Issue 935 – Burning Bush – December 15, 2022
I was reading in the Old Testament recently and was pondering the account of Moses in the wilderness. Moses, the Hebrew infant adopted into the royal family of Pharaoh, murdered an Egyptian overseer for abusing Hebrew slaves. In fear of retribution and justice, Moses fled for his life into the desert, far away from his way of life as a prince.
He became a wandering shepherd. What a shock that must have been. Moses had been waited on hand and foot for his whole life and provided with every luxury. Now he found himself in a situation where even daily survival was a task, and there was no luxury.
It happened after Moses had spent enough time in the desert to be ready for God to use him. The preparation didn’t come overnight. Moses spent the better part of forty years in the desert before it happened.
At the perfect time and place, in an instant and seemingly out of nowhere, the angel of the Lord appears in a burning bush and talks to Moses. The angel of the Lord is an Old Testament way of referring to the pre-incarnate Christ.
Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Exodus 3:1-6
I’m sure that, if for no reason other than curiosity, many of us would have checked out the burning bush. After all, how many times are you walking along and see a bush burst into flames?
It is unlikely that you and I will encounter God in a burning bush during our lives. So what does this story have to do with everyday life?
There doesn’t appear to be anything special about the bush, other than God was in it. It could have been any of the thousands of bushes God had available. It need not have been a bush; God could have moved a mountain or made an animal talk. After all, He is God, and His options are limitless. Perhaps the Lord chose the bush because He knew that was what would draw Moses to investigate.
The thing that makes the bush special, different from any other bush recorded in all of time, is the presence of God. When God entered the bush, it became holy.
When we surrender to Jesus Christ and allow God into our lives, He moves in. He lives in all believers, and His presence in us makes believers holy.
We’re not holy because we’re special or perfect. We become holy only because of The His presence. There is something very profound about that fact that we often seem to overlook. It should change our Lord’sheart and our attitude.
The next time a believer does something to irritate you, stop and think twice before getting angry and pointing accusing fingers. Before you gossip about a fellow Christian or attack them stop and think. Before you complain about the preacher, the music or any other aspect of the worship service, stop and think of Moses. The object of your attack and anger is on holy ground. What they are doing may not be holy, but you are in the very presence of God.
There is a time and place for rebuking a believer and complaining, but it is not something to take lightly. Remember that both you and they are standing in the presence of a Holy God.
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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