The book of Exodus opens with God's people, the children of Israel, being mistreated in Egypt. They put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor (1:11). Moses is born in chapter 2 and is miraculously saved from death as an infant. Verse 11 of chapter 2 says, Moses had grown up and he saw an Egyptian beating one of his own (a Hebrew), so he killed him (and hid him). The next day he tries to make peace between two Hebrews fighting and one of them said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" So Moses was afraid. He'd been caught. Then the Pharaoh tried to kill him, but he ran.
Fast forward we don't know how many years (verse 23 of chapter 2 says it was a long period) and Moses is married to a priest's daughter, has a son of his own and he's living in a foreign land.
Chapter 3.
Moses is tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law and he ends up on the far side of the desert in Horeb (or Sinai), the mountain of God. "There" it says in verse 2, "the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush." Something that's never happened before is about to happen to Moses. Something monumental! Something mind boggling. Something HUGE!
Moses sees a "strange sight." He sees this bush that's on fire but it's not burning up. Hmmm...he thinks. I have to go see why this bush that's in flames doesn't burn up. Then it says, "When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush." He calls Moses by name and Moses says, "Here I am."
"Do not come any closer." God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Then God begins to reveal Himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob (then later in the chapter as the I AM) and he also reveals His call on Moses' life (to deliver His people from bondage-a picture of Christ).
There are so many amazing lessons in this one chapter, but the Lord shared something new with me this week. And if you're visiting this post today it is not by accident. I have prayed that God would bring you here. The Lord has a word for you. A “now” word. A rhema (specific) word for your life. Just like He does for me. And just “as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that is yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to Me empty (says the Lord), but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11)
The burning bush is you and me! Look at it again. Something caught Moses' eye. He saw a “strange sight.” It was a burning bush that didn't burn up. Oh, please hear this, on this earth we will go through fiery trials, but Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 8 and following, we are pressed but not crushed, persecuted not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed! The Old Testament burning bush is a shadow (picture) of the New Testament “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:2).
When people see us going through something extremely painful but we are not bitter, we're not angry, we're not “burnt up” by the flames or feeling sorry for ourself, rather, like the three Hebrew children in the book of Daniel we are walking through the flames with Jesus in our midst, they will have to stop like Moses and say, “what is this strange sight!” Why are they on fire but they're not burnt up? And God will speak from within the bush to reveal Himself to us in ways that we've never experienced before. Oh, Lord Jesus. What is man that You are mindful of us? How Great is the love the Father has for us! Could we live like that?
When God said to Moses, “Do not come any closer...take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” First of all, the ground was holy because God was present. And I think He was saying to Moses, I want you to recognize I AM God (don't come any closer), and you are my child (take your shoes off, humble yourself like a barefoot child). Then, we can talk! Then, we will have sweet fellowship and I will show MORE of who I AM!
Will we come to Him? Will we bow before Him and ask Him to speak to us and through us to a world of people who don't really know Him? “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house (or the presence) of the LORD all the days of my life, (why?) to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4)
Nobody wants or asks to go through difficult things, but when we are called to do so may we burn with the Consuming Fire (God Himself) and trust Him and allow Him to speak His powerful Truth to us and to others through our lives and circumstances!
We give You praise, LORD!
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