56 GOD OF THE UNEXPECTED F O O T ================================
- H O L D
READING 56 GOD OF THE UNEXPECTED —————————————————————- PRAY Speak to me, Lord, in my situation today. Help me to be alert enough to listen. —————————————————————- READ Exodus 3:1-22. —————————————————————- THINK What does this passage teach about God? —————————————————————- FOCUS AN UNUSUAL SIGHT (1-5).People have made many suggestions about how this might have happened. The important thing is that it made Moses take notice. He was listening to God. And, showing respect in the normal way, he removed his sandals (5). God may speak to us in less spectacular ways – but that’s no excuse for not showing proper respect. AN UNEXPECTED CALL (6-10). The vision was remarkable enough. But more astounding still was the call to lead God’s people to freedom (8,10). And this in the face of the opposition of Pharaoh and the tribes living in Canaan. god calls each of us to do some work for him. It’s a great privilege – but it may look impossible. Time to look at verse 12! AN AMAZING PROMISE (11,12). It’s not surprising that Moses was shocked (11). But God gave him a special promise (12). If we are doing what God has called us to, we too can know that God is with us. GOD’S PERSONALITY (13-15). But promises are worth no more than the person who makes them. Here, God explains the meaning of his name. LORD in most English translations represents the Hebrew YHWH, just four consonants printed together. It is sometimes written ‘Yahweh’ or blended with ‘Adonay’ (Lord) to make ‘Jehovah’. It is related to the Hebrew verb ‘to be’ but we cannot be specific about its meaning. It has the general sense of phrases like ‘I an he who is’ or ‘I will be what I will be’. It speaks of continuity, active existence and inscrutability. —————————————————————- PRAY Discuss with God some of the concerns you may have about difficult tasks facing you today.