Lesson 3: Rough Start
3.3 The Divine “I”
Despair meets promise – when God answers our complaint

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Introduction

There are moments in life when everything seems to turn against us – even God. Moses experienced such a moment. He had acted on God’s word, approached Pharaoh full of hope, but instead of deliverance, came deeper oppression. Everything got worse, not better. Courage failed, the people complained, and Moses honestly poured out his frustration before God.

But at this low point, one of the most powerful revelations of God in the Old Testament begins. God does not respond with an explanation but with a self-revelation – the “I am the LORD.” This encounter doesn’t immediately change the outward circumstances, but it transforms the perspective.

What happened back then in Egypt still happens today: God speaks His “I AM” into our uncertainty. And that divine “I” carries you – especially when your plans seem to fall apart.

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Bible Study: Exodus 5:22–6:8

Context

Moses had only just been called by God. With fear, but obedience, he went to Egypt. The mission: the deliverance of Israel. But instead of success, he met rejection. Pharaoh responded with defiance, the people with frustration. The situation was disastrous – and Moses felt abandoned and betrayed.

Structure of the Passage:

1. Moses’ Complaint (5:22–23)

“Why have you sent me?”

This question strikes at the heart of every calling. Moses isn’t just afraid – he begins to doubt God himself. Why does it get worse when God wants to help?

2. God’s Powerful Response (6:1)

“Now you will see…”

This is where God begins to act. He lifts the pressure from Moses, making it clear that the results are not Moses’ responsibility. The moment of divine initiative has come.

3. God’s Self-Revelation (6:2–5)

“I am the LORD”

God reminds Moses of:

• His appearance to the patriarchs

• His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

• His compassion for the suffering people

• His faithfulness

This shows that God’s actions are always rooted in His story and His covenant faithfulness.

4. The Seven Divine “I Will” Statements (6:6–8)
   This is the heart of the passage:

• I will bring you out

• I will deliver you

• I will redeem you

• I will take you as my people

• I will be your God

• I will bring you into the land

• I will give it to you as a possession

These “I will” promises show God’s initiative, faithfulness, and love. They reflect His covenant – God acts not because Israel is strong, but because He is faithful.

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Answers to the Questions

Question 1: What theological truths does God’s answer reveal to Moses?

God’s response reveals core theological principles:

1. God is the God of history

He doesn’t act randomly – He acts based on His covenant. The story with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is alive. God does not forget.

2. God is a relational God

The repeated “I am the LORD” (Hebrew: YHWH) is a name of relationship. It shows that God is not just powerful, but personally present.

3. God’s timing is not our timing

For Moses, it felt too late. For God, it was precisely the right moment: “Now you will see…”

4. God carries out the action

The seven “I will” statements make clear: God does it. Israel does nothing but receive. Grace, redemption, salvation – all come from God.

5. God speaks before He acts

Before intervening, God reassures faith. He gives promises so we can learn to trust, even when nothing has yet changed.

Question 2: Who complained to God – and why is it okay for us to do the same?

The Bible contains many examples of men and women who honestly brought their complaints to God:

Examples:

• Job: Cursed the day of his birth and wrestled with God’s justice

• Jeremiah: “Why is my pain unending?” (Jer. 15:18)

• Habakkuk: “How long, O Lord, must I cry for help?” (Hab. 1:2)

• David: Many psalms begin with lament: “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?” (Ps. 10:1)

• Jesus: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46)

Why is lament allowed – even important?
Because God seeks our heart, not our façade. A true relationship includes honesty. Complaint in prayer is not unbelief – it’s wrestling toward trust.

But it’s important: The lament remains within the conversation with God.
It doesn’t drive us away from Him – it draws us closer.

Faith means: Even when I don’t understand God, I don’t stop talking to Him.

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Spiritual Principles

• God keeps His covenant, even when we don’t feel it.

• We may lament – but we should remain in trust.

• God’s “I AM” is greater than any “Why?”

• God often begins to act when our strength ends.

• Relationship comes before explanation. God introduces Himself before He intervenes.

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Application to Everyday Life

If you feel today like your prayers make no difference – remember:
God’s answer often begins not with change, but with His presence.

Have the courage to voice your lament to God – but stay in the conversation.

When you can’t do anything more – trust in God’s “I will.”

Take God’s promises personally:
“I will lead you… save you… redeem you…”

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Conclusion

Moses’ despair was real – and God did not respond with anger, but with promise.
He reminded Moses: “I am the LORD.” These words apply to us too.
They are an anchor in trouble, a bridge across the valley of disappointment.

Whatever you’re going through today – the divine “I AM” remains.
It carries. It saves. It loves. And it keeps what it promises.

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Thought of the Day

“When you can’t do anything anymore – remember what God has already done.”

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Illustration – “I Am Here – Even When You Don’t See It”

Characters:

• Main character: Leonie, 34, passionate social worker

• Supporting: Tarek (teen), Anna (best friend), Pastor Johann

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Chapter 1 – The Collapse

Leonie was always the one with the open heart. The one who listened when others stayed silent. The one who still believed in people everyone else had given up on. As a social worker in a rough neighborhood, she had been fighting for years – for youth, for second chances, for hope.

