What does Exodus 3:17 mean?
God is dictating a message which Moses is to deliver to the elders of Israel, once he goes back into Egypt.God's message includes recognizing the suffering of the Israelites (Exodus 3:16) and a promise to free them. God vows to move the Jews from slavery, in Egypt, into freedom, in the land of six other people groups, which were first mentioned in verse 8. This Promised Land is characterized as a land "flowing with milk and honey," which implies a land extremely well-suited to growing food and raising livestock. Though many other peoples lived there at the time these words were spoken, God promised to change the situation and place Israel in this land.
God will fulfill this promise, though the nation of Israel will not enter this new land for forty more years, as a result of their own disobedience (Numbers 13—14). Even then, some of the original inhabitants of the land will continue to cause problems for the Israelites. However, the promise as stated by God will be fulfilled. Israel will be rescued from a region of slavery and oppression, and became its own nation, in a region of freedom and prosperity. In this sense, Moses will serve as both a national leader and a prophet, speaking God's future plan to the Jewish people.