Well Thats Something You Don't See Everyday

In Exodus 3, we see the story of Moses and the burning bush. This was such a profound situation and it shaped much of the bible. The importance of this cannot be stated enough. So we have Moses is just doing what he does, he was keeping the sheep of his father-in-law. He is walking them through the wilderness, and the Lord decides it is time to speak to Moses. So all of a sudden, Moses past this bush that is set aflame. It was no ordinary fire, for the bush itself was not show the effects of being on fire. But this was God showing Moses a miraculous sign so to command him. God said to him, "Moses, Moses!" It is important to understand that Moses was not a bold or brave man, so he was probably scared to the point where he might need a new robe. But Moses musters out, "Here I am."

God says to Moses,” Do not come near! Remove your sandals, for this is holy ground." This is a really important thing for God to say, and it means so much more than just take off your shoes out of respect. In that day, Moses would have likely made his sandals himself. They were things that he worked to make. So God is not telling Moses to just take his shoes off, He is telling him to step out of what man has made, and step into God's presence. Moses is stepping from the presence of men to the presence of the Lord.

God told Moses that He had seen the afflictions of His people, the Israelites. He saw their suffering under oppression. God tells Moses that He will deliver Moses' people out of the land of Egypt and into a land of promise. But Moses, not being a bold man, is afraid of the task at hand. "Who am I?" he pleads with God. He doesn't see that God has chosen him and will work through him. God calms Moses and tells him, "I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain." 

So God comforted Moses by telling him that He will be with him. It seems that often we are afraid of what God has commanded us to do just as Moses was. Even when God told him that he would be with him, Moses was still frightened. I feel that way a lot to. I know that God's plan will be done and everything will be okay, but it is the overwhelming uncertainty of how that will all happen. It takes big faith to do what Moses did, and we need to have big faith that our God will deliver us from evil as well.