{"id":18924,"date":"2021-12-06T22:00:45","date_gmt":"2021-12-07T05:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/exodus-2_11-25-copy\/"},"modified":"2021-12-07T11:50:01","modified_gmt":"2021-12-07T18:50:01","slug":"exodus-3_1-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/exodus-3_1-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Moses And The Burning Bush"},"content":{"rendered":"

Exodus 3:1-10\u00a0 \u00a0Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Exodus 3:1-10.\u00a0\u00a0Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

A. God\u2019s call to Moses from the burning bush.<\/h3>\n

1. (1-3) Moses and the burning bush on Mount Horeb.<\/h4>\n

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush\u00a0was\u00a0<\/i>not consumed. Then Moses said, \u201cI will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

a.\u00a0Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law<\/b>: For 40 years Moses lived as an obscure shepherd in the desert of Midian. At this point his life was so humble that he didn\u2019t even have a flock of sheep to call his own \u2013 the sheep belonged to his father-in-law<\/b>.<\/p>\n

i.\u00a0Tending the flock<\/b>: \u201cThe Hebrew suggests that this was his habitual occupation.\u201d (Cole)<\/p>\n

b.\u00a0The back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God<\/b>: Moses brought the sheep to this mountain, also later called Mount Sinai.\u00a0Horeb<\/b>\u00a0probably means \u201cdesert\u201d or \u201cdesolation,\u201d and the name gives an idea of the terrain.<\/p>\n

c.\u00a0The bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed<\/b>: It wasn\u2019t just that Moses saw a bush burning; apparently, it is not uncommon for a plant like this to spontaneously ignite out in that desert. Nevertheless, two things were distinctive about that bush:<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0The Angel of the LORD appeared\u2026 from the midst<\/b>\u00a0of the bush.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Though the bush burned,\u00a0the bush was not consumed<\/b>.<\/p>\n

i. \u201cThough the bush burned with fire, it did not crackle or diminish, no leaf curled and no branch charred. It burned, but was not consumed.\u201d (Meyer)<\/p>\n

ii. The bush burning but not being consumed was a magnetic sight to Moses \u2013 it drew him in for a closer examination. Some think the burning bush to be a symbol of Israel, or the people of God more generally \u2013 afflicted but not destroyed, because God is in the midst of them.<\/p>\n

iii. Yet we can also say that the burning bush was a picture of the cross. The Hebrew word used to describe this bush is comes from the word \u201cto stick or to prick,\u201d this meaning a thorn-bush or bramble. We can think of the cross \u2013 where Jesus, crowned with thorns, endured the fires of judgment and yet was not consumed by them \u2013 and be reminded of the cross when we consider the burning bush.<\/p>\n

iv.\u00a0I will now turn aside to see this great sight<\/b>: Whatever exactly Moses saw, it was nothing\u00a0normal<\/i>. \u201cTo explain what happened here as a temporary mirage of reflected sunlight on some red leaves or a campfire of some Bedouin or even the phenomenon of Saint Elmo\u2019s fire is to substitute\u00a0our<\/i>\u00a0experience for Moses\u2019 forty years in that area and his estimate that it was indeed unusual.\u201d (Kaiser)<\/p>\n

v. Clarke on the\u00a0Angel of the LORD<\/b>: \u201cNot a created angel certainly, for he is called\u00a0Jehovah<\/i>,\u00a0Exodus 3:4<\/a>\u00a0and has the most expressive attributes of the Godhead applied to him\u2026 Yet he is an\u00a0angel<\/i>,\u00a0malach<\/i>, a\u00a0messenger<\/i>, in whom was the name of God\u2026 And who is this but JESUS, the Leader, Redeemer, and Saviour of all mankind?\u201d<\/p>\n

2. (4-6) From the burning bush, God calls to Moses.<\/h4>\n

So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, \u201cMoses, Moses!\u201d And he said, \u201cHere I am.\u201d Then He said, \u201cDo not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand\u00a0is\u00a0<\/i>holy ground.\u201d Moreover He said, \u201cI\u00a0am\u00a0<\/i>the God of your father\u2014the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.\u201d And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.<\/b><\/p>\n

a.\u00a0When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look<\/b>: God didn\u2019t speak to Moses until He had Moses\u2019 attention. Often God\u2019s Word doesn\u2019t touch our heart the way that it might because we don\u2019t give it our attention.<\/p>\n

i. The burning bush was a spectacular phenomenon that captured Moses\u2019 attention; but it changed nothing until Moses received the\u00a0Word of God<\/i>\u00a0that came to him there.<\/p>\n

b.\u00a0God called to him from the midst of the bush<\/b>: Moses didn\u2019t see anyone in the burning bush; yet God, in the presence of the\u00a0Angel of the LORD<\/i>\u00a0(Exodus 3:2<\/a>) was there, calling out to Moses from the midst of the burning bush.<\/p>\n

