Exegesis = Exodus 3:3-8 LINU.

L
BD-IIB
a. Historical background
Let us first examine the political situation in Egypt in this period . Those known in history as
Hyksos ( = foreign chiefs ) ruled Egypt for 200 years until they were overthrown in 1550 BC by
King Ahmose of Thebes who then started his new dynasty known as the 18th Dynasty . His rule
was a time of prosperity for the people of Egypt . The Egyptian rulers were called Pharaohs . A
notable king of this dynasty was Amenophis IV ( 1375-1358 BC ) . He tried to change the
religion of Egypt . He introduced the worship of ' Aton ' and accordingly changed his own name
to Akhenaton . He worshipped Aton and he asked his people to worship him , i.e. , Akhenaton
their Pharaoh . This might be seen as a first attempt towards monotheism . But with the death of
the king , his new religion also disappeared .

b . Apiru / Hapiru
It is useful to take note of the term " Apiru / Hapiru ' : The Amarna letters discovered in AD
1887 at Tell el Amarna are documents of 1400-1350 BC and they mention ' Apiru / Hapiru "who
were some wandering nomads who acted like mercenaries . Scholars think that this ' Apiru /
Hapiru ' might have been the 9 , etc. ) . Hebrews in Egypt ( cf. Gen 14:13 ; 40:15 ; Ex 1 : 15-19 ;
1 Sam 4 : 6 In scholarly opinion Pharaoh Seti ( c . 1291-1279 BC ) was the new king mentioned
in Ex 1 : 8 and Raamses II ( c.1279-1212 BC ) was the Pharaoh who let Israel leave .
c. Materials from three sources ( P ; J ; and E )
The first chapter of the Book of Exodus is the result of the collection of materials from three
sources : P = 1 : 1-5 ; J = 1 : 6-14 ; E = 1 : 15-22 . The intention of those behind the formation of
the Book of Exodus was to write a religious history and hence they mentioned only what was
useful for such a purpose . In order to prepare the ground for exodus and journey to Sinai for the
great event of covenant -making , the editors recorded in this initial chapter only the increase in
number of the descendants of Jacob , the fear of the Egyptians at the rapid growth of this foreign
population , and persecution to check its growth in number as well as in power.

God appearing to Moses on Mount Horeb ( 3 : 1-6 ) 187 Here we see a theophany in which God
appeared to Moses on Mount Horeb . There are two accounts of the call of Moses in the first
section of the first seven chapters of the Book of Exodus . The first call account is in 3 : 1 4:17
which combines Yahwist and Elohist elements together into one account . The second call
account is of P given in 6 : 2-13 and 6:28 - 7 : 7 which is presented as happening in Egypt . God
appeared to Moses in a burning bush while he was grazing his sheep in the region of Horeb ( 3 :
6 ) . He was asked to remove his sandals . God then identified himself as the God of Moses '
ancestors , Abraham , Isaac and Jacob .
e) Form / Structure / Setting
These verses have for a long time been recognized generally as an amalgam of theophany and
call narrative from the Yahwist and the Elohist ( Beer , 12 ; Noth , Pentateuchal Traditions , 30
and 36 ; Fohrer , Überlieferung , 124 ; for a more complex reanalysis , see Fuss ,
Deuteronomistische Pentateuchredaktion , 21-99 ) , al beit an amalgam with some obvious seams
. In v 4 , for example , both Yahweh and Elohim occur in successive clauses of the same
sentence . At the end of v 1 , most of which can be assigned to the Yahwist , Horeb , the Elohist's
name for the mount of the theophany , is used . What is more important than the analysis of this
section into its constituent sources , however , is an understanding of the text in its present
sequence . Why was a composite made , and why does the section bring together theo phany and
call ? These questions are best answered in reverse order . Theophany and call are brought
together in the narrative dealing with Moses for the same reason they are brought together in the
narrative dealing with Israel at Sinai . Theo phany describes the advent of God's presence ; call
describes the opportunity of response to that Presence . Theophany provides both stimulus and
authority for response ; response , despite a choice , is virtually inevitable following theo phany .
This pattern is repeated at a number of places in the OT , usually with certain characteristic
elaborations , and it has been studied in detail , most notably by Zimmerli , Habel , and Richter .
These studies have generally ap proached the theophany - call sequence from the perspective of
the call , how ever , particularly that of the prophets . Zimmerli ( Ezekiel 1 , 97-100 ) , for
example , sees two forms of call narrative : a Jeremiah - Moses type , involving divine
manifestation to the person called , the reluctance of that person , and an answer to the reluctance
in promises and signs ; and a Micaiah - Isaiah type involving a vision of God enthroned and
announcing his word to his heavenly council . Zimmerli ( 100 ) applies this second type to the
account of the call of Saul / Paul in Acts 9 , 22 , and 26 in a fascinating manner . Habel analyzes
the form in still greater detail , dividing it into such compo nents as divine confrontation ,
introductory word , commission , objection , reassurance , and sign ( ZAW 77 [ 1965 ] 298-316 )
. He notes , quite correctly , that it has " a significant pre - prophetic history " ( 305 ) . This
history Habel then connects somewhat vaguely to a form employed by " ambassadors or messen
gers on a special mission " ( 322-23 ) . As instructive as these analyses are , however , they are
too rigidly conceived in relation to the call and message components of the theophany - call
sequence and too closely connected to prophetic traditions . Fuller attention is needed upon a
much broader Presence - response pattern , of which the theophany call sequence of Exodus 3-4
and 19-24 is a basic and often - reflected manifestation .
f) Theological Significance
4-5 When Moses moves closer for a look at this remarkable fire , Yahweh , awaiting such an
inevitable reaction , calls out to him " from the middle of the thornbush , " the same phrase
precisely as in v 2 , there locating " the flame of fire . " In addition , the verb forbidding too close
an approach by Moses" approach , " is frequently used in the OT as a technical term to describe
an approach to the Presence of God in worship , or to seek an oracle . Finally , in the ultimate
certification of a theophanic site , a place where God is present , Moses is told that he stands now
on holy ground , and so must remove his shoes in reverence .

There are four suggested reasons why Moses was asked to remove his shoes (Hamilton 2011:44):

1. Shoes are inherently unclean or impure and since Moses on a holy ground, nothing unholy can
enter the presence of God.

2. Shoes are for protection from dust and injury and such is not in the holy presence of the holy
One.

3. Removal of shoes is a sign of respect for the holy. Many African indigenous churches remove
their shoes before entering their churches.

4. The order to remove shoes shows the idea of a host inviting his guess as an act of gracious
hospitality. Moses is a guess of God.

In Chapter 3:6, Moses' curiosity and fearfulness are established. Despite this curiosity and
fearfulness, he was not tight-lipped. He was also argumentative and brash despite the fact that he
was scared. It is not unusual for God to identify himself with people as it is in verse 6: 'I am the
God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'.