One of them was Tarek. 17, angry, smart, disillusioned. Leonie believed in him. She invested time, found him an apprenticeship, advocated with teachers, social services, even his mother.

Then came the call.

Tarek had been arrested.
Armed robbery. Knife. A wounded man.

Leonie sat in her office, staring at the wall. Her coffee turned cold. Her heart felt empty.
“Why, God? Why now? I did everything I could…”

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Chapter 2 – The Doubt

In the following days, doubt crept into Leonie’s heart like fog.
She prayed – but it felt like speaking to a locked door.
She remembered her calling, that moment she had felt “sent” by God.
And now? Everything she had built seemed to fall apart like sand.

She spoke with Anna, her best friend:

“I don’t know why I keep doing this. I thought God had put Tarek on my heart. But maybe… I was just wrong.”

Anna was quiet. Then she said gently:

“Moses also asked why God sent him when everything only got worse…”

Leonie looked up. “And what did God say?”

“He didn’t explain. He said: I am the LORD.”

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Chapter 3 – The Encounter

A few days later, Leonie sat alone in the small chapel in her neighborhood. It was silent, except for the drip of a radiator.

She had no prayer left, no request – just one sentence:

“Lord, if you’re there, say something. I can’t anymore.”

Her eyes fell on a framed inscription on the wall – one she had seen dozens of times, but this time she read it with new eyes:

“I am the LORD. I have heard your cry. I have seen you. I will rescue you.”
(Inspired by Exodus 6:5–6)

And suddenly, in the emptiness, there was something. No beam of light. No thunder.
Just a quiet, firm certainty:
You are not alone. I am here. I have not stopped working.

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Chapter 4 – Signs of Grace

Two weeks later, Tarek sent Leonie a handwritten letter from juvenile detention. No swearing. Just words.

“Leonie. I messed up. You believed in me.
I don’t know if I can change. But I want to try.
Not for you – but because, for the first time, I believe there might be someone who actually gives second chances.”

Leonie folded the letter slowly. Tears ran down her cheeks – not from pain, but from quiet hope.

God had not only heard her cry – He had touched Tarek’s heart.

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Chapter 5 – I Am the LORD

Six months later, Leonie sat in a chapel at the youth detention center. Tarek had signed up for a volunteer program and was giving a talk – about guilt, failure, and hope.

He said:

“I’ve heard a lot of names in my life: failure. problem kid. threat.
But the name I believe now is: I am the LORD your God, who brings you out.
It’s from some old book. But for me, it’s new.”

Leonie smiled. She knew: the road would still be long. But she no longer felt defeated – she felt carried.

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Story Summary

Like Moses, Leonie felt like everything got worse, even though she was following God’s call. Her lament was honest. Her despair was real. But right there – at her lowest – God didn’t give explanations, He gave presence: “I AM.”
That experience didn’t immediately change the situation – but it changed Leonie. And through that change, transformation became possible.

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/lesson-3-rough-start-3-3-the-divine-i-exodus-living-faith/

July 15, 2025
DAILY BIBLE READING
Exodus 40 – God’s Presence Fills the House
The dedication of the Tabernacle shows us how holiness, obedience, and divine order make room for the glory of God

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Bible Text – Exodus 39 (KJV)

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2 On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

3 And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail.

4 And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof.

5 And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle.

6 And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

7 And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein.

8 And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate.

9 And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy.

10 And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy.

11 And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.

12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.

13 And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

14 And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:

15 And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.

16 Thus did Moses: according to all that the Lord commanded him, so did he.

17 And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.

18 And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.

19 And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the Lord commanded Moses.

20 And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:

21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the Lord commanded Moses.

22 And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail.

23 And he set the bread in order upon it before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses.

24 And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.

25 And he lighted the lamps before the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses.

26 And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail:

27 And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the Lord commanded Moses.

28 And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.

29 And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the Lord commanded Moses.

30 And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.

31 And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:

32 When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the Lord commanded Moses.

33 And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.

34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

36 And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:

37 But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.

38 For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

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Introduction

What happens when God truly wants to dwell among us?
Exodus 40 is not just the end of a book – it’s the climax of a long journey: God himself moves in with his people and gives them a place where his presence can visibly dwell.
Everything that happens here is done exactly according to God’s instructions – down to the smallest detail. But it all leads not just to a structure – but to something much greater: the glory of God fills the house.

What happened in the tabernacle back then shows us today how obedience, dedication, and holiness are the prerequisites for experiencing God’s presence – not only in a tent, but in our lives.

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Commentary

1. God’s Clear Instruction (Verses 1–15):

God speaks to Moses: “You shall set up the tabernacle.”
Here it becomes clear: the Lord has a specific plan. Everything has its order – the Ark of the Covenant, the table, the lampstand, the veil, the altar of incense, the basin, the burnt offering altar, the anointings – nothing happens randomly.
Every object has meaning, and every step expresses holiness and preparation.
What stands out: Aaron and his sons are washed, clothed, and anointed – they are to serve God, but not unprepared.

