Exodus 3:1  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.
2  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.
3  And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
4  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.
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 had been trained by his mother to know the fear of the LORD. He did not just have a head knowledge of this important fact. He was influenced in his heart by the testimony of his mother. Then he spent a number of years learning the customs of the Egyptians. Moses did not allow the customs of Egypt to interfere with his fear of the LORD. He never forgot the godly teaching of his mother.
A godly mother is a great asset to her family. Too many women think being a housewife and mother is not enough. They like the silver and gold of the world more than the precious treasure of their children. Of course a mother is not alone in her desires. A godly husband and father is essential as well. A godly father sets the tone for the family. He is responsible to lead his family in a godly manner.
God did not tell us much about Moses’ father. We know he did not interfere with the ability of Moses’ mother to train Moses. We know that the men were forced into slavery and they were worked quite hard by the Egyptians. They would not have had much time to spend with their wives and children. God saw to it that the nation of Israel could continue to grow in spite of the cruelty of the king of Egypt.
After Moses was grown, he was forced into exile. God had a plan and He needed Moses to be separated from the Egyptians to prepare him for the next phase of his life. We read that God directed Moses to a well in the land of Midian at just the right time. There he met the daughters of the priest of Midian. Through that encounter, God provided Moses with a wife and a son. Even though Moses was not with his people, he would still add to the population of the Hebrews. While there, he was also given the opportunity to learn patience as he worked with his father-in-law’s flock. God had Moses in a good place. There was little to distract him from what was needed. There was enough pasture for the flock and the animals were not unruly.
We read that Moses led this flock to the backside of the desert. There they came to the mountain of God, which is identified as Horeb. Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai. Moses would meet with God at this mountain again in the future.
In verse 2 we read that the angel of the LORD appeared unto Moses at this place. God chose an unusual scene to get Moses’ attention. Moses noted something unique about this fire. We are told that the bush was on fire, but it was not being consumed. God is the Creator of all things, and He can use anything in His Creation for His glory. This fire was not out of control. It was contained to one particular bush.
God was preparing Moses to hear a very important message from Him. God had a specific task for Moses and he needed to hear these instructions. There was no other human being there that could give this important message to Moses. God needed to take care of this by Himself. In verse 3 we read that Moses chose to turn aside and see what was going on with that bush. Nothing else was burning around it and the bush was not being consumed. This caught Moses’ attention. God has His way of getting the attention of man. In this case, He needed the attention of one of His children.
In verse 4 we read that the LORD saw that Moses had turned aside to see this great sight. We have already noted that Moses was not one to ignore his surroundings. He had intervened in two fights previously. He had helped water the flock of some women who were being oppressed by other men. He was not a spectator. He was an active participant in his surroundings.
God arranged for this event to take place. He was in that burning bush. This was truly a great sight. This was highly unusual. Usually a fire is hot while there is much fuel and then it dies out and eventually stops burning. However, this bush just kept burning. God called out to Moses from this bush. God showed Moses that He knew His name. He called him by name. Moses heard God’s call and he answered Him.
It is important to be prepared to stop and listen to the LORD. We do not receive visions like this today. There are false religionists who claim to see visions and dreams. Some of them probably do see things, but they are not getting them from God. They have opened themselves up to be influenced by the devil.
Prior to the completion of the Scriptures, God would speak to individuals in different ways. This is the only time that He chose to speak from the midst of a burning bush. He was able to get the attention of the man He wanted to speak to. Moses did not yet know Who was speaking to him, but he was willing to answer the voice. God’s children do not need all the details to respond to the Lord.
Today we have the completed Scriptures. We can know all we need to know about God through His written Word. If we take God’s Word seriously, we will be protected from the multitude of false teachers.
In verse 5 we read that the LORD gave further instructions to Moses. He needed to keep his distance from this bush. As we have noted, Moses was raised in a pagan culture. He knew the LORD through the teaching of his mother, but there was much more he needed to know. He needed to know that the LORD is a holy God.
Moses needed to remove his shoes from his feet. His shoes were defiled with the environment about him. This land did not look any different than any other pasture that Moses had led his flock to. However, the LORD was there and thus it was holy ground. God was preparing Moses for a very important message and he needed to understand that this message was from the God of Creation. Moses did not know the LORD in this manner yet. He needed to know the holiness of the LORD and he needed to understand the importance of holiness in his own life.
Jesus taught His disciples to remember that God’s name is to be “hallowed”. When we come before God, we must understand He is holy. We need to bow before Him and worship Him. God has shown us in His Word that our access to Him is through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone can come to God for salvation. The drunk or the drug addict or the adulterer or the person who assumes they have done no wrong; all are born as lost sinners in need of a Saviour. The Holy Spirit works in the heart of all people to show them their need of a Saviour. Those who turn to God, seeking His forgiveness and salvation will have a sense of the holiness of God. They will be brought to the place of realizing their sinfulness and God’s holiness. However, those who are willing to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit in their heart, will not be driven away from God. They will cry out to Him for salvation. God is good and He hears the prayer of the repentant sinner.
Today is the Lord’s Day. We have an opportunity to go to His house and learn of Him. The wise person chooses a true house of God. Church is not a place to come to be entertained. A true church is the house of God. It is the pillar and ground of truth. The music and the teaching must be God-honouring. The soul of the saved will not be content to be lied to. That soul will desire truth. God is good and He will lead His child to good pasture. He has a message for each person, whether saved or lost. Be sure to be in that place He has designed for you to hear from Him today.
Pastor Bartel