“God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, ‘Moses, Moses.’ And he said, ‘Here am I.'” Exodus 3:2
Dear Ones:
We do not know the age of Moses when God called him to deliver Israel, probably around eighty years of age. What we do know is that “…in the process of time,” God’s perfect time, He revealed Himself to Moses in such a way that would be unmistakable. In that revelation, the burning bush, He would reveal Himself in a way that would teach Moses that would be essential to his faith. Scripture tells us that “…the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.” (Exodus 3:2) Why did God get Moses’ attention in this manner, and not like the revelation that He gave to the Apostle Paul? The answer lies in the fact that God reveals Himself to the individual in a manner that is essential to his faith, and need. Saul of Tarsus needed to be stopped in his tracks by a blinding light from heaven, then hearing the voice of the Lord Jesus being personally addressed to him. His ensuing blindness was necessary so that this man would grasp something of the significance of the revelation, and how diametrically it was in opposition to him. The need of Moses, though similar in that he also needed to hear the Lord call his name, was different in that he needed to understand that God was holy, as a flame of fire, and that, it is by the miracle of His presence and working that all becomes possible. Moses was intrigued by the bush that burned, but not consumed. He could not understand why, or how this could be, but he was sure that God was the fire of the bush, a fire that would never die. Thousands of years after Moses there would be the coming of the fire of God, but this time, not from within a bush, but upon vessels of clay, believers in an upper room. The “fire” of the Holy Spirit would come to sit upon every disciple. It is the same fire that Moses saw…the very holy life of God by the spirit. Why the revelation at this latter time, and what does it mean?
From the term, “fire in his bones,” to the fire upon the altar of God, to the hearts of two disciples walking along the road to Emmaeus, listening to the resurrected Christ explain the scriptures to them…every manifestation of the “Spirit of burning” is the revelation of the holy nature of God, but also the intense purpose and will of God. David would write in the Psalms a truth that, not only characterized him, but also, and foremost, the Lord Jesus: “For the zeal of Thine house hath eaten me up.” (Ps. 69:9) Of what does he speak? He speaks of a burning in his heart, and intense desire, will, and zeal for the glory of God, revealed among and in men. The burning bush would speak of the burning desire and will of God, His purpose and design. In this case, first of all to impart to Moses this same zeal, and secondly, to realize the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, bringing them into the promised land. The fact that this fire of the burning bush never diminishes, and does not consume the bush in which it is dwelling, reveals to us the unchanging God, and His ever-intense desire and will to save the lost, and bring His kingdom to pass on the earth.
When the day of Pentecost had come, it was begun with fire. That fire of the Spirit, the zeal and intense desire, power, and purpose of God, were revealed in order that the ends of the earth would fear God, and come to know Christ.
Dear Father, open our eyes to see Thy glory in the burning bush of our circumstances. Enable us to look beyond the confines of the earth, and bushes, to see Thy glory. We thank Thee in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad