When Moses strapped on his sandals that day—grabbed his lunch and gave Zipporah a kiss—he THOUGHT it was going to be another typical, uneventful day in the wilderness. For years—in fact, for decades—his routine had been the same: tending the family flock of sheep out on the backside of the Midian desert. Not his flock, not his people, not his land. He was raised as a PRINCE in the palace of Egypt—but now he was nothing but a hireling. A nobody going nowhere. “Just another day like every other.”
What he didn’t know was that THAT DAY would be a day like NONE other. A day of FIRSTS—the day when EVERYTHING changed. On THAT day, we read in Exodus 3, Moses decided to lead the flock out to the FAR side of the desert. Why not? Perhaps he was hoping to find new grazing land. Instead, he discovered something far greater.
- FIRST #1: The MOUNTAIN.
“He came to the mountain of God. To Horeb.” Just like that. The “MOUNTAIN of GOD?” In Midian?!? Who knew?! This is the FIRST time it was even mentioned in Scripture—what’s the chance that this stranger in a foreign land would suddenly stumble on … THEE designated MOUNTAIN of GOD?
- FIRST #2: The BUSH.
The BURNING bush. That was also a FIRST! Moses had probably seen spontaneous combustion occur in the burning hot desert before, but THIS bush wasn’t BURNING! It was on fire, yes, but not consumed. Unbeknownst to Moses, here was one of the clearest and first demonstrations of the character and future salvation plan of God: His justice AND mercy. Justice demands that the fire burns, but His mercy allows the bush to survive.
- FIRST #3: The VOICE.
Moses stepped forward out of curiosity, and suddenly … there was a VOICE coming out of the fiery bush! ANOTHER FIRST! And the Voice called him by NAME! Now, after forty years out in the middle of NOWHERE—having run away from everything and everyone he knew … God FINALLY finds him. Yes, and He calls Moses BY HIS NAME.
- FIRST #4: The COMMAND.
God knew Moses was a man accustomed to bolting in the face of danger, so after He got his attention, God said, “Take off your sandals. The ground you’re standing on is HOLY” … implying “Don’t rush off. I want you to stay HERE a while and listen to what I have to tell you.” This was another FIRST. Not only had God never spoken to Moses before—He was demanding his undivided attention.
- FIRST #5: The MESSAGE of HOPE.
“I want you to go BACK to the land of Egypt. Go speak to Pharoah, and then I want YOU to lead your people, the children of Israel, OUT of Egypt.” After four centuries of cruel slavery in Egypt, this was the FIRST real message of HOPE for the Children of Israel. Incredibly, Moses’ first response to GOD’s assignment was an argument: “Who am I that I should be the one to do this?! Who shall I say sent me?”
- FIRST #6: The NAME. [Drum roll.]
HERE God gives Moses the most important FIRST of all: His NAME. For the FIRST time, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has given Himself a NAME … “I AM WHO I AM. Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD (YHWH), (the) GOD of your fathers, 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 is My memorial to all generations.’” (Exodus 3:14-15 NKJV) In other words, “Don’t forget it.”
Moses assumed that this day was just another day—but God proved it to be the critical turning point in the history of God’s chosen people. “God revealed his name to Moses in Exodus 3 as Yahweh, “I AM,” and that the meaning of God’s name is bound up with God’s presence to save his people, “I AM with you.” This is a watershed for knowing God.” —Alex Kirk, William Tennent School of Theology.
We may think we have to be in the exact right place at the right time for God to speak to us—to use us. That may be so, but for Moses, “the right time” was after forty years of waiting, and “the right place” was out in the middle of NO WHERE.
What’s the takeaway from this story?
- NOWHERE is “nowhere” to God. Wherever there is SPACE, He fills it. So, there’s NOWHERE you can run to and be beyond His presence—where God cannot speak to you.
- When God speaks, be ready to stay put and listen.
- Don’t discount the worth of an ordinary day—you never know what God has in store.
- It’s never too late to start over.
- There’s a FIRST time for everything—maybe TODAY is the day that God changes EVERYTHING—for YOU!
Prayer: Dear Jesus, perhaps—like with Moses—You desire to do a NEW thing through me. TODAY. I am willing, and whatever YOU desire will always be FIRST with me. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.
