More questions from Moses

Exodus 3 — 4 recounts a lengthy discussion — not to say a dispute —
between God and Moses. Moses was still trying to decide whether he wanted
to lead God’s people out of Egypt or not; so he asked God five questions.
First he wanted to know who he was to undertake such a difficult and dangerous
mission: “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the
Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exod. 3:11). God answered by saying that it didn’t
matter all that much who Moses was, as long as God was with him. Second,
Moses asked who God was (v. 13). If the success of his mission depended
on God rather than on himself, Moses wanted to know what God’s name was.
God answered by revealing himself as the Great I Am.
Once he had answered those two questions, God proceeded to give
detailed information about what he wanted Moses to do. Rarely has a man
ever been given such explicit instructions for carrying out God’s will. The
verses that follow contain a message for the Israelites (vv. 16, 17), a message
for the Egyptians (vv. 18-22), and three signs for Moses (4:1-9), which
— as we shall discover — were given in response to his third question.


--Phil Ryken, in his commentary on Exodus