Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Reading 18 | The Bible in 100 Passages

Today's Scripture
Exodus 3:1–15

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness and came to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your 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 at God.

Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. Now go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He said, “I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’:

This is my name forever,
and this my title for all generations. (NRSVUE)

Reflection

Let’s get one thing clear: Moses, as an individual, isn’t special. At this point in the exodus story, Moses has made the decision to give up a life of fame and influence in order to become a completely mundane individual. And yet, Moses goes on to become one of the most influential prophets in the entire biblical narrative.

This is a pattern we see a lot in the Bible. We see it with David, with Mary, and most importantly, we see this with Jesus, who, despite being both God and the Son of God, is somehow also perfectly ordinary, less than ordinary. Jesus was a carpenter, David was a random teenager, and Moses was a shepherd.

This is something that Moses seems to be acutely aware of. In verse eleven, we see Moses ask God pretty plainly, “Why me?” and God, in all God’s glory, responds, “I will be with you.” And that is all the answer we need.

God doesn’t pick special people because there are no special people. In the greater body of Christ, we are all equals. There are people who God calls to do great things, but the great things we do are not a testament to our personal merit; they are a testament to the goodness of God and our obedience to God’s call.

You, like Moses, were created with a purpose. Your purpose, God’s plan for you and your life, is not something you work for or earn; it’s something you find.

So stop proving.

Abandon your ego and your self-importance. You are not special, but God is, and the goodness of God is eternally better than any personal glory we could hoard for ourselves.

Prayer

Father, help us to surrender ourselves to you, and quiet our hearts and minds so that we may become attentive to your voice and your call. Let us exchange arrogance for obedience and ego for curiosity, always looking to you so you may be with us like you were with Moses. Amen.

Written by Laura Supinger, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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