Moses’ first encounter with God is described in Exodus 3. Moses, living as a shepherd in Midian, saw a bush that was on fire but did not burn up. He approached, and God called him by name and told him he was standing on holy ground.
Fearful, Moses hid his face, while God told him He had seen the sorrow of the Israelite slaves in Egypt and was sending Moses to lead the people out. Moses replied, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” but God said, “I will certainly be with you.”
At this first encounter, Moses asked God His name. God replied, “I AM WHO I AM . . . the LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” God promised that He would lead them to Cannan, “a land flowing with milk and honey.”
This is one of the most famous incidents in the Bible, since it was Moses’ “commissioning” by God, and the first time God revealed His name to anyone.
