Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Normally I’m writing and recording from my prayer room in my home, but today I’m more than 1000 miles from there, in the home of dear friends. They are away for a few days, and offered their home to my wife and me for two days of what I’ll call “Sabbath”. Rest, refreshment and re-alignment of our hearts with the heart of God! Oh it’s been soooo good. This morning as I invite you into God’s Word with me I’ve already had a wonderful time of worship and prayer… so I’m ready, are you?
I left you yesterday in a painful place… among about 1 million Hebrew slaves in Egypt, sending up their cries to God, in hopes He would hear and do something about their misery. Exodus 2:25 says “God heard their groaning and remembered His Covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and He was concerned about them.” That gives me great assurance that no matter what our life circumstances, God sees them, understands our plight and our needs! And more… God cares!
Exodus 3 is one of the most significant chapters in the Bible, and is another life changing experience for Moses. You’ll recall Moses had been a shepherd in the household of Jethro for sometime, and his memories of living in the Pharaoh’s daughter’s palace seem like ancient memories to him. The Exodus record says: “Now Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led the sheep to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.” This mountain is known by two names in the Bible, Horeb and Sinai, and it enters the story of the Hebrew people on multiple occasions. We don’t know exactly why it was known as ‘the mountain of God’ at this point in the story, but clearly over these next chapters in Exodus it will become obvious!
I find it interesting that Jethro is identified as “the priest of Midian”. In the times Jethro shows up in the story I never see him doing anything religious or priestly. We don’t know what earned him that title, but I believe the reason it’s mentioned here is that Moses wanted us to know Jethro was not only his father-in-law but also his spiritual advisor, at least at this time in his life. By the way, did you know Moses is the presumed author of Genesis and Exodus? In fact the first five books of the Bible are called the “Pentateuch” and Moses is credited with writing all five of them…Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. So beginning now, and for the next several weeks, what we will be reading in Exodus is being told to us first hand, by man Moses who experienced it!
While leading his sheep to find something edible on this hillside, Moses suddenly has an experience which redefines his life, for the rest of his life! I imagine it was with great excitement that he wrote it for us. Moses wrote: “Then the angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it was not consumed. So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up.’ When the LORD saw Moses had gone over to look , God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” (Ex. 3:2-4)
Ok friends, it shouldn’t be hard for us to put ourselves there as eye-witnesses to this phenomenon. A scrub bush suddenly ignites in the desert heat, but there are many other bushes around this hillside that are not on fire. Moses the shepherd is cautious, he must keep his sheep away and not allow them to get so frightened that they scatter and run. But Moses is fascinated, remember, as a young man he had the finest education available in Egypt, so he’s intrigued, because as he watches, the bush is on fire but it is not being consumed by the fire! Rather than ignoring it or walking away, Moses advances to investigate. That’s significant my friends, because I have found God is frequently doing things that should awaken in us an interest to step forward and investigate, consider, ponder, seek God’s answers…rather than ignoring or turning away. I wonder, how many encounters with God have you and I missed because we did NOT do what Moses did?
Did you notice… the God who had ignited the bush and was making it burn but not consume, that God was watching Moses carefully to see what he would do! Walk away, and Moses would have missed a life transforming defining moment. But it was AFTER Moses approached the bush, rather than turning away, that God spoke to Moses from within the burning bush! Do you see the strategic significance of what’s happening here my friends and does it inform how you and I should be living everyday… alert to the unusual, and step forward to inquire rather than ignore or turn away. God just might be waiting to draw you into an encounter with HIM!
Look at Moses… his eyes are wide open, so is his mouth, but he’s not saying anything! A burning bush just spoke his name, in a language he understood. What is happening? 40 years ago, as an Egyptian Prince, he was trained to call upon the sorcerers and magicians when anything unexplainable happened. But in the past several years I believe Jethro, the priest of Midian, had been telling Moses about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of the Hebrew people. In this moment Moses had to decide… respond as Egyptian royalty or as a shepherd who has been learning about God? Moses responded: “Here I am!” In three words he was saying: ‘Yes, Moses is my name. Yes, I’d like to understand more about this miracle of a talking, burning bush, that’s why I didn’t walk away. Yes, I’m ready for whatever is next…’ Now look closely at this my friends and let’s ask ourselves a simple question: Is this how you and I live life? Are we ready for unexpected encounters with God? When they happen, do we step in or back away? Are our hearts hungry to learn whatever God wants to teach us?
Moses’ response was an invitation to God… an invitation for God to proceed with whatever He had in His plan for this miraculous encounter, even if Moses had no idea what would happen next. Watch him now as the encounter moves to a life changing experience: “God said, ‘Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ Then God said, ‘I am the God of your father Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.’ At this Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.” (Ex. 3:5,6) Look at him, Moses with his hands over his face, bowing his head in reverence and awe and fear! Now with one hand covering his eyes, and the other reaching down to slip off his sandals, Moses I believe may well have fallen to his knees, speechless. Moses was having an encounter with Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe. Moses was experiencing a conversation with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob… the God of the Hebrews, “El Shaddai”.
We can safely assume Moses had many times been in the throne room of the great Pharaoh, the most powerful man in the world. That room was the center of power, authority, and human sovereignty. Anything declared in that room became law in Egypt and everyone alive in Egypt bowed to the supremacy of the Pharaoh. But on this hillside, before a burning bush not being consumed, Moses was in the presence of the Almighty God and His power, His authority, His eternal sovereignty over all dwarfed what Moses knew of the Pharaoh’s power.
Let’s pause right here for today. What is your understanding of God, your response to Almighty God whenever you have any type of encounter with Him? Do you see how God identified Himself to Moses? Timeless...stretching over several generations. Personal… the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob. And the God of the Covenant Hebrew people! What is worship of God like for you? Oh my friends, we humans have a tendency to elevate ourselves and minimize or marginalize God don’t we?
May I urge you to take a little time today, right now if you can, and worship the Eternal, Creator, Almighty, Holy God who made our universe and made you! Put yourself in a posture of adoration and admiration of God. Take off your shoes, get down on your knees, listen to some wonderful worship music that glorifies God. Here’s one song of many that may help you in your worship experience… and then open your heart and thank God for His greatness and what He has done in your life. Then LISTEN as Jesus wants to speak with you by the power of His Holy Spirit and re-read Exodus 3:1-6. And I wonder what God’s going to say to you in these next few minutes?
Today’s Scripture is Exodus 3:1-6.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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