seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Exodus 3:3 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 wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 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. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
This comes from Bible.org.
In the distance, something caught the keen eye of Moses and snapped him out of his thoughts. Something was burning in the distance. A more careful look proved it to be a bush. In and of itself, this would hardly be the cause of much excitement or interest, but as time passed the bush seemed unaffected by the flames. It burned, but did not burn up. Since there was no real hurry and the sight of the bush had aroused Moses’ curiosity, he set out to have a closer look.
What Moses did not yet know was that while the bush was apparently a typical common desert bush, the “fire” was far from ordinary. The closer he got to the bush, the more incredible the scene became. Moses surely had to wonder about this phenomenon. He would have probably been amused at the explanations offered for the burning bush over the years. These “explanations” are even more incredible than that of the Bible. Not wanting to acknowledge a full-fledged miracle here, a number of “natural” explanations have been given. Here are some of the ones I have come across in my study:
(1) “St. Elmo’s fire.” This is a discharge of electricity which causes a kind of glow.
(2) “… firebrands or reflexes of light, which must often have occurred in dry lands with an abundance of storms.”
(3) A volcanic phenomenon.
(4) A myth, based on ancient accounts of burning objects which were not consumed.
(5) “… a flake of gypsum blown against a twig may have set a bush alight.”
(6) A beam of sunlight, piercing through a crack in the mountain.
(7) A purely psychological experience.
(8) A gas plant, which burst into flames.
(9) The brilliant blossoms of mistletoe twigs.
Such explanations as we have seen above are not only unacceptable, they are also unnecessary. We are told by none other than the author himself (remember, Moses is the author of this book) that the “angel of the Lord” (cf. Gen. 16:7; 22:11; Judg. 6:11; 13:3), the preincarnate manifestation of the second Person of the Godhead, was manifested in the burning bush.
What Moses did not yet know was that while the bush was apparently a typical common desert bush, the “fire” was far from ordinary. The closer he got to the bush, the more incredible the scene became. Moses surely had to wonder about this phenomenon. He would have probably been amused at the explanations offered for the burning bush over the years. These “explanations” are even more incredible than that of the Bible. Not wanting to acknowledge a full-fledged miracle here, a number of “natural” explanations have been given. Here are some of the ones I have come across in my study:
(1) “St. Elmo’s fire.” This is a discharge of electricity which causes a kind of glow.
(2) “… firebrands or reflexes of light, which must often have occurred in dry lands with an abundance of storms.”
(3) A volcanic phenomenon.
(4) A myth, based on ancient accounts of burning objects which were not consumed.
(5) “… a flake of gypsum blown against a twig may have set a bush alight.”
(6) A beam of sunlight, piercing through a crack in the mountain.
(7) A purely psychological experience.
(8) A gas plant, which burst into flames.
(9) The brilliant blossoms of mistletoe twigs.
Such explanations as we have seen above are not only unacceptable, they are also unnecessary. We are told by none other than the author himself (remember, Moses is the author of this book) that the “angel of the Lord” (cf. Gen. 16:7; 22:11; Judg. 6:11; 13:3), the preincarnate manifestation of the second Person of the Godhead, was manifested in the burning bush.
Not even the commentaries agree about the bush. There's a commentary called "working preacher" that I like to link to once in a while. It tends to get a bit too preachy for me once in a while. Today, it seems the preacher almost believes that the burning bush is metaphorical rather than real. From this point out there will be lots of things that seem to be metaphorical rather than real. I find that if I remind myself that this book is written about Moses by Moses, it helps to excuse the metaphorical v real controversy. That way I can still use the site for other information I might be able to learn from the "working preacher".
I'm glad that Bible.org says that I shouldn't get too hung up on the burning or seems to be burning controversy of the bush. I'm glad the commentary points out that the Angel of the Lord comes out of the bush! A burning bush can be argued away, but the Angel of the Lord is quite another exciting event in itself.
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