May 19, 2017
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Exodus? Here’s today’s reading:
Exodus 3 (ESV)
Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God…. Continue Reading
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something awesome about needing to remove the sandals
I agree, Jim! (PS: I love the things you share here. Thank you!)
Jesus showing up as the angel of the Lord in flames of fire is amazing!
Personal, purposeful, clear, seeing, hearing, concerned, responding, planning,revealing of His own name, reassuring of the rescue and results,descriptive of the promise,and providing voluntary plunder. 🔥❤️
Isn’t it great that things still jump out at you in God’s word, even with an account that is so familiar? V.7 I have indeed seen the misery of my people. Good reminder that we are never disregarded by God.
And v.12, as Moses doubts himself, God assures him, I will be with you.
And could God have chosen a better personal name? I am says it all: the source of all being, the self existent, eternal One, the One who is always there, always present. This is God’s personal covenantal name given to Israel that would not even speak. May I be comforted and awed by being brought into relationship with Him!
So much here! I’m going to stick with the way God chose to speak to Moses here, though — out of a fire which did not consume the bush that was burning!
Have you ever considered all the ways God manifests Himself (His will, purposes, decrees, judgments, etc.) through, by, and in fire throughout Scripture? Do a word search for “fire” in BibleGateway.com.
Just a few that come to mind right away for me; I won’t include references because it would take a while for me to look them all up:
The pillar of fire giving direction to Israel in the desert (Exodus); the Holy Spirit appearing as tongues of fire at Pentecost (Acts); God’s wrath displayed through fire in the judgment to come (Revelation); raining fire on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis); flaming torch passing between pieces of Abram’s sacrifice (Genesis); fire raining down on Egypt (except the Hebrews!) in one of the plagues (Exodus); burnt offerings required (Leviticus); our works being tested by fire and many burned up (1 Corinthians); those guilty of certain sins being burned by fire (Leviticus?); fire from heaven burning Elijah’s sacrifice and drying up all the water there (1 and 2 Kings); the fourth man “like a son of the gods” (Nebuchadnezzar’s words) walking through the fire with Shadrach, Meshach and Abdenego in Daniel; the lake of fire as the “second death” for anyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life (Revelation).
And this picture of the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, given to those whose faith is standing firm under great persecution:
“This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.” (2 Thessalonians 2:5-10)
This image, together with the others, inspires great fear of God in me — but a fear that trembles now at having been saved from His wrath because of what He has done on the cross! Oh, the mercy of God offered there for all who would trust wholly in Christ! And how terrifying, the thought of what awaits those who reject Jesus, our one and only hope for salvation!