seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Exodus 3:4 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.”
5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] 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.
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] 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.
a. Exodus 3:6 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch (see Acts 7:32) fathers
Moses tells his story quite clearly. Can you see it in your mind? You're out for a walk.... you've been doing the same thing over and over and over again for some 40 years.... you get up, you eat something, gather up the flock and take it out to the field. On this day, though, you see a bush on fire. Even out in the desert, a burning bush is something to investigate.... This must not have been the desert though, the flock was feeding there so it must have been grassy at the time. A burning bush would cause a wildfire endangering the flock. Moses, as a shepherd responsible for the flock, had to investigate.
First thing Moses would have noticed was this bush was the only thing on fire. The next thing he would have noticed was this bush was not burning itself out. Well this was a real curiosity. Then the bush started talking to Moses. I would love to have seen the look on his face.
Remember, although he was adopted by Pharaoh's daughter, his mother had been enslaved to raise him in the palace. She would have had ample time with him in order to share the family history. She would have made him aware of how God had impacted the lives of everyone back to the days of Adam. She would have told Moses about how God made a covenant with Abraham. She would have told him how Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac and of course how God had stopped him by providing a ram. She must have told him about Jacob and the boys. As a matter of fact, it must have been his mother who told him Joseph's story. His mother must have told him how they came to be in Egypt in the first place.
So I figure when Moses heard the bush calling his name, he must have had an incredulous look about him. When he was told "don't come any closer", I bet he stopped in his tracks. I bet when he was told to take off his sandals.... he didn't stop to untie them.
The quote today is from studylight.org.
Moses hid his face. A natural instinctive action. So Elijah, on the same site (1 Kings 19:13) and the holy angels before God's throne in heaven (Isaiah 6:2). In the religious system of Rome, the augurs when discharging their office, and all persons when offering a sacrifice, veiled their heads.
Last edited: