Exodus 3:1-3 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
The Bible is full of details that we often overlook. But God never puts details as filler. All the details have something to show us. Here are some things I noticed in this passage.
- Moses turned to see. God often uses the unusual events of life to get our attention. If we are wise like Moses, we will examine the unusual for evidence of the Almighty. It is amazing how often we ask God to work in our lives, and then miss the little things. A burning bush is a little thing for God. Even a bush on fire that seems flame resistant! But we often miss the little things He blesses us with! A note from a child, the sunset with extra colour, the chance meeting with a neighbour that may open a spiritual dialogue in months to come. The bill that was paid on time, the child who escaped injury or simply your spouse being more pleasant could all be the workings of God -and so often we ignore them. Moses WAS on the mount of God so maybe he should have expected a bit of the miraculous. But we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit Himself! Shouldn’t we expect that God is doing something in our lives? Learn to turn aside and see! You may get a chance to see His glory.
- Hear and respond. It is a little thing to hear. To simply hear the voice of God. It is a much greater thing to respond appropriately. One can hear the voice of God on every page of the Bible, in every image of nature. That is commendable in and of itself. But to RESPOND is a different thing. How often I have heard God speaking to me, but was afraid to respond. Afraid to acknowledge the voice, because then I became responsible for obeying it. (Like God doesn’t know when I’m pretending not to hear!!!) Notice also the exact words of Moses: Here am I. God never calls us without knowing exactly where we are in relation to Him. But it is a wise man who admits to himself where he is in relation to God. Where am I for real?
- Remove the supports. Much has been made of Moses removing his shoes, and rightly so. I will only add this: That the ground under Moses was made holy by the presence of God. Therefore we who have His Spirit are always on holy ground. Let it sink in. Always on holy ground. We think of church as the Lord’s house, but do we remember we are the temple of the living God? And with that thought in mind, what do we wear as protection from the harshness of life that interferes with our closeness to God?
- Quit making excuses
- Who am I? (v.11) i.e I’m not worthy.
- What shall I say? (v.13) i.e. I don’t know enough.
- They won’t believe me. (4:1) i.e It won’t bring results.
- I’m not talented enough. (4:10)
- Please just send someone else. (4:13)
It is interesting that at the end of all of our polite excuses is the real reason.
We. Just. Don’t. Want. To. Obey.
Learning to Run 