Moses and the burning bush

Sermon notes from Prayer Meeting on 19 June 2018

Exodus 3 verses 1 - 10

Moses - a life of a man from the cradle to the grave through the word of God.  In Exodus 2 we read of the birth of Moses and in Deuteronomy 34 verse 7 the death of Moses.  If you look through the life of Moses there are many challenging times in his life.  There is none so intimate, special and challenging as the scene here at the burning bush in the wilderness.  Here Moses is getting back on the right track.  He had spent 40 years in the wilderness.  Now in his third 40 year span God would bring him back to Egypt to bring the Children of Israel out to the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey.  A burning bush was not a rare sight to see in the wilderness.  Once the sun would hit one side of these bushes they would just ignite.  What was so special about this one bush?  It didn`t burn away.  Moses noticed this bush burning and as he approached it, it continued to burn.  It should have been consumed in minutes.  Moses was aroused and interested in what was happening here.  Maybe he approached it with so many questions.  It was while he was asking those questions God spoke to him.  Notice the words in verse 4 "and when he turned aside to see".  God sent this sign for Moses.   God was watching his every movement.  There are times when we don`t give a second thought to the things that are happening in our lives.  They happen not by chance but by God`s providence.  It is how we deal with those situations.  God watches and then steps in.  Moses had spent 40 years in the wilderness, just a shepherd leading and guiding the sheep.  Here God steps in.  I wonder does God see that in our lives?  Are we interested in the things of God?  Maybe God sees our interest and wants to use that opportunit to step in.

Notice Moses` activity.  The final 40 year period in Moses` life.  A man of 80 years of age.  Perhaps he thought he was at the end of his life but God had still something for him to do.  We are never too old or too young for God to use us - remember the maid in Naaman`s house and the boy with the 5 loaves and the 2 fishes.  Now God is using a man of 80 years of age.  What a life Moses had, growing up in the palace of the king.  Everything he could ever ask for was his.  What a contrast now to be in the wilderness guarding sheep, leading them to the water and the best pastures, guarding them against the wild animals.  Chapter 2 verse 21 "and Moses was content to dwell".  Now God was about to change all that.  We can be content with the life we are living, with the work we are doing but then God steps into our lives.  We need to be prepared to step away from the normal life activities and do something completely different for God just like Moses was here.

Notice Moses` attention.  Moses now came to the bush.  God had set this bush in his pathway.  He had to turn aside to see this.  God was getting Moses` complete attention.  Only then he called.  Verse 4 "God called unto him out of the mist of the bush and said, Moses, Moses."  Moses was so taken up with the bush burning, God saw that and he was able to speak.  Sometimes we need to be like that.  It is not a rush into and out again of God`s presence time but waiting on him.  Only when God has our full undivided attention can he speak to us.  At times it is difficult to sit down and concentrate on his word.  Our attention is sometimes elsewhere.  It happened with Isaiah - chapter 6 - he was in the temple one day, in the year that King Uzziah had died.  Maybe for the first time God had Isaiah`s attention.  Maybe the King blocked out Isaiah`s attention from God.  Isaiah described that occasion "I saw the Lord high and lifted up."  Abraham, under the call of God left Mesopotamia and he came as far as Haran.  At that point his father died.  Maybe his father had some sort of hold on Abraham and somehow he couldn`t get away from it.  It was only when Terah died that he could give God his full undivided attention and proceed on in his journey.  God called him on.  The devil is quick to crowd our minds with all sorts of things.  Somehow the Lord is calling us to get our eyes fixed on him again.

Moses` approach.  Verse 5 "draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."  Where God is it is holy ground.  Where the presence of God is, it is a holy place.  God`s presence satisfies any place.  The word of God promises that where the 2 or 3 gather together in his name he is in the midst thereof.  Moses had to remove his shoes because they were figuratively speaking representing the places he had walked up to that point in his life.  Sometimes the Lord rebukes us about our walk that is maybe not right.  God wants us to confess what is not right and then he will speak directly to us.  It took time for Moses to confess and think on it.  This was preparation time.

Moses` assurance.  Verses 6 and 7 "I am the God of thy 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 upon God. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows."

Moses` answer.  Verse 5 "and he said here am I."  What a place to be in - here am I in the presence of God and God is speaking to me.  Are we in the place of God and seeking after his face?