2. Obedience in Every Detail (Verses 16–33):

Again and again we read:

“As the Lord had commanded him.”

Moses obeys in everything. He sets up, anoints, arranges, lights, washes – nothing is left out.
This shows: God’s presence does not come by chance. It is the result of obedient faith.
The construction is completed not through creativity, but through faithfulness.

3. God’s Presence Comes in Power (Verses 34–35):

Then the miracle happens:

“Then the cloud covered the tent… and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”

So much so that even Moses could not enter.
This is not fog, not symbolism – it is God’s real, tangible presence.
The tabernacle, which was just a tent, becomes a place of holiness and revelation.

4. God’s Guidance Becomes Visible (Verses 36–38):

The cloud of the Lord became Israel’s navigation system.
When it lifted, they moved.
When it stayed, they stayed.
God’s presence was visible, dependable, tangible – day and night.

“The cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night…”

The people lived dependent on God’s presence – not on a calendar, not on their own plan, but on God’s sign.

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Summary

Exodus 40 describes the solemn setting up and dedication of the tabernacle – the holy dwelling place of God in the midst of Israel’s camp.
Everything is done exactly according to God’s instruction, and in the end, the glory of the Lord fills the tabernacle.
God’s presence accompanies the people in visible form – a cloud by day, fire by night.

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Message for Us Today

We no longer build tabernacles – but God still seeks dwelling places in our hearts.
This text reminds us:

• God is a God of order and holiness.

• He wants to dwell, not just visit.

• Obedience is the path to God’s presence.

• His presence leads us – not our own plans.

Just as the tent was prepared back then, so we too should prepare our lives so that God’s Spirit can dwell in us.

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Reflection Questions

Am I ready to set up my “life tent” so that God’s glory can dwell in it?
What do I need to cleanse to welcome God’s presence?
Do I trust that God’s guidance – like the cloud – is reliable and visible?

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July 13 – 19, 2025
WEEKLY SPIRIT OF PROPHECY READING
Ellen G. White │ Patriarchs and Prophets – Chapter 17
Jacob’s Flight and Exile
Read online here

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Introduction

Jacob does not leave his home as a hero, but as a fugitive—not because of external enemies, but because of inner guilt. And yet, on this very path—full of fear, uncertainty, and self-doubt—God’s faithfulness is revealed in a remarkable way. Chapter 17 of Patriarchs and Prophets vividly describes how God, despite guilt and flight, not only forgives His servant but uses him to fulfill His promises.

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Commentary

1. Jacob flees – alone, afraid, and broken

Jacob leaves his parents’ home out of fear of Esau’s wrath.
He is filled with guilt and remorse, feeling abandoned—by his family and perhaps even by God.
In this solitude, he begins to pray honestly. His prayer is not prideful, but marked by humility and desperation.

2. Heaven opens – the ladder from heaven (Genesis 28)

In a dream, Jacob sees a ladder connecting heaven and earth.
Angels ascend and descend—a picture of God’s service to us.
God Himself stands above the ladder and repeats the promise made to Abraham—now it applies to Jacob!
Jacob not only receives assurance but also a promise: “I am with you… I will not leave you.”

3. Jacob awakens – from sinner to worshiper

Jacob realizes: “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it!”
He sets up a stone pillar, names the place Bethel (“House of God”), and makes a vow—not as a bargain, but out of gratitude.
He vows to remain faithful, to give a tenth, and to follow God.

4. Jacob in Haran – faithful despite disappointment

In Haran, Jacob meets his future wife Rachel.
He serves seven years—out of love, faithfully and patiently.
But Laban deceives him. Instead of Rachel, he is given Leah.
Jacob is betrayed—yet he stays.
In total, he serves 20 years, is cheated multiple times, but God blesses him despite all human injustice.

5. The return – decision in distress

Jacob realizes it’s time to return home.
He prays again—remembering God’s promise at Bethel.
God answers: “Return… I am with you.”
Laban pursues him—but God protects Jacob.
A peace covenant is made, marked with the name Mizpah – “The Lord watch between you and me.”

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Summary

Jacob begins his journey as a fugitive burdened by guilt, fear, and uncertainty. But God meets him—not with punishment, but with grace. On the difficult road into exile, Jacob grows spiritually, is shaped through trials, and ultimately remains faithful to God. A deceiver becomes a shepherd, a father, and a bearer of the promise.

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Message for Us Today

We too experience times of guilt, loneliness, and uncertainty. We may feel like failures, misunderstood, or taken advantage of. But God does not abandon us.
It is often in the deepest valleys that He reveals His faithfulness.

Jacob’s story shows us:

• God starts new journeys with broken people.

• Your past does not determine your calling.

• God is faithful to His promises—even when we fail.

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Reflection Question

• Have I ever encountered God like Jacob—in the midst of crisis?

• What is my “Bethel”? Where has God shown me His presence?

• Am I ready, like Jacob, to entrust God with my life, my gifts, and my tithe?

• What do I need to let go of today in order to follow God’s call to return?

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/15-07-2025-exodus-chapter-40-believe-his-prophets/