Moses had been raised by the Egyptians but he was still a Hebrew.  When Moses had grown up he went out to watch the Hebrews work.   He saw an Egyptian beating one of the Hebrew's.


    Moses looked and didn't see anyone around so, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.



     But the very next day Moses went out again and saw two Hebrews fighting.  Moses asked one of them why they were hitting each other.  When one of them asked Moses if he was going to kill them as he did the Egyptian, Moses became afraid because he thought no one had seen him kill the Egyptian.  Moses realized that it must have become known what he had done.

      The  Pharaoh heard what Moses had done and  tried to kill Moses.  Moses had already fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian.  He came to a well and sat down by it.


     The priest of Midian had seven daughters.  They came to get water for their father's flock at the well.   Moses got up and rescued the daughters from some shepherds who drove them away.

      When the girls returned home to their father, Reuel (also called Jethro), he wanted to know why they had come back so early.   They told him about how an Egyptian had rescured them from the shepherds and watered their flock.   He asked his daughters where this man was and wanted him t come and eat with them.  Moses came and agreed to stay with Reuel.  Reuel then gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses to marry.

    Zipporah and Moses had a son.  Moses named him Gershom, saying, "I have become an alien in a foreign land."


    After a long time the king of Egypt finally died. The Israelites groaned and cried out because of their slavery.  Their cry for help went up to God.  God heard their groaning and He remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  God was concerned about them.


     So, one day while  Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to the mountain of God, Horeb.

     From a bush that was burning an angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within the bush.  Moses saw the bush was on fire but it was not burning up.  Moses was wondering why the bush was not burning up and decided to go voer to see the strange sight. 

     The LORD  called to Moses when he went over to look.  He said, "Moses!  Moses!" Moses answered, "Here I am."  God told Moses not to come any closer.  God told him to take off his sandals because the place where he was standing was holy ground. 
     God told him He was  the God of his father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.  Moses was afraid to look at God so he hid his face.


      God then told Moses that He was sending him to bring His people the Israelites out of Egypt.  Moses asked, "Who, me?"  Moses asked God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
     God told Moses that He would be with him.   And this 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."
     Moses asked God what he should say to them if they ask him what the name of the God of your fatheres who sent him was.  God told Moses to say "I AM WHO I AM.  I AM has sent me to you."
This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

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    God told Moses to assemble the elders of Israel and tell them what God had said to him.  God had promised to bring them out of Egypt and that He would strike the Egyptians with all His wonders and then the Egyptians would let them go. (Exodus 3:16-20)

    
     The Lord gave Moses three signs to show to his people so that they would believe the Lord had spoken to him. (Exodus 4: 1-9)

     First sign--- To throw his staff on the ground and it would become a snake.
       Second sign--- To put his hand in his cloak and take it out and it would be leprous and then put  it back in his cloak again and it would be restored.
      Third sign--- Take some water from the Nile and pour it out on the ground and it would become blood.

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      Moses told the LORD that he wasn't a very good speaker and he was slow of speech and tongue.  The LORD asked  him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
      Then the LORD told him to go and that He would help him speak and teach him what to say.  But Moses pleaded with the LORD to send someone else to do it.  The LORD became very angry with Moses and asked him about his brother, Aaron, who could speak well.  God told him that Aaron was already on his way to meet Moses, and he would be glad to see him.  God told Moses to speak to Aaron and that God would help the both of them speak and also teach them what to do.  Aaron would speak to the people for Moses as it were from God.



     God told Moses to take this staff in his hand so he could perform miraculous signs with it.  Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and told him to let him go back to his own people in Egypt to see if any of them were still alive.  Jethro told him to go.
     The LORD told Moses that all the men who wanted to kill him in Egypt were dead and it was alright to go back to Egypt.  Moses then took his wife and sons and went back to Egypt.  He took the staff of God in his hand.
    The LORD told Moses to perform before Pharaoh all the wonders He had given him the power to do. The LORD told Moses that He would harden the Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let His people go.
     Then God told Moses to tell the Pharaoh that Israel was His firstborn son and to let His son go to worship Him.  If the Pharaoh refused to let Israel go, He would kill the Pharaoh's  firstborn son.


CONCLUSION:  Moses ran away from the Pharaoh and Egypt after he had killed and Egyptian.  Even though Moses had done something that was bad,  God must of forgave him and still planned to use him to free His people.  God spoke to Moses from a burning bush.  Today God speaks to us thru the Bible and we can speak to Him thru prayer.

Covenent--An agreement with someone.

Generation--All people who are born withing the same period of time.

Midian--A  desert area  east of Egypt.

Pharaoh--A ruler or king of Egypt.

Slave--Someone who is owned by someone else and is made to do whatever they say.

Worship--Showing respect toward God, a god, or an object.  The act of paying honors to God.  To bow down to.in adoration, honor.