Exodus 3:16-19 "Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand."
God had just finished telling Moses that He was going to use him to lead the children of Israel out of bondage. Moses was to tell them that the self-existent I AM had sent him to them. Now God tells Moses exactly how to go about getting this done. He is to start by gathering the “elders of Israel together.”
Moses was told to relate to them how God had appeared to him in the bush that burned but was not consumed. Moses brought to them assurance and a promise from God. Notice that God said, “I have surely visited you.” This was not a statement of something that He was going to do, but rather a statement of something that was already true. God was watching over them in their times of great trial even though they were not aware of it at the time.
Now the promise is told them of what God will do. God said He would bring them up out of the affliction of Egypt. He would bring them to a good land that He described as flowing with milk and honey. This was a land where the bounty of God would be their sustenance. It was a land rich with hope.
Our first thought might be “Why would they believe all this?” The answer is quite simple: God said they would. Just as surely as God was sending Moses to these people, they would hear and believe Moses’ report. After all they had suffered, God assured Moses that they would be allowed to appear before the king of Egypt.
When they came before the king, they were to first declare unto him that the LORD God of the Hebrews had met with them. Then they were to request to be allowed to go a three days journey into the wilderness to worship their God. What follows next might seem strange on the surface. God told Moses that He was sure the king of Egypt would not let them go, and he would be heavy-handed in his refusal. As we shall see, God had a great purpose in bringing all this to pass.
Dear ones, do not doubt when God sets before you what would seem to be an impossible task. Do not doubt that God surely sees and visits you in the midst of your greatest trials, even when you might not “see” Him like you would want to. Trust Him to bring you “up” into His presence where that land is filled with peace and hope. Even when He tells you that you are not going to immediately see the outcome you want, go anyway. Trust Him, even when things get worse instead of better for a while. God will show you and those around you, His might!