Slow It Down!

0:00 We're in Exodus chapter 3 verses 1 through 15. And I'm Marissa. This is this is one of those stories and this is exactly what you read and you talked about it. In fact, maybe before I maybe before I get talking all I'll just read it for everyone else's sake. Now Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro. The priest of Midian so he led the flock to the farthest end of the wilderness coming to the Mountain of God Horeb. Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. So he looked and he saw the bush burning with fire yet. It was not consumed. Moses thought I will go now and see this great sight.

0:49 Why is the bush not burnt? When the Lord saw that he turned to look he called out to him from the midst of the Bush and said Moses Moses. And so he answered he named me. Then he said here I am then he said come no closer. Take your sandals off your feet for the place where you were standing His Holy Ground. Moreover he said I am the god of your father the god of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. So Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said I have surely seen the Affliction of my people who are in Egypt and I have heard their cry because of their slave masters for I know their pains. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians to bring them out of that land into a

1:36 good and large land a land flowing with milk and honey into the place of the Canaanites the Hittites the amorites the parasites the hivites and the jebusites. Now Behold The Cry of the children of Israel have come has come to me more over I have seen the oppression that the Egyptians have inflicted on them come now, I will send you to Pharaoh so that you may bring my people the children of Israel out from Egypt. But Moses said to God, who am I that I should go to pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? So he said I will surely be with you. So that will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you? When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.

2:23 But Moses said to God. Suppose I go to the children of Israel and say to them the god of your fathers have sent me. And they ask what is his name? What should I say to them? God answered Moses I am who I am. Then he said you are to say to the children of Israel. I am has sent you to me has sent me to you. God also said to Moses you were to say to the children of Israel. I don't know the god of our of your father's the god of Abraham. The god of Isaac in the god of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name Forever In The Name by which I should be remembered from generation to generation. So this is the text that we're looking at today the

3:11 text that in fact you read most of this in Hebrew. And then commented on some of it. But we're gonna look at we're I've divided this I've taken some lessons from Rabbi Sean recently. I've divided this into three sections. And we're going to do this section by section and we're gonna look at it in and drive some some lessons or some principles from it and then we'll kind of wrap it all up at the end with a little bow. You know because bows are pretty anyways, so this this section starts off with Moses and Moses is tending the flock of his father-in-law. And he's taken this flock and he's LED them to the other side of the wilderness.

3:58 To be near the Mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appears to Moses in the flame of a burning bush. And Moses looked up and saw the bush burning and decided to turn aside and see what was going on. So this is this is the first three verses here that we're looking at. I want to start with this Moses lived a life. Or lived a lifestyle where he enabled him to notice something that was odd. Now you should be thinking like what he we all notice odd things. You know, I look around this room and I see. a lot of people

4:48 when I come in this morning when I wait when I wake up this morning I come through my house and I see things happening in my house. what do you mean live a lifestyle where we can notice something odd, you know sometimes well before I get there. This text says that Moses is intentional. That doesn't use the word intentional but it says that he goes to the farthest part of the Wilderness across the wilderness. To the Mountain of God, so it seems to me. Because the text is saying it Moses already knew that it was the Mountain of God. And he was intentionally going that direction to see if something would happen. So number one in your life Marissa be

5:33 intentional with what you're doing. We'll come back to that a little bit. But he was ready. Even there in The Daily Grind of of leading the Sheep. You know sheep think of this way. They go that way you got to run after them. They fall off a cliff. You got to go down and save them. They do all of these things because sheep. Our lovely creatures that lack some intelligence. And so you have to you have to watch them all the time, but Moses is in this Daily Grind of watching these sheep and he's he's walking along and he looks up. And he sees a bush on fire. Now to see a bush on fire may or may not be odd thing. It may be common in the wilderness. You know,

6:20 it's hot things catch fire. But he looks up and he sees and he notices that this bush is on fire, but it's not being consumed. Which means you have to watch it long enough to make sure that it's not dying away. I don't know if you've ever started a bonfire or something and you can watch it and after a little while 30 minutes or now. Are you begin to see it, you know die back down and and you notice that there's no more sticks inside. And you got to add some more sticks. This is the opposite of that Moses is looking. In the bush is still on fire in the bush is still intact. So Moses now realizes that something odd is going on. And so from that point he's looked up and seen but now

7:05 he turns. And walks toward it. You know in our lives today, it's difficult for us. To stop and notice the Oddity. why because When we're in the grocery store waiting in line to check out. We're doing this. We're standing in line. Hoping that nobody talks to us. Right. All right. I'm pretty sure I'm right here. At least maybe I'll use my own life. Then you know you hear the okay. You're your

7:52 total is so and so okay now I know it's my turn to move forward just a little bit. Okay. Nobody's nobody's checking me out yet. Okay. still you know what? There's no room to notice. The Oddity when you're when you're faced with this, let me let me say another way. Maybe we don't have that problem. Maybe your problem is is like some others in our in our society. Where what we do. We're not looking at this all the time. but we do this. Okay. I'm looking around but I can't hear anything.

8:38 You know because I'm listening to my music. You know what? It's difficult. To hear the voice of the Lord when it's not quiet. It's difficult to see what he's doing when your time is monopolized looking. At a tool now. I'm saying that knowing full. Well that this tool. Was actually very helpful today. Because what you guys may or may not know is I'm Marissa. Got thrown a curveball. And we realized this week that her drush. I didn't catch it with the first time through. what I think it was a week in between when I caught it and

9:24 it made it through several people, but we didn't it didn't catch. That the Josh. Was on the wrong tour portion. And so I'm Marissa wrote two. Josh's because I looked at it this week and I was like, oh no, that's the wrong one. We're starting Exodus and I was like I called Miss Terry and I said well It made it through both of us. Like I hate to have her write it again. Like I don't know about you guys, but when you when you when you write something like this, you put you poor

10:12 time and energy into it. And this is Monday now. And I'm thinking she's got to be up there on stage on Shabbat comfortable with the new one. She turned around and cranked that thing out by. Wednesday Tuesday night. I was quick. So I thought to myself this is great. We don't have to mention that anybody missed anything on Shabbat. Until the old one got up here on the stage and then I realized that's the wrong one. So, you know what these things can be helpful all of

10:58 that to say this can be helpful. It's a tool. It's like a hammer. But I mean don't use it like a hammer because then that's a thousand dollar Hammer that you're gonna break. And then you got to go buy another one. It's a tool that's meant to be used in a particular way. You don't see me with a hammer here all day long. Walking around with a hammer in my face ready to hammer things. I mean if I did we kind of fun but But tools are meant to be used at particular times. So if we can place our tool off to the side for a moment. I say that and it's I got this Podium that's full

11:45 of tools actually and then the word. but if we can not monopolize our time with our tools and begin to look up and see what The Oddities that God has placed in our life. Both in human form and in other form, then we can begin to see what God is doing. We need to live our lives with a willingness. To engage the Lord when he chooses to reveal himself, especially when he's choosing to reveal himself not necessarily right in front of us. You see sometimes God just is checking to make sure we're paying attention. It's kind of like your mom does with you sometimes. You know sometimes I I just imagine because I'm a

12:33 parent and I know what I do to my own children and and I'll be reading a book and I'll say the wrong words. To see if they're paying attention. And if they're not paying attention, then I'll just slowly quiet my voice and I'll just stop. And I'll see how long it takes them to realize that. I've stopped reading and they're again, you're supposed to be reading the book. This is our time to read the book together. I'm like you won't even paying attention to me. You see God does that sometimes to us just to make sure that we're paying attention to him and not other things? When the Lord saw that Moses had turned to look so we saw in the first three verses Moses noticed the auditing. And then that he turns to look so it's

13:18 not until the point where Moses turns to begin to go to investigate what's happening. That the Lord looks the Lord sees this and he calls out to him from the midst of the bush. You see the Lord didn't speak to Moses. Until after Moses had already turned aside and really progressed along that path. Because he's now close enough to hear him from the bush. And he says Moses and Moses says he Nami. And the Lord says come no closer take your sandals off your feet for the place where you were standing is Holy Ground more over. He said I am the god of your father. the god of Abraham Isaac and Jacob So Moses hit his face because he was afraid to

14:03 look at God. The Lord responded to Moses's willingness to turn aside from The Daily Grind and see what the Lord was doing in a new way at that moment. And when Moses turns aside in the Lord calls out to him. Moses responds with immediacy and Readiness total Readiness. You see the term where the term that's used here. Hinani here. I am it's more than like if your mom's calling through the house and goes I'm Marissa you say here. I am. Yeah. I know you where you are. Like I need you to clean your bedroom. Well, Mom, I don't know about if I can clean my bedroom. You see that's the opposite of here I am. Here I am is.

14:49 Here I am. Let me know what you're requesting and it will be done. Sorry, I'm not I'm assuming your child just like everybody else and that we all have difficulty cleaning our bedrooms. Can't let you in a little secret parents have difficulty also. Just a side note. But then the Lord begins to speak to him and Define. Himself to Moses and he says I am the god of your father. I find this fascinating. Because this isn't the only time it says this In this passage, it says it a little bit later and we'll get to that but in that case it says I'm the god of your fathers plural here.

15:36 He says I am the god of your father, but then he says the god of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. It began me. It began to cause me to wonder something. And I still am wondering. Moses was raised with Pharaoh's daughter as his mother. from the time he was I don't know somewhere between two and five because he nursed with his own mother in in her house until he was done nursing. So that sometimes you can have an argument somewhere in between the ages of I don't know 18 months and five. And then he's returned to Pharaoh's daughter.

16:23 From that point onward. There's no mention. of a father being involved in Moses's life doesn't say Pharaoh's daughters married. In fact, I presume. That it would have been Pharaoh himself who might have served as a as a father in in Moses's life. You know as as the grandfather. But then 35 years later. He tries to kill him. You imagine this Moses has gone his whole life without a father. Then his father turns around and tries to kill him because of what Moses does Moses flees. He he ends up

17:09 at this well with seven women and he saves them. They go back to their father leaving him at the well. Who had to their father leaving him at the well, and they say he did all this things and and their father goes you left him there. Like bring him home. There's seven of y'all surely. He's good enough for one of you. at least one I mean so so Moses comes home now Jethro is the next closest thing that he has to a father but it's a father-in-law. It's not exactly the same. It's not the same relationship. So Moses predominantly grows up without a father.

17:54 And at this point God chooses to reveal himself to Moses and says I am the god of your father. You see I wonder if God is is connecting some. Deep issue with Moses at this moment and says, that's me. I'm your father. You can come to me. You didn't you weren't raised with the father. You were raised in the house of pharaoh, and and you had tutors to taught you everything and you had but you never had a dad. You can come to me for that now. Because that's who I am. And he goes through all of this and he is I'm not the god of the river. I'm not the god of the sun. I'm not gonna the god of the rain.

18:42 I'm the god of your father. you see there's so many gods. At this time and even now today we just don't call them gods. We we call them sources of entertainment. She's just a different term. It's just whatever monopolizes your time that ends up being your God. at this point he identifies with Moses in a new way in a way that Moses. Perhaps has taken off off balance. I don't know the text doesn't indicate that. But the Lord could be at this moment be ministering

19:29 to this need in Moses's life. And what's Moses's reaction. He hides his face in fear. You see because all he's learned from his Earthly father figures are I'm going to kill you. I'm only going to educate you. I'm not going to do all of these other things that you need me in your life for. And Moses hides his face. Which you know, sometimes it would be good for us to hide our faces from the Lord. I just I'm not I'm not dismissing that. And then and then the Lord says surely I've seen the Affliction so we get to this last part of the passage and and I'm just gonna summarize this because I already read it for you. God hears the Cry of his people. And is now chosen Moses to go and draw

20:17 his people out from the land of Egypt. Now Moses gets into an argument with the Lord. I don't know. I'm Marissa if you if you do this or not, and I would I would I would gather that most of us wouldn't admit to doing this. But we argue with God. Whether or not we admit it we do. God says I hear the Cry of my people Moses. You're gonna go back and you're gonna be the one responsible for bringing the people back out. and Moses goes Lord are you sure? That you're choosing me. I don't know about that.

21:03 and God and God says yeah, I'm Gonna Be With You in the sign that you know, this is this is so funny. If I if I were to look I'm gonna just take a side step here for just saying if I were to ask you to define a word and you use the word and it's own definition, is that permissible? No, it's not permissible anywhere. God goes, you know, the reason the reason you're going to know that I've chosen you for this. Is because you're gonna go do it. And I'm gonna be with you the whole time and that's how you're gonna and you're gonna end up with the mountain worshiping me and that's the sign that you're gonna know that I chose you for this. Moses goes

21:48 I don't think it works like that. Like to sign supposed to come beforehand not at the end. the signs supposed to be like, oh, yes, I feel warm nice and fuzzy tinglies in my in my side inside me now so that I know that the Lord has said this I do also want to say all of us. Maybe we'll hear the Lord. And we feel like the Lord says things God spoke to Moses. and said go get my people and Moses. I don't know. They're really understand. ah That didn't come in super clear. Can you I don't think you really mean me because

22:35 I'm deficient. You see I murdered an Egyptian. These are things that are in Moses's mind. I murdered an Egyptian. I don't have a dad. I had no I now have a wife and I have a kid. I'm in charge of all these sheep. I gotta watch them. Otherwise, they're gonna fall off the cliff. and God goes Yeah, that's exactly why I chose you. because you're watching the Sheep to make sure they don't fall off a cliff and that's basically the same thing that the people of Israel are a bunch of sheep ready to fall off a cliff and now I need you to go back and you're gonna serve. As as my mouthpiece to my people.

23:28 Well Moses objects again. and he goes Lord what if they say what is his name? Moses is getting every possible excuse out of the bag here. Like every possible one and actually keeps going after we're gonna wrap it up before it actually wraps up. Moses just keeps going and finally at some point. God says enough is enough. You're doing it like we're not talking anymore. But God responds to Moses and tells him his name the name by which he would be known. You see God knew what Moses needed and what the people needed.

24:16 And he knew what he had already promised. And now he's bringing those two together because God's name is at stake. You see God made a covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob that said I'm going to make you into a great nation. You're gonna have lots of children. And you're gonna be in this land and this land will be yours. And you're and you're gonna be a blessing to all of the Nations. and so at this point God's reputation is at stake because his people are enslaved in Egypt. God's reputation is taking a hit because he's unable to do what he said.

25:02 I mean, that's that's What what his reputation is what people are saying at this point? so he comes back and he tells He tells Moses he says I am the god of your fathers. Now this time now he goes with I'm the god of your fathers the god of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I made a covenant with with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and I'm coming to fulfill it. I'm coming to bring your to bring my people back into the land so that they can be a blessing to all of the Nations. You see when God utters his name. He's doing a few things. He's number one. He's

25:49 speaking to the nature or the character of himself So this name which which in in Bibles is depicted differently some Bibles. It's all caps. It's Lord all caps some it's I don't know like mine. I think it says I don't know and maybe all caps or maybe italicize. I can't remember but it that's the English version of yodhave. And you'd have he is is the tetragrammaton. It's it's an it's the name that is no longer uttered partially because nobody knows how to say it. But there's more in this name than just the name. You see then God's name relates or connects with the Hebrew word Hawaii which means existence or reality? It connects

26:35 with the Hebrew word hiya, which was Jose which is and yeah, which will be and it connects with the Hebrew verb Leah, which means to be So you have all of this and you wrap it all up and and if I were to put all of that into my my brain and out comes a phrase, I'm going to quote Rabbi David Aaron here and he says we believe in the Ultimate Reality who was is and always will be and who is the source of all being? You see his existence is so real that it makes our existence seem virtual. Or not quite real or Shadow like if you will.

27:21 You see it reminds me of John chapter 20 when Yeshua Yeshua is already died and been raised and and has already been recognized in his disciples. They locked himself in in a room. They close off all the doors. They're in fear and all of a sudden it says Yeshua was in their midst well how to get in their midst. If the doors are all locked. We presume that he walks through a wall. Or through the door. and the reason I don't know. I'm giving some scientific explanation. And maybe I'm not maybe I'm not. certified to give scientific reasoning here My belief is that yeshua's existence is so real and our existence is so temporary that

28:07 we're like mist. And that Yeshua is so real that he's solid and so when solid walks through Mist Miss doesn't push back. So the mist of the wall is just that Yeshua walks through because he's the Ultimate Reality and he's already in that body. And he's able to pass right through what we would call a solid object. But in reality, it's just a bunch of atoms that are doing this and bouncing off of each other and he's so real and his atoms are so dense, and he just walks right through it never affected by it and he's in their midst. That's the existence or the reality that we're talking about. That's how real God is

28:53 we live in a shadow. in fact everything aside from the Lord. Is a shadow because he's the source of all light. When when God spoke in the beginning when he said the words let there be light the word. Came forth and light existed. You see there's no sun and moon in Genesis 1 in the first couple verses of Genesis 1 but there's light because God is the source of the light CS Lewis describes it this way in in The Chronicles of Narnia. He says, When the when they the children come after the last battle and they come to

29:41 the the world to aslan's World they go. This is like the same thing but everything is greener. The greens are Greener. Everything is more real. You see what we have is a shadow. Of what is to be or what? I shouldn't say. What is to be what already is? Because you can't have a shadow without the thing existing. So all of that is wrapped up in the Lord giving Moses his name at this point and he is taking his reputation. Now even more on the Deliverance of the people of Israel his reputation. He's the creator of the heavens and the Earth.

