Communion With the Christ:: The Burning Bush

As Moses tended his father-in-law's flocks his attention was directed to a sight upon Mt. Sinai, there he saw a bush that burned yet was not consumed. This moment is not just for Moses, but speaks to all of us.

This burning bush and Moses' response to it, would set the stage for monumental events which still have impact to this very day. For here, upon the mount, Moses would encounter the great God and his life would be changed for eternity.

We can read of the intervention of God in the life of the people of Israel in the pages of the Old Testament book of Exodus

"Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, (Mt. Sinai) the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up" Ex:3:1-3

God noted Moses response and speaks to him.

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” Ex:3:4

Take Off Your Shoes

For a moment God halts Moses' drawing near so that his shoes might be removed:

“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Ex: 3:5

There should be nothing to separate Moses from the very presence of the Great God, for even the ground its self is filled with the divine sanctity of God being present there.

The Lord God wanted nothing, not even in that part of Moses which had contact with the earth beneath him, to limit or hinder Moses from fully experiencing God.

Here we see Moses realizing the divine moment as he knells before the Lord God, and then God speaks from the fire engulfed bush.

I AM God

God quickly identifies Himself: "Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God" Ex:3:6

God tells Moses the purpose as to why He is come:

"The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them" Ex:7-9.

Who Is In the Bush?

This moment there upon the sides of Sinai is not just a historical event in the life of the Prophet Moses, or just for the Children of Israel, but is for Christian in any and all ages. This moment is for we today as well.

This moment which is recorded in the Holy eternal Word of God is for all of us, when we read and understand the Scripture through the view of who is Jesus. When we start with Jesus as the fullest most perfect revelation of the Great God, and understand that all the Bible speak to us about is Jesus, then we gain a more meaningful encounter with God in all the word.

This begs the question, "Who is in the Bush?" ...Just who is there that Moses encounters?

The Bush

In Hebrew, the word here for bush is Seneh, which means to "prick" or to "pierce”, a bramble a thorn bush with thorns. This helps us to understand that the bush speaks of the one who wore the crown of thorns the one who was pierced, who bore the result of all sin, for even the Earth its self-sprouted thorns as a result of human sin Genesis:3:18 , the very thorns which represented humanities sins was placed upon the brow of Jesus represented by that crown of thorns.

St. Stephen, in his defense of the Gospel before the leaders of Israel tells the Jewish leaders that through an angel God spoke out of a Thorn bush to the Prophet Moses. Acts: 7:30

"They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him" Mk:15:17

Jesus is that One who bore all our sins, that was placed violently upon him. Jesus is that one who is pierced for us:

"they pierced my hands and my feet" Ps: 22:16b

"And I will pour on the house of David, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look on me whom they have pierced," Zech:12:10a

The Prophet Isaiah, who is called by some Biblical Scholars the "Fifth Gospel", because it speaks so fully of the work of our Lord Jesus, helps us to gather the meaning behind the bush, or tree, which sprouts in a dry and wasted land such as the wilderness of sin of this world.

Isaiah speaks to us about our Lord's life here upon the Earth and the work of salvation that Jesus accomplished so often in his book that some have called his writings.

"For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground”: Isa:53:2a

"In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel." Isa:4:2

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit". Isaiah:11:1a

The bush comes into view as representing the humanity of Jesus in his incarnation, that is, Jesus taking on each of our humanity, and in his humanity being priced, bearing the sins of humanity upon the cross so that we are forgiven.

The Fire

Again, we find in the witness of the Holy word of God helps us in understanding the divine moment that we are sharing with Moses upon the sides of Sinai:

" For our God is a consuming fire" Heb:12:29

"For the LORD your God is a consuming fire" Deut:4:2a

"and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels." 2Thess:1:17a-b

We could spend great a amount of time reviewing the fire as a symbols of the Holy Spirit, for we see the Spirit prefigured even in the flames of the alter of sacrifice, and the glory of the Lord seeing a blaze the Holy alters of the Tabernacle and the Temple its self: Leviticus:6:12.

The Holy Spirit is there, ever burning and filling lives of prophets and Apostles empowering them to serve God. Jeremiah: 20:99, Psalm:39:3 Acts2:

Jesus is said by John the Baptist to be the one who would Baptiste with fire:

"I indeed baptize you with water to repentance. but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire" .Matt:3:11

John the Baptist tells us that Jesus , the one who preached the word of God as no other could was filled with the Holy Spirit without limits:

- "For he whom God hath sent speaks the words of God: for he gives not the Spirit by measure" Jhn:3:34

The Holy Spirit filled the humanity of Jesus, in Jesus is all of God:

"For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."Col:2:9.

We see here, the Scriptures speaking of Moses, that there on Sinai, he encounters the Great God manifesting himself in such a way as to look ahead to Jesus, both as fully human, symbolized as the bush, and fully God symbolized by the fire which never burns out, eternal, and it through that incarnated Son by whom the Great God speaks to each of us.

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son" Heb:1:1-2a

His Purpose

The Lord tells Moses his divine purpose was to send Moses so the Children of Israel could be set free of the bondage in Egypt.

"So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”Ex:3:10

The Lord God gives the assurances of his provisions and power to help Moses to accomplish the task what he sends him to do.

"But Moses said to the Lord “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” Ex:311-12

I AM

"Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am .This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” Ex:3:13-14b

This " I AM" which we have revealed to us is our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham was, I AM." Jhn:8:58

Throughout the Gospel of St. John we see the I AM, associated with our Lord Jesus, that he is God among us.

For Freedom

"The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt". Ex:3:9-10

The Lord had come down and revealed himself to Moses so that the Children of Israel could be set free from the hard bondage of the slavery of Egypt and find peace in the Promised Land.

It is the same for each and any today. Jesus has come down, that is, taken on our humanity, been pierced so that we might be set free from the Egypt of Sin and be translated into the very kingdom of His Son, not a Promised Land, but a Land of Promises that God offers all who will but freely receive it by Grace and all by his Holy Son Jesus.

The Great God shows himself to us all through his Son Jesus and calls to see his Glory in Jesus that one who is fully God yet fully human, Jesus is that I AM, who sets us free.

This is he that Moses and we all meet there upon the sides of Sinai in that burning bush.

Benediction: May we each and all encounter our Lord Jesus Christ, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.