 but we are also glad that the author of 01:10 this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson is here with us: 01:13 Dr. Jiri Moskala. 01:15 He is the dean of the Theological Seminary 01:17 at Andrews University. 01:19 Dr. Moskala, thank you again for being with us. 01:22 >>Dr. Moskala: Glad to be here with you. 01:23 >>Eric: So this is lesson number 2, "The Burning Bush." 01:26 We looked a little bit last week about the oppression 01:29 that God's people were under and Moses' early life. 01:32 And now we're getting to the point where God calls Moses 01:36 to do something, to do something significant. 01:39 So how does God intervene in Moses' life? 01:42 And what does this burning bush experience look like? 01:46 >>Dr. Moskala: You know, I think that this burning experience 01:50 for Moses was really extraordinary 01:54 because this burning bush experience is when God 01:58 is coming and disturbing him in his life. 02:01 First 40 years were, you know, in Egypt, 02:05 when he was the prince. 02:08 He should be, like, the next pharaoh. 02:10 He was educated for everything. 02:13 Of course, there were the tensions and intrigues 02:16 in the court, royal court. 02:19 But then he is in the family of Jethro in the Midian desert. 02:26 And he has a quiet life. 02:29 And he actually like it very much because now he is married. 02:35 He has two sons. He has a great family. 02:38 His family is supporting him. 02:41 He is there. He is also like a shepherd with the sheep. 02:46 So this was great. Nothing was missing to him. 02:51 And now God is coming and telling him, 02:56 "Well, I am here, and I will send you back to Egypt." 03:02 So this was, like, a varying, changing, disturbing experience, 03:07 completely out of the blue. 03:11 Before, he wanted to do something for Israel, 03:14 but now he is very reluctant to do it. 03:20 And we read there that it was God Himself, 03:25 the angel of the Lord. 03:27 And then you have the angel of the Lord called "the Lord," 03:31 who is really calling him and revealing Himself to him. 03:36 And he is overwhelmed by the presence of God. 03:39 >>Eric: So walk us through why this experience 03:41 was so transformative for him, 03:44 why--so dramatic from his past 40 years of living 03:50 in the wilderness--why did this make such an impact on him? 03:52 >>Dr. Moskala: You know, as I said, he had a comfortable life. 03:57 Now is coming a special command to him by God, who is appearing, 04:04 and it's an extraordinary appearing 04:06 because he sees the burning bush, 04:08 and this fire is still there, and it's not consuming the bush. 04:13 So he's coming closer, and then God is revealing Himself 04:18 to him, that He is this God of Abraham, 04:22 of Isaac, and Jacob, 04:24 that He is here in order to do something 04:27 for the oppressed people in Egypt. 04:29 He is now out of Egypt. 04:31 And another 40 years were there 04:35 where God's people were in oppression. 04:38 And for us, we read it in several sentences, 04:42 but if I am in oppression for one day, one month, 04:48 one year, or several years, it's a long period of time. 04:52 So it's accumulating, and now God is coming to him and saying, 04:57 "Moses, Moses." 04:59 And when he is responding, "Here I am," 05:01 God is really telling him, 05:03 "Yes, you are on the holy ground. 05:06 "I am here. I am present. But don't be afraid. 05:11 I have something special for you." 05:13 And then you have this beautiful passage when God is saying, 05:18 "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. 05:22 "I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, 05:27 "and I am concerned about their suffering. 05:29 So I have come down to rescue them." 05:33 And then at the end He said, "So now, go and lead my people 05:42 out of Egypt, out of this land of slavery." 05:46 >>Eric: You know, Moses didn't immediately jump 05:48 on this opportunity. 05:50 It seemed a little bit-- it was difficult for him 05:55 to wrap his mind and his heart around. 05:58 Even though it talks about the angel of the Lord appearing-- 06:02 this is the Lord who is speaking to him, 06:05 who's giving him this command to go. 06:08 And he's a little-- he's hesitant. 06:09 Maybe that's a good way of saying it. 06:12 And he also--he's good at making excuses. 06:17 You know, "I hear what You're telling me to do, God, but--" 06:20 and he starts to list off a few excuses. 06:24 When God introduces Himself to Moses, 06:27 how does He identify Himself? 06:29 How does He help Moses to understand who it is 06:32 that he's actually speaking to? 06:34 >>Dr. Moskala: Well, actually, in verse 6 you can read, 06:37 "'I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, 06:40 "the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.' 06:43 At this, Moses hid his face," 06:46 and he realized that he's in the presence of God. 06:51 So it was, from our perspective as Christians, 06:53 as Seventh-day Adventists, 06:55 this was Jesus who was there communicating with Moses. 06:59 And when He now tell the command, and there are, 07:03 like, clear two commands in the Hebrew text-- 07:07 "You go and lead," 07:09 you know, "lead these people out of Egypt"-- 07:14 it is very interesting that Moses is now engaging 07:18 in dialogue with God. 07:20 And what I-- I like it, actually, 07:22 very much that God is open to dialogue. 07:25 But maybe this dialogue is from the perspective of Moses, 07:29 like, not only the hesitance but, really, refusal to go. 07:34 And the first objection he's saying, "Well, Lord, who I am?" 07:39 And so he's playing very, very humble. 07:42 "Who I am?" 07:43 And this is a good question, actually. 07:46 "So who I am, that You remember me 07:48 "and You are now calling me to do this specific task? 07:52 "I was already there. I know how it is. 07:54 "It's terrible. But I am not the one. 07:57 "I am not born to be savior and leader of these people. 08:02 You are asking me to go there?" 08:06 And the response of God, I think this is very important. 08:10 There's always excuse, and God responds, and God is saying, 08:14 "I will be with you." 08:16 So what else he needs, right? 08:18 When God is telling us in our life, "I am with you," 08:22 this is all-encompassing promise of God. 08:26 Like, when Jesus was going to heaven and said, 08:29 "I will be with you till the end of the world," 08:32 of course, this is what we need. 08:34 And God is telling him, "I will be with you." 08:38 And Moses is hearing that, and God is telling him, 08:44 "And I will give you a sign. 08:46 You--now, you are at Mount Sinai"-- 08:48 and we know from later on-- 08:51 "and you will come back with the Israelites here, 08:55 "and you will know that I was with you. 08:58 So take my promise: I will be with you." 09:03 And, of course, it is not enough for Moses, 09:06 and he's asking the question, 09:08 "But they will ask me, 'Who are You, God?'" 09:12 And now, again, God is now revealing who He is. 09:17 And this is that famous statement in the Bible-- 09:20 that God is saying, "I AM." 09:22 "I AM WHO I AM." 09:24 [speaking in Hebrew] "I AM WHO I AM." 09:29 And you can also translate this "I AM WHO I AM" 09:32 also "I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE." 09:36 It means that God is present. He's intervening--"I AM." 09:40 "I AM"--He's present. But you cannot also grasp Him. 09:44 You cannot manipulate with "I WILL BE WHO WILL BE," 09:48 you know? He is in charge. He is in command. 09:51 And then He is now saying, "Yes, I AM, I AM." 09:56 And the same phrase--now God is speaking about Himself, 10:00 that "I AM WHO I AM." 10:02 He was saying before, "I am with you." 10:06 We call it "I will be with you," 10:08 but this is the same, so, "I am with you. I will be with you." 10:13 And God is saying, "Yes, I am who I am, 10:15 and I will be who will be. So you can rely on me." 10:19 And then He's speaking, "Yes, I am this God 10:21 of your forefathers--"of Abraham, Isaac, you know, Jacob. 10:26 "I am with you. So go. Go there." 10:31 But, again, it was not enough. [chuckling] 10:35 >>Eric: Yeah, unfortunately, for Moses, 10:37 he continues to make excuses. 10:40 But, again, that's not so terribly unlike us. 10:45 You know, God frequently calls us to do something, 10:47 and we come up with reasons 10:49 why we can't do what He asked us to do. 10:51 >>Dr. Moskala: Exactly, and so, you know, he's now asking, 10:55 "And what if I will come, really, and these people, 11:00 "Your people, will not believe me, 11:02 that You sent me?" [chuckling] 11:05 And God is, again, so merciful. I love this God of Moses. 11:09 He's kind in saying, "No problem, Moses. 11:12 "I will give you a special ability. 11:14 "You will do even miracles. 11:16 "You will persuade them by the signs 11:18 "because they are waiting for signs, 11:19 "for specific miracles. You will be able. 11:24 "You throw your own stick on the ground? 11:27 "This will be the serpent. 11:29 "You take it at the end of his body? 11:35 "It will be again back. 11:37 "And you can be leper if you put it in-- 11:41 "your hand into your pocket. 11:45 "And then it will be healed again later on. 11:49 "So I will do everything. 11:51 Don't worry. Just go." 11:55 >>Eric: So He's giving him evidence of who He is 11:58 and the fact that he can indeed do 12:01 what He's calling Moses to do. 12:05 Dr. Moskala, there is a-- for somebody who wants to dig 12:07 more deeply into this episode of "The Burning Bush," 12:10 you have written a companion book 12:13 to this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson. 12:14 Tell us a little bit about the companion book. 12:16 Before you do, there are also, 12:18 in addition to the companion book, 12:19 there are also teachers guides for the quarterly. 12:23 There's some other "Spirit of Prophecy," 12:25 or Ellen White quotes, that you can find from it, too. 12:28 And the Spanish version of this has the study guide, 12:32 the teachers guide-- 12:33 >>Dr. Moskala: Yes, this is this one here. 12:35 >>Eric: --and the companion book in there. So all three of those? 12:37 >>Dr. Moskala: All three of them--the quarterly, 12:40 then the teachers edition, and then the companion book. 12:44 In English, we have it, like, in three different editions. 12:48 I like this Spanish edition of Inter-American Division. 12:52 They have all three together. 12:54 >>Eric: All three, all bound together. 12:55 >>Dr. Moskala: And they can study together. 12:57 >>Eric: So tell us a little bit about this lesson, 13:00 lesson number 2, in the book. 13:01 >>Dr. Moskala: Yes, the lesson number 2, again, 13:03 I, in each lesson, 13:06 want to show who is that God who is speaking in these chapters. 13:11 And I call it here "Burning Bush: 13:13 The God Who Calls and Cares." 13:17 And here I also explain that terminology, 13:21 "the angel of the Lord," 13:22 why the angel of the Lord can be Jesus Christ 13:25 and not really the angel 13:27 and that it is really the Lord and the biblical text 13:29 is speaking about that. 13:31 And, also, I am explaining all the dynamic of God's calling: 13:36 What does it mean in our life 13:38 when He calls us to specific ministry? 13:40 >>Eric: So if you are interested in digging more deeply 13:43 into that, understanding the angel of the Lord-- 13:45 now, that's not to say that Jesus is a created being, 13:48 and this book makes it very plain 13:50 that that's not the case-- 13:51 but how can this angel of the Lord be Jesus, 13:54 biblically speaking? 13:55 If you wanna dig into that, make sure you pick up 13:57 this companion book to this quarter's 13:59 "Sabbath School" lesson, 14:01 and also to see how God calls us 14:03 and gives us opportunities to answer that call. 14:06 If you wanna pick up the companion book 14:07 to this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson, 14:09 you can do that very easily. 14:10 You will find it at itiswritten.shop. 14:13 Again, you will find it at itiswritten.shop. 14:17 We're going to be back again in just a moment 14:18 as we continue taking a look at this quarter's lesson, 14:22 looking at the book of Exodus and, specifically, the story 14:25 of the burning bush, here on "Sabbath School," 14:27 brought to you by It Is Written. 14:29 [uplifting music] 14:33 >>John Bradshaw: So what is God really like? 14:36 To hear some people tell the story, 14:37 "God is a tyrant, God is vindictive, God is hateful"; 14:41 to hear some people tell the story, 14:43 "God is a murderer. 14:45 God is masochistic"-- that's what some people say. 14:49 Now, why would they say such a thing? 14:50 Well, you look into the Bible, 14:52 and in Noah's day, God destroyed the entire world. 14:56 There may even have been billions of people alive 14:59 at that time. God wiped 'em out. 15:02 Well, was that a one-off? 15:03 In the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, 15:07 185,000 Assyrian soldiers were destroyed 15:12 by God's angels in a night. 15:14 What is the character of God like? 15:17 You don't wanna miss "The Character of God." 15:19 We'll talk about creation, love, the cross. 15:23 And you'll know that God is love. 15:25 "The Character of God," 15:27 brought to you by It Is Written TV. 15:33 >>John: You know that at It Is Written 15:35 we are serious about the study of the Word of God, 15:38 and we encourage you to be serious 15:40 about God's Word also. 15:43 Well, I wanna share with you another way 15:45 that you can dig deeper into the Word of God. 15:47 And here it is: itiswritten.study. 15:52 Go online to itiswritten.study, 15:55 and you can access the It Is Written Bible study guides, 16:00 25 in-depth Bible studies that will walk you 16:03 through the Bible. 16:05 It's gonna be good for you, and it's the sort of thing 16:08 that you will want to tell somebody else about 16:11 so that they can dig deeper into the Word of God 16:14 and come to know the things of the Bible intimately. 16:18 As you get into the It Is Written 16:19 online Bible study guides, you'll understand 16:21 the prophecies of the Bible, the plan of salvation, and more. 16:25 So don't forget: itiswritten.study, 16:28 itiswritten.study. 16:32 [uplifting music] 16:37 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 16:39 brought to yo by It Is Written." 16:41 We're looking at lesson number 2 as we study the book of Exodus. 16:45 Dr. Moskala, we've been talking about Moses at the burning bush, 16:48 this experience that he has, this dialogue that he has going 16:51 between himself and God. 16:55 When we see this dialogue taking place, 16:58 what does this dialogue reveal to us about Moses' faith, 17:05 about his doubts? 17:06 What do we know about Moses as he's asking these questions 17:10 or, more accurately, making these excuses? 17:14 What does that tell us about him? 17:15 >>Dr. Moskala: I am really fascinated by these questions 17:19 and the dialogue between God and Moses 17:22 because it tells me that God is approachable. 17:26 We can come to Him with any questions, 17:30 and, actually, God is inviting us. 17:32 And I am always surprised how many biblical authors 17:36 are dialoguing, even reacting to God's commands. 17:40 And they're, like, not only hesitant 17:43 but trying to change it, that it will be different. 17:47 Of course, you have also different episodes where, 17:51 like, Isaiah--"Here I am, Lord. Please send me." 17:55 But there are others who are very hesitant to follow 17:59 God's leadership because they know how demanding it is, 18:03 that it is not a simple task. 18:06 So it tells me that our God is a personal God. 18:12 We can talk to Him. We can explain our feelings. 18:17 And even we are frustrated, we can speak to Him. 18:21 But I would say also that when we speak to Him, 18:25 we need to know also that we are only creatures. 18:29 He is the Lord. He is God. 18:31 And this is what we have, a great lesson 18:34 from this dialogue between Moses and God. 18:37 God is commanding; 18:39 he is now giving four excuses-- 18:42 the first, "Who I am? Who I am?" 18:45 and then the second, "Well, all right, 18:48 You will be with me," or "I can take it." 18:51 "But who are You? 18:53 People will ask me who are You." 18:55 And it means--it shows that the knowledge of God 19:00 at the time was diminishing, and that influence of Egypt 19:06 and Egyptian gods was so dominant 19:09 that the Israelites were now more fearing 19:13 these Egyptian gods because they saw, 19:16 you know, these Egyptians are having these gods, 19:20 and they are ruling over them. 19:21 So these gods must be stronger than our God. 19:26 And they're intimidated. 19:28 "So who You are? 19:29 I have to even tell them who You are." 19:32 And the Lord is saying, "Telling them who I am. 19:35 I AM. Why? I am present. I am intervening." 19:38 And you cannot manipulate with Him. 19:41 "I am in charge." So this is beautiful. 19:45 And then Moses is not ready yet [chuckles] and saying, 19:50 "Well, I will be there, 19:53 "and still they will not take me seriously. 19:57 "They are not taking You seriously. 19:59 Why they would take me seriously as Your servant?" 20:03 And He's empowering him: "You will be able even 20:06 to do miracles, different signs, and wonders." 20:09 And the signs, actually, in the biblical text 20:13 is not called "miracle." It's a sign. 20:15 It's a sign that God is present, 20:18 that God is now responding to their cries, 20:21 that God will do something for His people. 20:23 Like, God is always ready to do something 20:25 for you and for me, right? 20:27 And this is that God. 20:30 And when, again, all these excuses 20:34 are explained by God, comes the fourth one. 20:38 And Moses saying, "Well, Lord, I am not eloquent. 20:44 I don't know how to speak." 20:46 And, of course, he already is 40 years out of Egypt. 20:49 So he was not fluent now in Egyptian, and but what is, 20:56 again, great, God is responding to him. 20:59 I will now reading in chapter 4 from verse 11. 21:05 You know, Moses says, "I am slow of speech and tongue." 21:10 And the Lord said to him, "Who gave [man his mouth]? 21:14 "Who makes [him] deaf or mute? 21:16 "Who gives [him] sight or [make him] blind? 21:19 "[It is] not I, the Lord? 21:21 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." 21:26 Wow, so there is no more excuse, right? 21:29 God will tell him exactly what to say, how to say, 21:33 when to say it. 21:35 If every time God will tell me that in my life, 21:38 I would be very happy. [chuckles] 21:41 And God is assuring, "I will be with you. 21:43 I will do everything what you need." 21:46 So what--how we can now react? 21:49 For excuses, God gave great responses: 21:53 "I will be with you." 21:54 And now this is a big surprise. 21:57 It's a shock in the biblical text 21:59 because in verse 13 we read that Moses 22:03 is no more asking any question 22:05 but is now giving command to God. 22:09 Isn't it now reverse? 