51_Encounter with God Exodus 3:1-11 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2 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. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 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. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreover he said, 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. 7 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; 8 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; 10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. 11 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? Moses’ life is a story of unexpected turns and intense personal transformation. It has three distinct phases. For the first forty years, he lived in Egypt as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, trained in Egypt’s wisdom and having ready access to its wealth and power. Despite his privileged position, he retained his personal identity as a Hebrew. At the age of forty, Moses began to visit the oppressed children of Israel. When he saw one of them beaten by an Egyptian overseer, his blood boiled. In his zeal, he killed the Egyptian. The killing was discovered, and he was in danger. Forced to flee from Egypt for his life, Moses spent the next forty years as a shepherd in Midian. This was a season of obscurity and preparation. He was no longer a prince but a humble shepherd, unknown to the rest of the world, alone yet safe. During these apparently useless years, Moses continued to be trained for his calling. God often works in hidden ways, shaping His chosen ones in silence before calling them to the forefront. This period culminated in an encounter with God that revealed his destiny. In the wilderness of Horeb, God’s presence appeared to Moses in