i. Undoubtedly, this is another occasion where Jesus appeared before His incarnation in the Old Testament as\u00a0the Angel of the LORD<\/i>, as He did many times (Genesis 16:7-13<\/a>,\u00a0Judges 2:1-5<\/a>,\u00a0Judges 6:11-24<\/a>,\u00a0Judges 13:3-22<\/a>).<\/p>\n

ii. We say this is God, in the Person of Jesus Christ, because of God the Father, it is said\u00a0No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him<\/i>\u00a0(John 1:18<\/a>), and that no man has ever seen God in the Person of the Father (1 Timothy 6:16<\/a>).<\/p>\n

c.\u00a0Moses, Moses<\/b>: God\u2019s first words to Moses called him by name. This shows that even though Moses was now an obscure, forgotten shepherd on the backside of the desert, God knew who he was, and Moses was important to God.<\/p>\n

i. The\u00a0double<\/i>\u00a0call (Moses, Moses!<\/b>) implied importance and urgency, as when God called\u00a0Abraham, Abraham!<\/i>\u00a0(Genesis 22:11<\/a>),\u00a0Samuel, Samuel!<\/i>\u00a0(1 Samuel 3:10<\/a>),\u00a0Simon, Simon<\/i>\u00a0(Luke 22:31<\/a>),\u00a0Martha, Martha<\/i>\u00a0(Luke 10:41<\/a>), and\u00a0Saul, Saul<\/i>\u00a0(Acts 9:4<\/a>).<\/p>\n

d.\u00a0Then He said<\/b>: God told Moses to do two things to show special honor to this place because of the immediate presence of God.<\/p>\n

He told Moses to keep a distance (Do not draw near this place<\/b>).<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0He commanded Moses to show reverence for God\u2019s presence (Take your sandals off your feet<\/b>).<\/p>\n

i.\u00a0Do not draw near<\/b>\u00a0literally has the sense of \u201cstop coming closer.\u201d Moses was on his way for an up-close examination of the burning bush when God stopped him short.<\/p>\n

ii. This was a holy place; and because God is holy, there will always be a distance between God and man. Even in perfection man will never be equal to God, though we will be able to have closer fellowship with Him than ever.<\/p>\n

iii.\u00a0Take your sandals off your feet<\/b>: Removing the sandals showed an appropriate\u00a0humility<\/i>, because the poorest and most needy have no shoes, and servants usually went barefoot. It also recognized the\u00a0immediate presence<\/i>\u00a0of God. In many cultures, you take off your shoes when you come into someone\u2019s house, and now Moses was in God\u2019s \u201chouse,\u201d a place of His immediate presence.<\/p>\n

iv. \u201cAs this sole must like in dust, gravel, and sand about the foot when travelling, and render it very uneasy, hence the custom of frequently\u00a0washing<\/i>\u00a0the feet in those countries where these sandals were worn.\u00a0Pulling off the shoes was<\/i>, therefore, an emblem of laying aside the\u00a0pollutions<\/i>\u00a0contracted by\u00a0walking<\/i>\u00a0in the\u00a0way of sin<\/i>.\u201d (Clarke)<\/p>\n

e.\u00a0The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob<\/b>: God revealed Himself to Moses by declaring His relationship to the patriarchs. This reminded Moses that God is the God of the covenant, and His covenant with Israel was still valid and important. This wasn\u2019t a \u201cnew God\u201d meeting Moses, but the same God that dealt with\u00a0Abraham<\/b>,\u00a0Isaac<\/b>, and\u00a0Jacob<\/b>.<\/p>\n

i. God would reveal Himself to Moses more intimately than He had to any of the patriarchs; yet it all began with God reminding Moses of the bridge of covenant they met on.<\/p>\n

ii. Some in the days of Moses might have thought that God neglected or forgot His covenant in the 400 years of Israel\u2019s slavery in Egypt, since the time of the patriarchs. Nevertheless, God was at work during that time, preserving and multiplying the nation.<\/p>\n

f.\u00a0Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God<\/b>: God told Moses to do what was appropriate for a creature before their Creator \u2013 to revere and recognize His holiness. Moses responded as a man who knew he was not only a creature, but also a sinful creature \u2013 he\u00a0hid his face<\/b>.<\/p>\n

i. In his years in the wilderness of Midan, Moses must have often remembered how he murdered an Egyptian and how proud he was to think he could deliver Israel himself. Moses might have remembered a thousand sins, both real and imagined \u2013 now, when God appeared, he responded in a way completely different than he might have 40 years before.<\/p>\n

B. God\u2019s commission to Moses.<\/h3>\n

1. (7-10) God explains His general plan to Moses, and Moses\u2019 place in the plan.<\/h4>\n

