Unimaginable Help – Exodus 3:1-8
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He said further, “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.
7 Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
What does the passage say?
Vs. 1: Moses who had grown up in the luxury of Egypt’s palace now found himself living out his life as a shepherd. Hiding out because he killed an Egyptian who had been beating a Hebrew slave.
Vs.2-4: A Bush is on fire but not being consumed. “Moses said, What is going on here? I can’t believe this! Amazing! Why doesn’t the bush burn up? God saw that he had stopped to look. God called to him from out of the bush, Moses! Moses!” ( The Message v3-4)
Vs.5-6 God told him, ‘I am the God of your fathers. Show reverence to the holy ground by removing your shoes”. Moses covers his face also because he knew he was not worthy to see God’s face.
Vs.7-8 God has a magnificent plan that he wants Moses to be a part of. He has heard the cries of his people for deliverance from the slave masters of Egypt. “Now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, and get them to a good land lush with milk and honey”. ( The Message v8)
What does the passage say to you and me?
I’m not sure if Moses was happier being out in the wilderness tending sheep but I have a guess he thought the Palace back in Egypt was an easier life. Either way he was in God’s Providence even if he didn’t know it or want to be there. God had a plan for Moses’ life just as he has for our lives. However if we are consumed with ourselves, our fortune or misfortune and not the will of God, we could miss it. There are two important parts to this story that allowed Moses to be a part of God’s plan to rescue the Hebrew people from Egypt. First, when Moses saw a bush on fire not being consumed (a miraculous unnatural act) he stopped. He put down the worries of his life, the mundane tasks of work and stopped. That is when God spoke to him. After he stopped. That is when God revealed his plan. Second, he was reverent and in awe of God. Figuring out the will of God isn’t easy. Accepting that it is the will of God and committing yourself to it, is not easy. And in the passages after these we see the struggle Moses has. But it takes the first step. You have to stop to look for God, be attentive to God, focused on God and above all reverent and humble before God. In a nutshell, the closer we are to God through scripture and prayer the more attune we are to seeing God at work and where he wants us to join in.
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father we pray to stay attuned to you. To not be so busy and consumed with our daily lives that we don’t stop to find you at work amongst us lord. We pray for the holy spirit to strengthen us and guide us to see when to stop because it may not always be as noticeable as a burning bush.
In Christ name we pray, AMEN
What are your thoughts?
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