Moses and the Burning Bush
Exodus 3:1-12
God often chooses people to work with Him based on their experiences and background even when they fail to trust in their own abilities.
In the Bible, leading up to this passage, we have seen that God’s people were suffering in slavery under an ungodly master.
The Pharaoh who had promoted Joseph to the office of “famine manager” was no longer in charge, so things had begun to change for the people who had come to receive the assistance from the Egyptians. A new Pharaoh was now reigning over the Israelites. He wanted to oppress and enslave them in an effort to keep them from gaining an upper hand since their numbers had ”increased greatly” (Ex.1:7). Moses was born during a time when the Pharaoh was killing off the male babies in an effort to subdue the population. The midwives were instructed to kill them when they were delivered, but these women were God-fearing women, so they did not comply with that request (Ex.1:17).
Moses was born to a Levite woman and was in grave danger, so he was placed into the river so he would be rescued.
By God’s design, Moses was saved and raised safely (amazingly nannied by his own mother) in the home of the Pharaoh’s daughter. Finally, the time had come for His people to leave Egypt and God knew that Moses would be the right one for the job.
Like Joseph, who was divinely positioned for the management of the famine in Egypt, Moses had been placed in a protected place in the Pharaoh’s household for this time too.
As an adult, Moses murdered an Egyptian in anger, which forced him to flee into Midian (2:11-15). God still knew where he was. Unsuspecting Moses was just living his ‘new normal,’ maybe even getting used to being there, and maybe even forgetting his old life on occasion. God came to retrieve him from out of his personal exile to do something amazing and historic. Moses was called using a miraculous sign of a burning bush (v. 3-5).
Can you even imagine? In the Bible it says the bush was “not consumed.”¹ What an incredible way for God to choose to get his attention. One of my favorite parts about this passage is that God waits to speak until Moses turns to investigate. Moses made the decision to go and see what it was that was happening and that is when God called to him. Moses replied, but when he realized that it was God who was calling to him, he got scared.
Initially, Moses was intrigued by what he saw, but when Moses learned who he was “seeing” in the burning bush, he was afraid. Was he nervous about what he had done?
Was he afraid that this would be his undoing, or that God had finally ‘caught up’ with him? The scriptures don’t say, but it does say that he was invited to join God in a project. “Come, I will send you to Pharaoh,” (Ex. 3:10). No matter what had happened before this, God had something special for him to do.
Moses continues to ask questions to try and understand how he can possibly do what God is asking of him (Ex. 3:13-17), but ultimately, after he is graciously given Aaron as a helper, he accepts the assignment, returns to Egypt and participates in one of the most incredible stories in the OldTestament.
Do you identify with Moses at all in this passage?
Do you feel called to do something amazing? Do you think your past could hinder you, or that you aren’t qualified? That’s how Moses felt.
I feel that God has chosen me to do certain things at this time of my life, but I still wonder if I am equipped to do it. In this passage, I feel that I can identify with Moses’ feelings of uncertainty, questioning whether I am ready for the tasks I feel called to do. Even though I feel like I am not ready for everything I have in front of me right now, I can remember that God always goes before His chosen people, to be with them, to guide them and make a way for them in the process. We can always believe and trust that we will learn what we need to learn along the way, and that step of faith is a beautiful part of our walk with God.
Coming soon…..Jethro’s advice in Exodus chapter 18!!
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¹Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