30:27 And his reputation is being hurt because his people are in bondage or enslaved by the land of Egypt by the pharaoh. And now he's coming to say let my people go. You see what this task that God has called Moses to do. Is is fascinating? In order for Moses to actually do it. his fear of the Lord Has to be greater than his fear of man. or his fear of of his peers or even the fear of the situation at hand. His fear of the Lord has to be greater. You know, I want her to

31:14 teach her say you're never going to change until the pain of change. Is greater than the pain of staying the same? It's the same thing if our fear of man is greater than our fear of God, we're going to continue to not serve the Lord. the moment when our fear of the Lord exceeds that of everything else Is the moment when the Lord can really? Use us. So let me let me wrap up with with these couple things here Emerson. If you slow down and remain intentional about

32:01 where you were going you may in fact stumble upon the Lord. Practically speaking as I'm as I acted out before it may take the removal of a screen from in your face or ear plugs from within your ear. And slowing down even more you see it's fascinating. What happens what the Lord does when we're bored. You see we now have turned these things into boredom relief. But when we're bored. Let me tell you something that was invented when it when we were bored electricity. Was invented through boredom.

32:50 They boredom is a great thing everyone. When you're bored, that's the moment when your brain be our brains, I don't know if you guys realize this our brains are magnificent instruments. and if we get bored the brain starts to just some of us it gets us into trouble. like Sometimes bigger trouble so don't don't let the brain do that. You know all within the fear of the Lord, right? Don't be afraid to remove a screen and allow for a moment when you can look to the side and see something out of the ordinary. The Lord will often wait to call to you.

33:37 Marissa or to you anyone else? Until you have looked up seen turned and walked. He'll often wait to speak to you until all of those actions are done and then he's now seeing that you're willing to follow him and to come to him. And that's when he'll call you. And he'll speak to you. And he'll direct you. And your willingness to follow the lord? Will mirror the depth of your relationship with him. I'm Marissa finally. What's in a name? What's in your name?

34:22 I'm Marissa means promised by God or God has said let me say this the reason that we can depend upon the word of the Lord. The reason that we can count, this is Dependable today. all of this the reason this is Dependable today. Is because he hasn't forsaken his Covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob. and their children you see God has been faithful to sustain. And bring the Jewish people to the season that we're in today. If that were not the case. We would have nothing.

35:11 By which we could hold God accountable and say how are you going to be a faithful to me? You know Lord, you called me. You saved me through Yeshua. I've got all these things that I feel like you've called in my you called me to do in my life. If God hadn't done those other things we have zero by which to know the God is faithful. but the existence of the people of Israel the existence of Jewish followers of Yeshua prove God's faithfulness And because it's proved God's faithfulness. now

35:57 was the saying the world is as oyster, although I don't think God wants an oyster. but you see God's faithfulness to Israel. It opens up every door. And because you have placed your trust in the god of Israel through Yeshua our Messiah you can trust for sure. That he will sustain you even through difficult seasons in your life. Now I'm going to tell you. Hopefully everybody else has already told you this. Life doesn't get easier. You are network. I just heard of what? You are now walking through the doorway into Womanhood. Life doesn't get any easier. You know, it's real nice. I love I love

36:44 my children and I love their innocence and their minds because On some level. I hear I hear one or more multiples of them. They go Dad. We want to live with you forever. We just we all in our and on one hand. I'm like, yeah. Okay, like let's get Well, it's at least pick up our messes. It was super sweet. In the Innocence, that's there is in existence. The older you get the less that exists. And as you walk into this new relationship now, what you're doing is you've staked a claim. By coming up here on the stage and reading from the Torah and proclaiming what it is through your

37:31 Josh that the Lord has done for you. And that the Lord has continuing to do for you. You now have staked a claim that the Lord is your inheritance. You see in and when that happens? That's when the battle begins. Because the adversary doesn't want you for the Lord's inheritance, and he'll do everything he can to distract you. To draw you away. Oh. Did he really say? Did God really say doubt is one of the most dangerous

38:18 things? and your faith will be called into doubt often. as the older you get I want you to as you grow older. This is a marker for you. You can come back to this place you come back to this time. and remember what God did for you in reality? What he did for you? I mean Beyond you you going through this whole process you were able on the Fly? To change and read a different Josh. Like I'm just Dad you can tell me if this is not true. I don't think that has ever happened in the history of Brook Hashem.

39:03 I don't think that has ever happened. So to me God has something special for you. Don't forget it come back to this day and draw your strength from the Lord and your remembrance of how he provided for you today. And then move forward in your life. May the Lord bless you and keep you may the Lord make his face. Shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Give our recognize my

39:55 Wrath Yeah, I don't know Alexa movie who? God he saw tonight. in the name of our Messiah Yeshua shabbat shalom mazatov, Amrita