22:11 You know, first God was commanding, 22:13 and now Moses is in the position-- 22:17 when he is refusing to follow God's call, 22:19 that he's commanding God and saying, 22:20 "Lord, please send someone else." 22:25 You know, "Send someone else." 22:27 You know, I always say we can, you know, 22:30 have dialogue with God. We can argue with Him. 22:33 But when He is assuring us about His presence, 22:38 He's giving us all His Word, 22:40 all His promises, we need to trust Him. 22:44 And this is what now Moses need to learn-- 22:48 how we need to learn our lesson, how to trust the Lord. 22:52 And, in spite of this, you know, he is not yet ready. 22:58 And he's saying, "Please, Lord, send someone else." 23:00 Now he is commanding God, but you cannot manipulate with God. 23:05 You cannot tell Him what to do. He is in charge of everything. 23:11 So now God is reacting. 23:13 This time He is not speaking to him in, as before, 23:18 with loving care, you know, but really-- 23:22 "Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses." 23:27 This is here when Moses is experiencing 23:32 something about God's anger. 23:35 "Why you do not trust me? I am here for you. 23:38 "I assured you I will be with you. 23:41 Why are you so hesitant?" 23:44 You know, this is how it is with our life: 23:49 We sometimes have our questions, and we are hesitant. 23:53 We do not listen, and do we overlook 23:56 this beauty of God's promises? 23:58 And, again, this God, He's even angry with Moses. 24:05 He's such a magnificent God. 24:07 I am in love with this God because now-- 24:09 listen what He is saying. 24:12 He says, "What about your brother, 24:15 "Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak. 24:18 And he's already coming to meet with you." 24:23 So it tells me that God already know that Moses 24:28 will tell "no" to Him, 24:30 that He prepared the way in His providence in saying, 24:33 "Aaron, you will go and meet your brother, Moses." 24:38 And now Moses is really without any excuse 24:44 because God, in His providence-- 24:47 even though he was so hesitant in refusal, 24:53 he is hearing that God is preparing way. 24:57 Even the help will be coming. His brother will be there. 25:01 And the next one we read, there is no response of Moses. 25:07 He is not telling anything to God. 25:09 But we read at the end of verse-- 25:12 of this chapter, like, in the middle of the chapter, 25:16 that Moses went back to Jethro, 25:18 his father-in-law, and said to him, 25:21 "Let me go back to my people in Egypt 25:24 to see if any of them are still alive." 25:28 And Jethro is telling him, "Go." 25:29 So Moses, as a good man of the family, 25:32 is asking his father-in-law, "May I go?" 25:36 And father--"Yes"-- 25:38 you know, he see that God is in command. "You need to go." 25:42 And this help also from his father-in-law 25:46 was encouragement: 25:47 "Yes, you have really no excuse. You need to go." 25:52 And then you have the rest of chapter 4, 25:56 when you see how God really prepared Aaron to be with him, 26:03 and now also preparing Moses to do everything 26:07 what God said before. 26:08 This is that episode about circumcision, 26:11 that he need to, you know, follow God's instruction. 26:13 And then they speak, both. 26:15 They are now back in Egypt, and Moses and Aaron 26:18 are speaking to elders and leaders of Israel, 26:23 and they hear that God really wants to be with them. 26:27 They see that He performs signs 26:31 and that God really hear their voice. 26:33 They have now the confidence in God 26:37 because He will now be concerned about them, 26:41 and they are bowing down and worship the Lord. 26:43 So the chapter ends beautifully. 26:45 >>Eric: So we've got this incredible picture, 26:47 this story-- brief story in here-- 26:49 a couple of chapters of God and Moses having a dialogue: 26:53 Moses making excuses, 26:56 God bringing them down each time. 26:58 We've got a short bit of time left. 27:00 If there's somebody who's watching right now 27:02 and they have a habit of making excuses 27:06 when they sense God encouraging 'em to do something, 27:09 in just a few sentences, 27:10 what would you tell that person to encourage them 27:14 to walk forward? 27:16 >>Dr. Moskala: I will say, listen to God's promises. 27:20 Don't look upon yourself and your weaknesses 27:24 and your points of things that you don't know. 27:30 If God says, "I will be with you," you can count on it. 27:34 He will be doing more for you than you can even imagine, 27:39 and then the experiences you can have with your God 27:42 will surpass all your excuses. 27:44 So trust Him. 27:46 And He is here to fulfill His promises for you. 27:52 Count on Him. Trust Him. 27:54 >>Eric: So I would encourage you to do the very same thing: 27:56 Count on God, trust Him, and He will direct your path. 28:00 Thank you for joining us today on "Sabbath School," 28:03 brought to you by It Is Written. 28:05 [uplifting music] 28:24 [uplifting music] 28:26 [Captions provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.aberdeen.io] |
Revised 2025-06-28