Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for September 3, 2017

“Holy Etiquette” Exodus 3:1-6 Bible Study 09/03/17

This morning we will begin our study of the book of Exodus. Exodus 1:8 signals a significant transition in the status of the Hebrew people in Egypt. Peace and tranquility would end and persecution and turmoil would begin. In the midst of their harsh circumstances, the people cried out to God for relief. God heard those cries and raised up Moses to be his human instrument of deliverance. Our text this morning records the encounter Moses had with God after having spent almost 40 years on the backside of the desert. This encounter specifically points us to the holy character of God and the importance of “holy etiquette.”

I. God’s Gracious Initiative

-people then and now: sinners and not seekers
-meeting His people on His terms
-using the visual, the audible and the ordinary

II. God’s Timeless Existence

-supreme and specific
-YHWH-Yahweh-Jehovah-LORD (3:14-15)
-present in space and time
-the original and ultimate promise-keeper

III. God’s Absolute Holiness

-call and response
-symbolic significance of being barefoot in the desert
-holy engagement
-response of profound humility

IV. So What?

-Because God reveals Himself as infinitely holy, respond to Him with worshipful anticipation and awe.
-“Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees, takes off his shoes.” (E. B. Browning)
-“At its core, ‘holy’ is almost an adjective corresponding to the noun “God.” (Carson)
-from a burning bush to a bloody cross…