THE BURNING BUSH

The Burning Bush

 

“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian.  And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.  And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush.  So he looked and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.” (Ex. 3:1-2 NKJV)

Moses had been raised in the splendor of Egypt, in the palace of the great Pharaoh,.  He was brought up to worship the Egyptian sun god, Ra, and Osiris, god of the dead.  Many times, he must have gazed in awe at the huge statues of the god, Horus, with the body of a man and head of a falcon.  How often did his eyes pass over the Great Pyramid of Giza and its guardian, the Great Sphinx, with its reclining body of a lion and head of a man?  He must have bathed in Nile River and rested on its shaded, grassy banks that were among the most fertile in the world. 

These were everyday sights to Moses, who took in all of these wonders as common place.  He knew of the God, Jehovah, for his Hebrew mother raised him until he was between three and five years of age.  He then became the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter and was raised as an Egyptian until he was forty years old. Although Moses was “learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds” (Acts7:22), he never forgot his heritage. In avenging one of his people, he was hunted by the Egyptians and mistrusted by the Hebrews.  Moses fled Eygpt and wandered through the desert to the land of Midian.

God had to actually remove him from the sights and sounds of Egypt in order to get his attention. So it was, Moses was tending flocks in the back side of the desert. The parched winds blew little whirlwinds across the sand.  No doubt Moses felt great relief from the relentless sun when he found shelter in the shadow of Mt. Horeb. 

There were few other signs of life as he wondered along with the flocks, occasionally calling to them in the Midian dialect.  Suddenly, in the distance, a desert bush burst into flames.  At first, Moses was probably not startled, as spontaneous combustion in the desert was a common occurrence.  However, as he watched, he noticed that the bush, although on fire, was not being consumed.  Out of curiosity, he went aside from the path to look at this strange phenomenon.   It was then the Lord called to him, “Moses, Moses!”  It must have been in fear and trembling that Moses answered the Lord.  So it was, God made himself known to Moses and thereby began their relationship.

How often does the God of Heaven appear to us in commonplace ways, while we are looking for him in the extraordinary?  More often than we know.  I am reminded of some incidents in my own walk and if you think about it, I’m sure you will also be reminded of some in your life.

One time, my burning bush was a dirty, orange plastic, ashtray.  I was a newly saved Christian, but a long time cigarette smoker.  My husband and I had invited a minister to our home to explain some things to us regarding the Bible.  Putting the finishing touches to my kitchen, before he arrived, I crushed my cigarette out in the dirty, orange ashtray.  I thought to myself, “I guess I better stick this under the sink, so I don’t offend the man of God.”  Immediately, a voice spoke inside, “But, you would offend Me?”  Startled, I dropped the ashtray and stood frozen in my tracks.  My husband walked into the kitchen and took a look at me.  “What’s wrong," he asked?  I began to cry, because I knew that the Lord was the one who had spoken to me.  He revealed to me, that I was more concerned about what people thought of me, than what he thought.  This happened many years ago, and although I quit smoking not long after, I have never forgotten it.

Another burning bush experience took place about six months after my husband and I became committed Christians.  Neither of us grew up in homes where tithing was practiced and although we heard it in church, it didn’t seem to apply to us.  One morning, on my drive to work, I heard a sermon on the car radio about tithing.  It was based on the scriptures in Malachi 3:8-11 and was about robbing God by not giving him ten per cent of your earnings.  The preacher went on to explain, when we are obedient in tithing, God will open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings.  He also said, if we were in a bad financial situation, giving would allow God to bless us. In fact, the Bible says that God challenges us to ‘try Him’, and see if it isn’t so.  As our life wasn’t very financially sound at the time, this really caught my attention. 

Later that day, I picked up a magazine that came in the mail and glancing through it, saw an article titled, “Are You Robbing God?”  Now, my curiosity was really piqued.  Reading it, I discovered it had the same message on tithing.

That evening, at the dinner table, my husband and I, had a discussion on tithing.  Strangely enough, he too, had come across several teachings on it. We had left the television on in the living room and during a lull in conversation, we heard to words, “Are you robbing God?”.  We got up from the table and went into the living room, eyes riveted on the television.  It was the same message as the radio program and magazine article and it was enough to convince us God was speaking to our hearts about tithing.

Financially, we were in a desert place when the Lord spoke to us to tithe.  Our lives were never to be the same, as we stepped out in faith to be obedient.  He has blessed us beyond anything we could imagine.  We did not become rich, but God prospered us and we have been blessed in numerous ways.  We are so very thankful for all He has done for us and our family. 

I could write a book about my burning bush experiences.  They are many and continue to take place almost daily.  At times the Lord has asked me to do things for him that I feel very unqualified to do.  I, like Moses and his  ‘stammering lips’, can find excuses for not being obedient, but generally end up doing what he asks.  When I put my faith in him, I know he will bring it to pass.  “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”  (Jer. 32:27 KJV)

You may have heard the voice of God speaking to you through the words of a moving hymn.  He may speak through his Word, the Bible.  It may happen when you look into the face of an innocent child, or wander along the shore of a peaceful lake.  He may speak to you while you work in your kitchen, or yard.  It may be when walking down a woodland path.  It could be while you lay in a lonely hospital bed.  Wherever you are, he will speak to you at the very time you need to hear him.

Many years ago, I heard a little Catholic sister say, “If you do the ridiculous, God will do the miraculous.”  Moses no doubt thought what God was asking him to do was pretty ridiculous, but he did it and God did the miraculous. 

Has that happened to you?  I will never forget the time we sent our son off to Bible College - in faith.  We both knew there was not enough money coming in to begin to cover his expenses and we had no savings, but we also knew he was where he should be.  One day, while in prayer, the Lord spoke to my heart, that if we would financially help another young man going to Bible College, He would meet our need.  My husband and I prayed about it and decided to send the fifty dollars a month he needed.  Neither of us can explain how it worked, because our income did not increase, nor our bills decline.  Yet every month, there was enough to pay our son’s five-hundred dollar tuition as well as the other young man’s fifty.  We did what seemed to us ridiculous and God did the miraculous.  To us, it was like the miracle of the ‘loaves and fishes’. 

We don’t need to run around looking for an emotional high.  God comes to you right where you are.  Remember what Jesus said in Matt. 24: 23 & 24,  “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."  (NKJV)  Your burning bush will be a commonplace experience that becomes extraordinary when touched by God.