Free Just Because: The Story of Salvation for Children by Steve Copland Page B

sometimes the leaves got real y hot and fires
    started. But this bush was different. Although the
    flames were leaping out of the bush, the leaves were
    not turning brown or being burned. Moses decided to
    get closer and look at this strange sight.
    Suddenly Moses heard a loud voice from inside
    the bush, and he nearly jumped out of his skin with
    fright. It’s not every day you hear a bush talking, now
    is it? The voice called his name twice, and when he
    answered it told him to take off his sandals because
    he was standing on holy ground. Moses understood
    that holy ground meant it was a place where God was,
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    and that meant it was a specially clean and powerful
    place. So he was a little bit frightened and scared to
    keep looking at the bush.
    “Moses,” said the voice, “I am the God of your
    father, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
    Now Moses was really afraid. I mean, he was big
    time afraid. He hid his face because he was scared to
    look at God.
    And the Lord said, “I have seen how sad my
    people the Hebrews are in Egypt and how cruel their
    slave masters are. I am going to free them from the
    Pharaoh and the land of the Egyptians and bring them
    to the land I promised them.”
    Moses was wondering just what all of this had to
    do with him. He didn’t have to wonder very long.
    “I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people
    the Israelites out of Egypt,” the Lord told Moses.
    “Who am I to go down to Egypt, Lord?” asked
    Moses, trying to think of a reason why he should not
    be the one to go.
    “I will be with you, Moses,” said the Lord.
    “And if I go and tell them the God of their fathers
    has sent me and they ask me Your name, what shall I
    tell them?” Moses asked.
    The Lord answered him, “Tell them I Am that I
    Am has sent you. This is my holy name forever, the
    name I AM.”
    Now Moses had to think about this for a minute.
    The name I AM was not an ordinary name like Tom
    or Fred. If the Lord had said I WAS, then this would
    mean He may not be in the future. And if He had said
    I WILL BE, then it would mean He never used to be.
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    But the name I AM meant God has always been alive
    and always will be alive. So God was telling Moses
    that He has no beginning and no end because He is
    the Lord.
    So the Lord explained to Moses that He was going
    to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. He told Moses the
    people would listen to him, but the Pharaoh wouldn’t
    let them go. So He would do things to Pharaoh and
    the Egyptians, and finally the Egyptians would give
    the Israelites money and stuff to pay them back for
    all the years they had been slaves there.
    Now Moses was having some doubts about
    going to Egypt. In fact he just didn’t want to go, so
    he asked, “What will I do if the people don’t believe
    me and they say, ‘God never sent you here’?”
    “What is that in your hand?” asked the Lord.
    Now Moses always carried a stick like a long
    walking stick so he could fight off any wild animals.
    “It’s my staff, Lord,” he said.
    “Throw it on the ground,” said the Lord.
    Moses thought this was a strange request, but
    he wasn’t gonna argue, so he threw his staff on the
    ground. The moment it hit the dirt it started wriggling
    and became a big snake. Moses nearly freaked out.
    “Now grab it by the tail,” said the Lord.
    Moses is looking at this big mama snake and
    listening to the Lord and thinking maybe he should
    just get out of there, but he decided to obey God. He
    bent down and quickly grabbed the snake by the tail,
    and it turned back into his staff again. “Wow!” he
    was thinking. “What a cool trick.”
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    Now Moses knew this was just not natural. I
    mean, staffs do not simply become snakes. We call
    things like this miracles, and this was the second
    miracle Moses had seen in one day if you count the
    burning bush. The Lord told him this miracle was so
    the people would believe him, but the Lord could