What is the meaning of Exodus 3:16? Go God’s first word to Moses is a verb of action. The Lord is not merely informing Moses of Israel’s plight; He is commissioning him. • Similar calls to immediate obedience echo throughout Scripture: “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh” (Exodus 3:10); “But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am only a youth,” but go to everyone I send you’ ” (Jeremiah 1:7); “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). • Obedience begins by moving at God’s word, trusting His timing and provision. assemble the elders of Israel Moses is told to gather the recognized leaders, not a random crowd. God works through established order. • Elders were already functioning in Israel (Exodus 4:29). Their role later expanded (Numbers 11:16–17). • By addressing the elders first, Moses honors the people’s structure and invites corporate buy-in for God’s plan. and say to them The message is God’s, not Moses’. Moses is merely the mouthpiece. • “You are to say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the LORD says’ ” (Exodus 7:16). • God’s servants speak His words, not their own (Deuteronomy 18:18; Jeremiah 1:7). • Truth gains authority when it is presented as God’s revelation rather than human opinion. The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob— Here the Lord ties His promise to Israel’s history. • He introduced Himself the same way moments earlier (Exodus 3:6). • Covenant faithfulness stretches from Genesis through Exodus: Genesis 17:7; 28:13. • Jesus later cites this title to affirm resurrection life (Luke 20:37-38). • By naming the patriarchs, God reminds Israel that His covenant is living and unbroken. has appeared to me and said Moses testifies to a real encounter, not a private impression. • The Angel of the LORD “appeared to him in a flame of fire” (Exodus 3:2). • Stephen recounts the same appearance (Acts 7:30-32). • Personal revelation equips God’s servants to speak with certainty (1 Corinthians 15:8). I have surely attended to you The phrase speaks of focused, compassionate attention. • Earlier, “God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant” (Exodus 2:24). • “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry” (Psalm 34:15). • God’s care is not passive; He is actively planning deliverance. and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt Nothing about Israel’s suffering is hidden from Him. • “Their labor was harsh… all their service was ruthless” (Exodus 1:13-14). • God “looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them” (Exodus 2:25). • He will later proclaim, “I have seen the oppression of My people” (Exodus 3:7), underlining His resolve to act. summary Exodus 3:16 reveals a God who commands action, honors structure, speaks with covenant authority, personally appears, attentively cares, and thoroughly knows His people’s suffering. Moses is to move, gather, speak, and reassure Israel that the same Lord who pledged Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is now stepping into their present crisis. The verse is a bridge between promise and deliverance, assuring believers that God remembers, sees, and acts—then and now. |
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