One-Year Bible Reading Plan  : Seekers & New Believers |  October 12 | Exodus Chapter 3: The Burning Bush, The Divine Call, and "I AM THAT I AM" 

🦌 Opening Today’s Reading 

Dear brothers, sisters, and friends, peace be with you in the Lord!

Welcome to Day 25 of our Old Testament journey! Today, we explore Exodus Chapter 3.

After forty long years of obscurity in the wilderness, Moses, once a proud prince of Egypt, has become an aged and weathered shepherd. He seems to have settled into the quiet rhythm of desert life, his youthful dreams of liberating his people long buried beneath the sands of Midian.

Yet, on an ordinary day like any other, a miraculous sight breaks the silence near Mount Horeb. A humble desert bush catches fire, burning intensely without being consumed. From the midst of those flames, God calls Moses by name and reveals His eternal, sacred name: "I AM THAT I AM."

This chapter marks not only the turning point of Moses’ life but also the dawn of freedom for the entire nation of Israel.

Let us step closer with reverent hearts, remove our sandals, and gaze upon the bush that burned but was not consumed.

📖 Context Snapshot : The Fire at Horeb, The Sacred Name, and A Monumental Commission 

1. What Happened Before: Forty Years in the Wilderness

Before diving into Chapter 3, let us recall the turning point in Chapter 2. After killing an Egyptian in a burst of human zeal, Moses fled to the wilderness of Midian to escape Pharaoh’s wrath. There, he married, settled down, and tended the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro for four decades. Meanwhile, the king of Egypt died, and the Israelites groaned under their bitter bondage. Their cries reached heaven, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw their affliction, knew their pain, and prepared to set His redemption in motion.

2. Today's Drama: An Extraordinary Vision and A Reluctant Prophet

One day, the eighty-year-old Moses led his flock deep into the wilderness, reaching Horeb, the mountain of God. Suddenly, an astonishing sight caught his eye: a common desert bush was ablaze with fire, yet the branches were not being consumed by the flames. Intrigued, Moses said to himself, "I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt."

As Moses drew near, God called out to him from within the burning bush: "Moses, Moses!" Moses answered, "Here am I." God commanded him, "Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." God then revealed His identity as the God of his father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Overwhelmed by holy fear, Moses hid his face, afraid to look upon God.

The Lord then shared His heart for His suffering people. He declared that He had surely seen their affliction in Egypt, heard their cry, and had come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, leading them into a good and spacious land flowing with milk and honey. To Moses’ shock, God announced that Moses was the very man appointed to go before Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Faced with this overwhelming commission, Moses felt inadequate and fearful. He immediately questioned God: "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh?" God comforted him with a promise: "Certainly I will be with thee." When Moses asked what name he should give to the Israelites when they asked who sent him, God declared His eternal name: "I AM THAT I AM." God instructed Moses to gather the elders of Israel, assure them of God’s upcoming deliverance, and confront Pharaoh, foretelling that while Pharaoh would resist, God would strike Egypt with wonders until His people walked out free and enriched.

💡 Questions to keep in mind while reading today:

• The Bush That Burned: What does the ordinary bush that burns without being consumed reveal about God’s presence in fragile human lives?

• Putting Off the Sandals: Why did God command Moses to take off his sandals on holy ground? What does this mean for our worship and submission today?

• "I AM THAT I AM": How does this divine name provide ultimate security when we face overwhelming tasks or unknown futures?

💡 Today’s Scripture Verse - Exodus 3

3 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

7 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.

15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.

19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty.

22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

🌟Daily Heart-Check:  Divine Glory in Ordinary Vessels, Surrender, and The Ultimate Security 

Synchronized with the core questions from our reading guide:

• The Bush That Burned: God's Glory Resting on Fragile Vessels:
  A desert thornbush is weak, dry, and easily consumed by flame. Moses, after forty years of desert obscurity, felt just as insignificant. Yet when God’s holy fire filled the bush, it burned brightly without being destroyed. God does not call us because we are strong; He displays His strength when His holy presence rests upon our weakness.

• Putting Off the Sandals: Surrendering Control to Holy Sovereignty:
  Sandals represent human effort, self-protection, and the earthly paths we walk in our own strength. By commanding Moses to remove his sandals, God invited him to lay down his reliance on personal experience and step into holy surrender. Before we can carry out God’s call, we must yield our desire for self-control.

• "I AM THAT I AM": The All-Sufficient God Meets Our Need:
  When Moses asked, "Who am I?", God shifted the focus entirely to "Who I AM." The name I AM reveals God as self-existent, eternal, unchangeable, and all-sufficient. Whatever wisdom, strength, or courage Moses lacked, God would be to him. When God calls us, His presence—I AM with you—is all the assurance we will ever need.

🎵 Response Song :  

🙏 Closing Prayer

Holy, Eternal, and Sovereign Heavenly Father,

As we read Exodus Chapter 3 today, we stand in awe of Your manifestation to Moses at Mount Horeb in the bush that burned yet was not consumed.

Lord, we acknowledge that in ourselves, we are like fragile desert bushes—weak and ordinary. Yet we praise You that by Your grace, You choose to dwell within us, displaying Your divine glory through humble vessels. Grant us the courage to take off our sandals, laying down our pride, human wisdom, and self-reliance at Your holy feet.

When we feel inadequate and whisper "Who am I?", remind us of Your glorious name: "I AM THAT I AM." You are the all-sufficient, unchangeable God who supplies everything we need. May Your promise, "I will be with thee," quiet our fears and guide our steps today.

In the matchless and holy name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen!