The Burning Bushes

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 ESV). Today’s reading is one of the most familiar in the Old Testament, yet it is also one of the most difficult for us to identify personally with. After all, what is the “wilderness”; or, how even more fantastic, how many of us have seen a burning bush without it being really on fire; or, who of us has practiced the profession of shepherding? These things are not a part of our daily experience. However, it is still a story we can all identify with because it is the story of the wonder of the presence of God. Moses, after murdering the Egyptian was running for his life. He had made a new life and seems content. Then God steps in and changes everything. Moses stops to look at a blazing bush. God warns him about holy ground, reveals who he is, and explains the problem of the suffering of his people. Then God delivers a line that Moses probably thought he would never hear: it’s time for you to go back and solve the problem. They debate. Moses hedges. He refuses. He finally surrenders. He leads God’s people to freedom. It is quite a fantastic story. At first glance it would be most foreign to all of us. Yet, this is our story. All of us at one time or another have been “on the run” from our past. We have found some measure of freedom away from previous environs. We have settled into new careers or activities in the hope that we can busy ourselves with something productive to make up for what we feel is a past that was unproductive and perhaps even destructive. Then, God breaks into our new world with some experience. He meets us in a small corner of our life, which becomes a holy corner. It may be through some grand moment like the birth of a child, or it could be a painful encounter with illness or grief. Regardless of whether the event is a positive or negative experience, God is there purposefully reaching toward us. He comes to us. In wonder, we realize that the God of the universe wants to talk to us. Wonder becomes reality as God encourages us and, despite our misgivings, uses us. Perhaps like Moses, you are at that place and making excuses why you simply can’t leave this grand life you have constructed for that which He is directing you toward. Can I simply encourage you to say yes to his requests? You will never regret it!