Exodus 3:16

• God ordered Moses to tell the people of Israel that the God speaking to them now was the same God their ancestors knew and worshiped. This God would lead them into a fruitful land captured from others. The message of Moses was not a magical formula. Instead, it was the word of God who, although outside of history, can still enter and direct it.

• flowing with milk and honey: See study note on 3:8.

The second protest Moses made was about his lack of knowledge. He said that he did not know God’s name.

This could mean that God’s personal name had not yet been made known to him (see study notes on 6:2–3). It could also mean something else. In the ancient Near East, people often believed that knowing a god’s secret name gave them power. Moses may have wondered if he needed such a secret formula (special words believed to control spiritual power).

God’s answer is direct, but it sounds almost like a riddle at first. However, most of his answer does not focus on a secret name. Instead, God speaks about his faithfulness in the past and his plans for the future. He shows that he knows what will happen and that he controls history.

There is nothing magical about the name "the LORD" (Hebrew Yahweh). The issue is not secret knowledge or magic power. The issue is who God is.

The name is important because of the character and nature of the one who bears it. God is faithful, powerful, and Lord over all of history.

Moses, in his response to God, presented four reasons why he was not the one to fulfill God’s call. Although each reason supposedly relates to Moses and his ability, God’s answers show that they were really questions about God.

This section describes the mission God gave Moses to rescue the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. It is divided into two parts, 3:1–4:17 and 4:18–28.

The first part describes God's call. The second part describes the full consequences of accepting that call. Moses not only experienced a career change, but he also had to completely change his life.