“The Lord, the God of your fathers…has appeared to me…”

The scene was intense as it was strange.  Something never seen before or since was right before his eyes, keeping him spellbound at the mystery.  And the timing couldn’t be any more significant.  Nothing of substance or excitement really ever happened out here, except for fending off the occasional wolf or wild dog attacking the sheep.  But that came with the job. Caring for sheep in an outback like Midian for forty years wasn’t what you would call a popular job opening in the want ads.  But here he was, a shepherd in Midian fixated on this spectacular sight — a bush on fire that “did not burn up” (Exodus 3:2).

The next thing was even stranger: a voice coming from the bush!  And not just any voice, but a voice claiming to be “the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (v. 6).  I can hear Moses thinking to himself, “Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?  That’s a new one.  It’s been over 400 years since that God made contact with anyone.  What’s going on?  Why here?  Why now?  And why me?”

Make no mistake.  God’s identification with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was deliberate, as is everything else he does.  How else, after 400 years of silence, would he draw Moses into the beginning of the most aggressive period of revelation since the creation of the world in the past and the arrival of Jesus in the future?  And the bush was child’s play by comparison; it was just the beginning.

So the “God of your fathers” was now speaking again.  And his message?  “…Go.  I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (v. 10).  God’s message always gets personal, doesn’t it?  And quite often it’s uncomfortable, isn’t it?  Moses wasn’t exactly licking his chops or kicking up his heels in excitement from what he heard.  Far from it: he pleaded ignorance, lack of credibility, impotence and slowness of speech.

At virtually every turn of Moses’ excuse making, the Lord reiterated his original statement: “The God of your fathers has sent me to you” (v. 13), “The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you” (v. 15), and “The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me…” (v. 16).  Even though the context of this repetition indicates this is what Moses was to tell Israel and her elders, this was as much for Moses’ benefit as it was for theirs.  He was the one making excuses, and God didn’t flinch.  Notice how he brings the Israelites into the mix (4:5): “‘This,’ says the Lord, ‘is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you”.

So what is the significance of this description?  What exactly is God saying by this marker?  First, what did God do for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?  All three patriarchs are mentioned in Hebrews 11 (vs. 8-12, 17-21), so it is evident that each walked with God and pleased him by their faith (v. 6).  Abraham’s faith is legendary, so much being written of him, that he was called “God’s friend” (2 Chronicles 20:7, Isaiah 41:7, James 2:23).  God moved among them, walked with them, and made promises to each, none of which were personally received (Hebrews 11:13), thus accentuating their faith and obedience.   Second, “God of your fathers” indicates that God is a God of generations: “This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation” (Exodus 3:15).  God is there for each generation, starting with Adam right on through to the patriarchs of Israel.  What is a measly 400 years to a God who consumes eternity?  Third, and closely related to the second, this description clearly proclaims God to be consistent and immutable. God’s nature doesn’t change; he was the same to Father Abraham as he was to son Isaac and grandson Jacob.

Clearly this was to have a domino effect, starting with Moses.  The patriarchs walked by faith.  Now it was Moses’ turn to do so, along with his generation.  And faith is exactly what is required.  You don’t play around with the “God of your fathers.”  He means business!  As with Moses, he has deserts for us to cross, battles to fight, victories to win, and lives to be lived diligently, all by faith.  This “God of their fathers” calls each generation, burning bush or not.  Is your faith in him evident among your generation?