A Strange Light in the Distance

 

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).

 

We almost always travel east on vacation. In large part that’s because our favorite spot is the Great Smoky Mountain National Park located in Tennessee. I always dread the last leg of our trip home. Typically, we stay in Memphis and drive home from there. It’s about a ten-hour trip for us. When we cross the Texas state line from Arkansas going west, I feel a bit closer to home, though I know it’s still a long way. However, when I see the skyline of Dallas with the lights of Reunion Tower, I know I’m almost home. It almost pops up when you round the curve just east of Dallas. Moses may have felt something of that wonder when he saw the bush burning in the distance while tending the sheep.

 

After fleeing Egypt in fear for his life (cf. Exodus 2:11-15), Moses settled in Midian. He got married and had children. He became a shepherd and learned the wilderness terrain over a period of 40 years. But then God interrupted Moses’ ordinary life with the flickering light of a bush on fire that did not burn up. This strange sight caught Moses’ attention and awoke his curiosity. He went closer.

 

What catches my attention is that God called Moses from a bush. God could have spoken with a thundering voice or sent an angel to talk with Moses. Instead, God used a small impossibility—a bush burning without being consumed—to bring Moses into an even more impossible situation—leading God’s people out of slavery in Egypt.

 

I am in awe at how God uses this unusual fire to rekindle hope in Moses and eventually among the people of God. God had seen their misery, heard their cries, and was moving to rescue them from their suffering and oppression in Egypt after more than 400 years. But the hope sparked by this strange sight is even bigger than Moses and Israel imagined. For, one day, God would do something even more impossible by sending his own Son to free us and all of creation from our bondage to sin, death, and decay. That was the greatest Light the world would ever see! While it seemed strange to the shepherds of that night, the angels proclaimed:

 

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:8-14 ESV).

 

Jesus is a Light for all of us! Like Moses and the shepherds… go to that Light!