THE BURNING TREE EXPERIENCE – Pt 6

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.”

We have been journeying with Moses for the last few weeks as he is confronted by God with a very special call. As Moses is standing there bare-footed, God identifies Himself in a very special way. Notice verse 6 “. . . I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. . . .”

What is so interesting? Just this: Moses was in the direct line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Notice the progression. Abraham was the one to whom God’s covenant was first made. Isaac was the father of the Edomites as well as the Israelites, and with him God renewed that covenant. Jacob was the father of the twelve patriarchs, who were the founders of the Jewish nation. God confirmed His promise to them. And now God has chosen one from that exact line for a special calling.

Notice the remainder of verse 6 “. . . And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”

Adam Clark’s Commentary states, “he was overawed by God’s presence, and dazzled with the splendor of the appearance.”

This really shoots down some people’s idea that when they get to heaven they’re going to walk up to God and ask Him some reasons why certain things happen.

The more we see of God, the more cause we shall see to worship him with reverence and godly fear. And even the manifestations of God's grace should increase our humble reverence of him.

Let’s all keep a reverence for the God Who loved us so much that He gave His only Begotten Son so that we might be redeemed.

In past weeks of CHALLENGING CONCEPTS we have seen through our study of the call of Moses that our call is a SCRIPTURAL , SOVEREIGN, SELECTIVE, and SINGLE one. Now we can also see another important thought.

V. OUR CALL IS A SINCERE ONE

When God revealed His plan for Moses’ life, he was completely overwhelmed. Even though Moses had been emotionally moved on behalf of his people and desired to do something about their plight, this opportunity was more than he could ever have dreamed possible. Notice his question in verse 11 “And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

Even though Moses must have been humbled by what he heard, I think he had legitimate questions about his ability to do such a task. Wouldn’t you? Could he really carry out this massive undertaking? He knew his physical limitations and short-comings. He had never in his entire life tried something this big. The one thing that Moses had not realized was that this task was not to be undertaken in his own ability and power but in the strength of the Lord.

I think there are many times that we find ourselves in the same situation. We know the Word of God and the many promises that He gives us, but there are times we need to be reminded of God’s awesome power. We need assurance that it is not us that are capable or knowledgeable enough to do God’s work; it is Him. I love what the Apostle Paul wrote about doing what God wants us to do. He states in Philippians 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you both to will (gives you the desire) and to do (gives you the ability or power) of his good pleasure.”

The child of God is not to operate in his/her own power, but through the power of the Spirit of God Who indwells him/her.The burning bush experience restores our faith to its proper place. God uses His Word to answer our questions and doubts concerning His will for our lives.

Even recently I have been plagued with doubts and questions. I had begun to look at some things through the eyes of my own ability. I had left God out of the equation. I had forgotten some of God’s promises in His Word. It’s easy for us to begin to live by sight and not by faith. God had to give me a burning bush experience to get me back on track. God solidified my faith in Him through the message of someone else.

We need to allow the Exodus 3 and the burning bush experience to get us back on track. Let the message to Moses solidify our faith in the One Who created the burning bush.

God is serious when He calls us. He has something for each of us so we need to turn aside and listen to His voice. He will lead us if we will just listen to Him and follow His call.

Next week’s CHALLENGING CONCEPTS will finish up this series by looking at the SATISFACTION that comes when we answer God’s call. That SATISFACTION will be experienced by obedience and trust.

That’s my view; how about you?