Exodus 3 Moses and the Burning Bush
1 One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, [Reul] the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, [Horeb] the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. 3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”
4 When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
“Here I am!” Moses replied.
5 “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.
The morning starts out so normally. Moses wakes up, eats breakfast, and calls the sheep he herded, leading them far away from Reul’s camp to find new grazing. There is nothing to indicate that Moses’ life is about to change irrevocably. The morning air is quiet and all that can be heard are the calls of the birds as they fed on insects. That’s when Moses sees something amazing, a bush full of flame that remains intact. As Moses approaches, he hears God calling to him from the middle of the bush.
7 Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. 9 Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”
Why does God use a burning bush to get Moses’ attention? After granting Moses forty years of peace in the desert, God is about to disrupt that peace, transforming Moses forever from a simple shepherd into a prophet and one of the greatest leaders the world will ever know. Nothing short of a dramatic happening would be sufficient to divert Moses from his work or convince him that he must abandon the peace he has enjoyed for those decades away from Egypt. Moses has come to enjoy being a shepherd; leaving the wilderness for the turmoil of Pharaoh’s court holds no appeal for him whatsoever.
11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”
12 God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”
Even though at one point, Moses believed he was destined to help save his people, that dream faded long ago. Now Moses simply wants to be left in peace, even if God is calling him to do a mighty work.
13 But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”
14 God replied to Moses, “I am who i am. [Or I will be what i will be.] Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you.” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.
16 “Now go and call together all the elders of Israel. Tell them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me. He told me, “I have been watching closely, and I see how the Egyptians are treating you. 17 I have promised to rescue you from your oppression in Egypt. I will lead you to a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.”’
Moses can scarcely believe it. After 400 years, God’s promises to Abraham have become the stuff of legends, but nobody believes it will really happen anymore. Now God is calling Moses to speak to a group of slaves, renewing those promises.
18 “The elders of Israel will accept your message. Then you and the elders must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord, our God.’
19 “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand forces him. 20 So I will raise my hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them. Then at last he will let you go. 21 And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go so you will not leave empty-handed. 22 Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from the foreign women in their houses. You will dress your sons and daughters with these, stripping the Egyptians of their wealth.”
As God is speaking, Moses is both thrilled and terrified. True, the future God outlines sounds fantastic; however, by now at age eighty, Moses would really just like to be left in peace. Can’t God find someone else to handle this monumental task? Remembering the complexities of Pharaoh’s court and the difficulty of convincing the haughty Egyptians of anything, Moses feels himself stiffening as he considers this call.
God always has ways of stirring us up when we have become complacent. Moses has enjoyed forty years of peace while working as a shepherd and is comfortable with the place, the work, and the people who have adopted him as a son. Nothing short of a burning bush would convince Moses to even begin listening, even though God Almighty is the One speaking. But God has given Moses that time of peace to work in his heart. Now it’s time for Moses to act; however, Moses wants to cling to his current peace, uncertain if this new venture will bring any peace whatsoever. Now Moses must somehow find peace in the midst of this new work.
In 1866 Thomas John Barnardo was preparing to go to China as a medical missionary when he learned of the plight of thousands of homeless children in London. Barnardo abandoned his plans, starting homes and vocational schools for these children. It is estimated that Barnardo himself saved nearly 60,000 children by his efforts, and the charity he founded remains the largest charity caring for children in the U.K. Barnardo gave up his plans and every bit of money he had, plus his health to deliver those children from freezing or starving to death or being turned into child slaves. In the end, Barnardo died at age 60, his heart worn out by his efforts. But Barnardo had peace knowing that he was doing what God wanted him to do.
Perhaps God is tugging at your heart, trying to lead you into some new endeavor. You are resisting, longing to cling to the peace you now have. Never fear! The God who has given you peace in one set of circumstances is equally capable of giving you peace in this new work. Once you are certain of God’s call, press forward, knowing that God will surely lead you, guide you, and give you His peace.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we praise You that You can give us peace in all circumstances, no matter how difficult things might be. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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