What is the summary of exodus chapters 3?

Answer 1

Moses sees a burning bush, and the bush called out to him telling him He is the God of his father. God tells Moses that he has seen the misery of his people in Egypt and is sending Moses to Pharaoh to bring His people out of Egypt. God promises Moses that he will be with him as Moses tells the people who God is and Moses will "plunder the Egyptians". Moses thinks of excuses so he wouldn't be the one to tell Pharaoh to let His people go. The first being, that he is nobody and he can't go up against Pharaoh and the second, that no one will believe him so what should he call God.

Answer 2

Exodus chapters 3 and 4 are about God's call to Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. This material is a composite of work written by the Elohist, Yahwist and Priestly sources. The Elohist material is most evident in verses 3:1-14, including the burning bush. For the Elohist, no one can look on God, so he usually came in fire, clouds or visions. The Elohist and Priestly sources both saw God as to be feared, a theme that is very evident in these chapters.

God had to tell Moses who he was, even what his name was, as if the Israelites would have known Abraham and the patriarchs but not who the God of the patriarchs was.

Moses expressed great uncertainty about whether the Israelites would accept him as their leader, so God taught him three parlour tricks that should convince them that he had the support of God, and of course that the God of their ancestors had the power to cause these tricks to work. Because Moses felt that he was not a good speaker, his brother, Aaron, was to be his spokesman and high priest.

God spoke to Moses and Aaron in chapter 4, without the need for a burning bush, but here there is a new author. God not only said that the pharaoh would not willingly release the Israelites, he for some reason even said that he would harden the pharaoh's heart against the Israelites, providing Moses with a justification to kill the pharaoh's son.

Perhaps the most obscure passage begins in verse 4:24, when God sought to kill Moses, even though he had only just appointed him to help the Israelites. The most credible explanation is that Moses had not circumcised his son, whom Zipporah quickly, though unwillingly, circumcised in order to save Moses. This is interesting firstly because God had not realised Moses' oversight earlier, and also because it demonstrates the dangerous and capricious nature of God.