THE BURNING TREE EXPERIENCE – Pt 2

Exodus 3:1-5 “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. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”

In last week’s CHALLENGING CONCEPTS we spent a good bit of time dealing with the desire Moses had to bring comfort and freedom to his kinsmen who were in bondage in the land of Egypt. Even though his first attempt was done in the flesh, we have to at least give him credit for his desire and attempt.

Because his slaying of the Egyptian was seen by others, Moses then fled to the land of Midia. It was in this land that he met and married Zipporah, daughter of the man Moses would serve as a shepherd while God was preparing him for his next venture of faith.

After this time on the back side of the wilderness, Moses receives an unusual call to action by God. God speaks to him out of a burning bush.

I do believe that God sends us these kinds of “burning bush” experiences even today. Don’t get me wrong; if you’re driving down the interstate and see a bush on fire, don’t stop your car and go over and say “speak Lord for thy servant heareth.” If you do, your calling might end up on a certain ward of the hospital wearing a pretty white straight-jacket.

I believe those “burning bush” experiences can come through the preaching, teaching or study of God’s precious Word. This is the way that I want us to approach this passage of Scripture here in Exodus 3. Let’s look at it:

I. OUR CALL IS A SCRIPTURAL ONE

God spoke to Moses by His Word. Notice verse 5 “And he said Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”

Moses literally heard the voice of Almighty God. This does not happen today; we do not hear the literal voice of God. But in the Old Testament this was a common occurrence. The first example of this is found in the very first chapter of the Bible as God addressed His newest creation. Notice Genesis 1:27-28 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

I will not go into details but you can find this kind of communication between God and mankind throughout the Old Testament. It happened many times.

God does not speak to us today in an audible voice, but He speaks to us through His Word. There may be times that we “discern” or “feel” certain things, but feelings and human reasoning cannot replace the Word of God in our life. God chose to speak to Moses through the burning bush, but God chooses to speak to us today by the inspired Word of God. Notice what we read in II Peter 1:20-21 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

I don’t think it can be emphasized enough that God’s people are led by the Word of God. Some may think this point is a given, but there are so many immature believers who believe in “mystical” experiences, dreams, and even the horoscope. I see some of this on facebook daily. With all the scriptures that deal with this issue, there are even some Christian leaders who fall into this trap of Satan. Let me state it again: God speaks to us today primarily through His Word.

Every child of God needs to understand that every time the Word of God is preached, taught or personally approached in Bible study, it is an opportunity for God to speak to them. Through these avenues God can challenge, rebuke, convict, guide and direct the believer in his/her personal life and ministry. I’m not saying that every one of these opportunities will be a “burning bush experience,” but every believer must respect the Word of God and the avenue through which it is delivered to them.

II Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

Notice also Romans 15:4 “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

God used a burning bush to get the attention of Moses. The bush didn’t speak to him. God did! It was God Who audibly spoke to Moses from that burning bush and told him in verse 10 that he was going to be the human instrument used to free God’s people from their bondage.

What is it that God has directed you to do? Is it to preach the gospel? Is it to teach a classroom of boys and girls in Sunday school? Is it to be a vibrant witness in the business world? Is it to faithfully hold up the hands of your pastor as he preaches the gospel week after week?

God doesn’t ask you and me to be a Moses. He does, though, have a specific ministry for each of us. Are we willing to do His will? Are we willing to answer His call?

In next week’s CHALLENGING CONCEPTS we will notice the SOVEREIGNTY of God in His call.

That’s my view; how about you?