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, 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.” 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.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 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. Genesis 3: 1-6, NIV.
Dear God and Father, We thank You for taking time to talk to Your children. Your Word is so enlightening and so encouraging. May we be good listeners as we study Your Word. We ask this in the blessed name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today we will continue to look at what happens when God speaks. I am always thrilled to see how far God will go in order to reach one of His children. He will speak to those who are auditory. He will reveal Himself to those who are visual; and He will touch those who are tactile. Obviously, Moses was in the category of people who are referred to as visual. Their greatest perception of the world comes from what they see. God was sending Moses on a rather difficult assignment. Perhaps in order to convince Him of the power that would be available to Him, God decided to show him the power instead of just telling him about it. So He presents Himself to Moses in the form of a “burning bush.” The “strange sight” attracted Moses. Nevertheless, when He became aware that he was in the presence of God, the sight became too much to bear, and, He “hid His face.”
Once again, God shows Moses His power, by the two signs that He would use to introduce himself to Pharaoh: 1) “Then the LORD said to him, ‘ “What is that in your hand?” ‘ ‘ “A staff,” ‘ he replied. The LORD said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it” (Exodus 4: 1-3, emphasis provided). Observe how Moses reacts to what he sees, even though he is aware of what God is doing, he runs from the snake. 2) “Then the LORD said, ‘ “Put your hand inside your cloak.” ‘ So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, like snow. ‘ “Now put it back into your cloak,” ‘ he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh” (6, 7). God was making Moses’ assignment easier to accept by showing him the power behind it.
I believe that all of the plagues that fell upon Egypt were as much for the sake of convincing Moses of God’s power, as it was to convince Pharaoh, to let God’s people go. Moses was observing God in action, and His faith in the power of God to free the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage, was being strengthened. Even after God had set Israel free, and they were on their way to the promised land, Moses still had a need to see God’s glory: “Then Moses said, ‘ “Now show me your glory.” ‘ And the LORD said, ‘ “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. ‘ “But,” ‘ he said, ‘ “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” ‘ ” Moses would have to limit his need to see – to what God would show him.
Even to the end of his life, when because of his disobedience, he was not allowed to enter the earthly Canaan, God took him to the top of Horeb, and allowed him to look at the land. God knows how “fearfully,” we are made, and He knows what our needs are. Because the Godhead has every desire in the world to save us, God will do whatever it takes to make it easier for us to be saved. To those who need it – He will show them His salvation!