When God Called Moses, Samuel, and Isaiah to Serve Him by Myra Kahn Adams for Town Hall
Thanks for joining today’s Hebrew Bible study when God called three men into serving ancient Israel for His glory.
We begin with Moses in Exodus 3 with the miraculous event “Moses and the Burning Bush” that occurred around 1446 B.C. Moses was shepherding his father-in-law’s flock on Horeb mountain when Moses saw a burning bush that was not burning. Paraphrasing:
“God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am’… God said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.'” Moses “hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.” “The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt… So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians…into a ‘land flowing with milk and honey.'”
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God directs Moses to lead His rescue mission, saying, “‘I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.'” However, Moses does not feel up to the task, so he asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
But Moses continued his self-doubt, asking God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?’” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God tells Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘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. This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation’” (Exodus 3:1-15).
That stunning exchange has a New Testament correlation: When Jesus called Himself “I AM,” He infuriated the Jewish leaders. (See Vol. 21.)
Now, fast forward about 376 years to 1070 BC when in 1 Samuel 3, young Samuel was called by God. Recently in Vol. 101, we discussed his mother Hannah, who dedicated Samuel to the Lord before he was conceived. Samuel grew to be a great prophet and judge over Israel. He played a pivotal role in the selection and reign of Israel’s first two kings, Saul and David. God conveyed His will through Samuel, who was the conscience of both kings when they went astray. Below is a paraphrasing of verses when God first spoke to Samuel:
