The book of Exodus tells the story of God revealing his identity through his words, signs and wonders and powerful acts of grace so that his chosen people and the world might know him. Specifically, God reveals himself to Moses, Pharaoh and the people of Israel is ways that help them get a clearer picture of his nature and where he is leading them. First of all, God reveals himself to Moses in a burning bush (Exodus 3:1-3). Surprisingly, Moses is about 80 years old when he first experiences the fullness of God. This is shocking considering Moses has murdered someone and ran away. Yet God pursues him. At the burning bush, Moses response is reverence and fear; in which, he removes his sandals because God has shown himself Holy. And at the same time, God calls Moses by name (Exodus 3:4), which reveals God’s attentiveness to humanity. Furthermore, God speaks to Moses as the God of his forefathers—Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 3:6). This affirms the God of the Israelites rather than some new Egyptian god. In fact, God gives Moses his full name. Gary Schnittjer says, “When Moses asked God his name, he replied, “I am who I am,” …show more content…
Also God shows himself holy over and over again. For example, God requires a boundary to be set between the people and the mountain of God. God instructs Moses and the priests to “Mark off a boundary all around the mountain. Warn the people, ‘Be careful! Do not go up on the mountain or even touch its boundaries. Anyone who touches the mountain will certainly be put to death” (Exodus 19:12). Furthermore, God clearly reveals his desire to dwell with the people, yet a holy God can only dwell with people he makes holy. This is why God gives so many instructions to the people about consecrating themselves and building a tabernacle of worship. God establishes himself as present, but not to be taken