And the LORD said: \u201cI have surely seen the oppression of My people who\u00a0are\u00a0<\/i>in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

a.\u00a0I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land<\/b>: God did not just\u00a0then<\/i>\u00a0decide to give Israel the land of Canaan. It was the same land that He promised to the patriarchs some 400 years previous to this.<\/p>\n

b.\u00a0I have surely seen the oppression of My people who\u00a0are\u00a0<\/i>in Egypt, and have heard their cry<\/b>: God wanted Moses and Israel to know His compassionate care for them.<\/p>\n

i. To this point, Moses\u2019 experience emphasized the\u00a0separation<\/i>\u00a0between himself and God. Moses could never burn without being consumed. Moses could not speak from the midst of a fire. Moses couldn\u2019t keep his sandals on in the divine presence. Moses was not the eternal God of the patriarchs. The separation between God and Moses was real; yet God would soon show His care and compassion to Moses and the people of Israel. God is\u00a0separate<\/i>, but not necessarily\u00a0distant<\/i>. God is separate; yet God cares and connects Himself to our needs.<\/p>\n

c.\u00a0I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people<\/b>: In\u00a0Exodus 3:8<\/a>\u00a0God said,\u00a0I have come down to deliver them<\/i>. Then at\u00a0Exodus 3:10<\/a>\u00a0God said,\u00a0come now, therefore, and I will send you<\/b>. If God said He would deliver them, whey did He use or need Moses at all? This shows that God often uses and chooses to rely on human instruments.<\/p>\n

i. God could do it all by Himself, but it is most often God\u2019s plan to work with and through people, as we are\u00a0workers together with Him<\/i>\u00a0(2 Corinthians 6:1<\/a>).<\/p>\n

2. (11-12) Moses\u2019 answer, and God\u2019s reply to that answer.<\/h4>\n

But Moses said to God, \u201cWho\u00a0am\u00a0<\/i>I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?\u201d So He said, \u201cI will certainly be with you. And this\u00a0shall be\u00a0<\/i>a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

a.\u00a0Who am I<\/b>: 40 years before, Moses thought he knew who he was: he was a prince of Egypt and a Hebrew, God\u2019s chosen instrument to deliver Israel. After forty years of chasing sheep around the desert, Moses didn\u2019t have the same self-sure confidence that he once had.<\/p>\n

b.\u00a0I will certainly be with you<\/b>: God\u2019s reply is intended to take Moses\u2019 focus off of himself and on where it\u00a0should be<\/i>\u00a0\u2013 on God. Therefore, God never answered the question \u201cWho am I?<\/b>\u201d Instead, He reminded Moses \u201cI will certainly be with you<\/b>.\u201d<\/p>\n

i. This was a great opportunity to deal with Moses\u2019 \u201cself-esteem\u201d problem, but God ignored the solutions we usually use regarding this \u201cproblem.\u201d Moses only had a self-esteem problem when he was too confident in his own ability to deliver Israel.<\/p>\n

ii.\u00a0Who am I<\/b>: This really wasn\u2019t the right question; \u201cWho is God?<\/i>\u201d was the proper question. God\u2019s identity was more important than who Moses was. When we know the God who is with us, we can step forth confidently to do His will.<\/p>\n

iii.\u00a0I will certainly be with you<\/b>: After this, Moses had no right to protest further. From here his objections move from a godly lack of self-reliance to an ungodly lack of faith.<\/p>\n

c.\u00a0When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain<\/b>: As Moses tended his flock in the wilderness, it probably seemed totally unlikely that he would lead all three million of his people to this same\u00a0mountain<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 but God promised that this would be so.<\/p>\n

i. The\u00a0sign<\/b>\u00a0that God had truly sent Moses may not have been the coming to Mount Sinai (which did not happen for many, many months). The sign probably refers backwards, to the sign of the burning bush and the encounter with God there.<\/p>\n

by Rev. David Guzik\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Exodus 3:1-10.\u00a0\u00a0Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

A. God\u2019s call to Moses from the burning bush.
\n1. (1-3) Moses and the burning bush on Mount Horeb.<\/p>\n

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush\u00a0was\u00a0not consumed. Then Moses said, \u201cI will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.\u201d<\/p>\n

a.\u00a0Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law: For 40 years Moses lived as an obscure shepherd in the desert of Midian. At this point his life was so humble that he didn\u2019t even have a flock of sheep to call his own \u2013 the sheep belonged to his father-in-law.<\/p>\n

i.\u00a0Tending the flock: \u201cThe Hebrew suggests that this was his habitual occupation.\u201d (Cole)<\/p>\n

b.\u00a0The back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God: Moses brought the sheep to this mountain, also later called Mount Sinai.\u00a0Horeb\u00a0probably means \u201cdesert\u201d or \u201cdesolation,\u201d and the name gives an idea of the terrain.<\/p>\n

c.\u00a0The bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed: It wasn\u2019t just that Moses saw a bush burning; apparently, it is not uncommon for a plant like this to spontaneously ignite out in that desert. Nevertheless, two things were distinctive about that bush:<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0The Angel of the LORD appeared\u2026 from the midst\u00a0of the bush.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18927,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18924"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18924\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19057,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18924\/revisions\/19057"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}