Issue 1460 – Burning Bush – May 29, 2024
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, God appears in a burning bush and talks to Moses.
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 3:2-6
Moses seems braver than I would be. I’m not sure I would have checked out the burning bush, although sometimes curiosity is a strong motivator.
I did some research to find out what sort of bush Moses saw, and there is far from a consensus. Many differing types of thorny bushes have been offered as possibilities. To my surprise, I found the bush pictured in today’s image, a burning bush plant. It wasn’t what Moses saw, but it is named after that event.
It is unlikely that you and I will encounter God in a burning bush during the course of our lives. So, what does this story have to do with everyday life?
To begin with, 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 that 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 presence of God makes the bush special and different from any other bush recorded in all of time. When God entered the bush, it became holy.
The moment we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ and allow God into our lives, He moves in. He lives in all believers. His presence in us makes believers holy.
We’re not holy because we’re special or perfect. We become holy only because of His presence. There is something very profound about that fact that we often seem to overlook. It should change our hearts and our attitude.
The next time a believer does something to irritate you, stop and think twice before getting angry and pointing accusing fingers. ( I am writing this to you and me.) 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 at the moment, but you are in the very presence of God. He will deal with the issue.
There is a time and place for rebuking or exhorting a believer, 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)
Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV)