Sunday: The Burning Bush
Daily Lesson for Sunday 6th of July 2025
After Moses fled to Midian, he had a relatively easy life. He married, had two sons, Gershom and Eliezer (Exodus 18:3-4), and was part of the extended family of Jethro, his father-in-law and a priest in Midian. He spent 40 relaxed years being a shepherd, like David (2 Samuel 7:8), enjoying God’s presence, especially as revealed in nature.
Yet, this time was not simply for Moses to smell the flowers (or perhaps, in this case, the desert cactus?). These years of walking with the Lord changed him and prepared him for a leadership role. God also used Moses in this quiet wilderness to write, under divine inspiration, two of the oldest biblical books: Job and Genesis (see Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 251; Francis D. Nichol, et al., eds., The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 3, p. 1140).
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
Moses also received from God crucial insights about the great controversy, the Creation, the Fall, the Flood, the patriarchs, and, most important, the plan of salvation. Thus, Moses was instrumental in passing on to all humanity the true knowledge of the living God, our Creator and Sustainer, and knowledge about what God is doing in view of the sin that has wreaked havoc on this planet. Biblical and salvation history make little sense apart from the crucial foundation that, under inspiration, Moses gave us, especially in the book of Genesis.
Read Exodus 3:1-6. What significance can be found in the fact that the Lord introduced Himself to Moses as “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”?
Moses saw that the burning bush was not being consumed by the fire, and thus he knew that he was seeing a miracle and that something dramatic and important must be taking place right before him. As he moved closer, the Lord told him to take his shoes off as a sign of deep respect because God’s presence made the place holy.
The Lord presented Himself to Moses as “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6). The Lord had promised these patriarchs that their descendants would inherit Canaan, a promise Moses surely knew about. Thus, even before saying it, God was already opening the way for Moses to know what was coming and what crucial role he was to play.
|
Moses needed 80 years before God deemed him ready for his task. What might this truth teach us about patience? |
(17)
The Bible teaches that God is invisible.
1. John 1:18 (NIV) - “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.”
2. 1 Timothy 1:17 (NIV) - “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
3. 1 Timothy 6:16 (ESV) - “...who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honour and eternal dominion.”
4. Colossians 1:15 (NIV) - “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”
5. Hebrews 11:27 (NIV) - “By faith he [Moses] left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.”
6. Romans 1:20 (ESV) - “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world…”
However, in certain instances, God desires to visibly manifest Himself (theophany). For instance:
a) Exodus 13:21 – Pillar of cloud by day, fire by night
b) Exodus 19:18 – Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord descended in fire
c) Exodus 40:34–38 – God’s glory filled the Tabernacle
d) 1 Kings 8:10–11 – God’s glory filled Solomon’s temple
e) Job 38:1 – “Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the whirlwind.”
f) Ezekiel 1 – God appears in a vision as a radiant, storm-like figure with wheels and cherubim
g) Exodus 3: 2 – Moses and the burning bush
Moses, seeing a burning bush that was not consumed (Exodus 3: 1-6) was not just an extraordinary sight, but it was a manifestation of the presence of God. In fact, verse 4, confirms the presence of God, “God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!”. As you continue reading, verse 6 identifies who is talking, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Why would an invisible God desire to reveal (manifest) Himself visibly?
1. God reveals (manifests) Himself visibly to provide an assurance to human beings that He is real, near, and He engages with human beings. This is to dispel human doubts that God does not exist and hence reawakens His existence.
2. God reveals (manifests) Himself visibly to communicate His Will directly without ambiguity. God desires His authority to be experienced with clarity.
3. The sovereign God desires to display His awesome power and glory as a God who is above all gods. When God descends in fire (Ex. 19:18, 1 Kings 18:38–39), He is simply displaying His holiness, sovereignty, and authority. “I alone, I am God”.
4. God desires to inspire His people by visibly manifesting Himself. Commissioning or inaugurating certain missions or calling people into service (Moses, Samuel, Isaiah), He desires to inspire faith and obedience.
5. God’s visible manifestation brings comfort and a sense of strength when needed to accomplish a divine appointment. How could Moses possibly have started to attempt the herculean task without the visible presence of God? God’s visible presence provided all the comfort, courage, and strength Moses needed.
God’s visible manifestations are simply acts of grace where an invisible God purposely reveals Himself in ways that human beings can easily grasp in order to redeem them. All visible manifestations of God find their ultimate destination in Jesus Christ. “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9). In Christ Jesus, God does not simply appear; He dwells in our hearts. Finally, when the Earth is made new, God will visibly dwell among His People. This is our sweetest blessed hope.
“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (Revelation 21: 3-4, NLT).
Perhaps the big lesson to learn is that God is patient and takes his time.
I have been in the classroom teaching a new concept and have rushed the process. At the end of the class it was obvious that the students had not absorbed what I was teaching. It was frustrating to me until I remembered my own learning experience. I used to call it "soakage time". When you get a new idea it sometimes takes a time of reflection and returning to the idea before I got it. So, I would give my students a new idea, and let it sit with them for a few days. I guess that in cooking terms you could call it marinating. You want the students to absorb the flavour into their brains. They didn't need more teaching time; they needed absorption time.
God was not in a hurry to reveal His plans to Moses. It took eighty years, forty of them tending sheep. Adventism took roots in my grandparent's family while they were still relatively young. My grandmother became an Adventist but Grandad held out forty years before he accepted Jesus as his Saviour. My Grandmother was a very quiet woman and had God's gift of patience. She understood absorbtion time.
I have just listened to a GC presentation about winning souls. It sounded a bit like they were running a production line with schedules, goals, and strategic business plans. It was delivered with a sense of panicked urgency and I admit to a wry smile to myself as I was in the process of reading about Moses in the school of shepherding for forty years.
Something to remember about how God works:
There seems to be a paradox in the relationship of time to the second coming of our Lord. On the one hand we are called to be patient. James 5:7 KJV
“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.” On the other hand, we have many inspired messages such as this- “I am deeply exercised in regard to our present position, realizing how far down we are in prophetic history, so near the close of time, and so much work undone that must be accomplished to prepare a people to stand in the great day of the Lord. The end of all things is at hand. Our time to work is short, and there is a world to be warned. There is need of more thorough missionary work. The calls are urgent for more laborers, but where are the light-bearers to the world? God has sent the truth to our doors, but are we doing all in our power to send it to the dark corners of the earth?”. HS 287.3 And also this-
“Time is short. Workers for Christ are needed everywhere. There should be one hundred earnest, faithful laborers in home and foreign mission fields where now there is one. The highways and the byways are yet unworked. Urgent inducements should be held out to those who ought now to be engaged in missionary work for the Master.”—Fundamentals of Christian Education, 488 (1903. Ev 22.2-Ev 22.3
Perhaps some of us need more patience and some of us need more urgency. The messages are complementary.
Teaching is a pretty fair part of my customer service work, although I am not a teacher by the usual definition. When I teach someone how to send a wire transfer, for example, I will first have them watch me a couple times while explaining the steps and reasons. Then I have them do the online training. Now they are ready to process transactions on their own with someone nearby in case they still have questions. Finally, after doing some transfers with help, they are fully prepared and understand the purpose of each step. I suppose that's another manifestation of absorption time.
I've always felt that rushing the learning process too often leads to errors from lack of understanding or even lack of vital information. When I consider how much patience God has with me, how can I not have patience with others?
The burning bush experience served as the occasion God used to commission an ageing Moses a man who at 80 needed to slow down in life, be enjoying his retirement but God gives him a divine assignment at advanced age. The work involved leading the stubborn Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.
Moses having grown up in Egypt and having first hand experience with Israelites knew the job ahead was difficult and thus his response of hesitation, questioning , and even pleading with God to choose someone else points to human nature of not being ready to take responsibility. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” he asks (Exodus 3:11). God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. He assures Moses, “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12), shifting the focus from Moses’ ability to God’s presence in leading the people out of Egypt.
The commission given to Moses points that God's calling often stretches us beyond our comfort zones. Moses like many of us had flaws, fears, and a complicated past, yet God still chose him. When God calls us whether to lead, serve, speak out, or step into the unknown, He promises to equip and go with us. We may feel unworthy or unprepared, but God doesn’t ask for perfection but asks for obedience and willingness!
I'm reminded of the passage in James that says, "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
Moses needed to learn patience, so he was sent to Midian for 40 years.
We, God's remnant church, are in need of patience as we await the soon return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Instead of anticipating a date, we should be busy replicating the character of Jesus in ourselves and in the lives of those we love!!!
God's time is not like ours. He knows exactly what we need to go through in order to change. Waiting for God's answer is the best way to enjoy life. We can do our part, but God is the one who makes it happen.
Moses worked as a shepherd for 40 years. God placed him there to tend sheep to prepare him for tending spiritual sheep. During that time he learnt responsibility and accountability, patience, mercy, compassion, courage, protection, leadership, guidance, sacrifice, selflessness, humility, servant hood, empathy, and the importance of community. These are all important lessons needed as effective leaders. His ability to apply the skills learned is a reflection of his relationship with God and his dedication to his calling. May we bloom where we are planted.
"What might this truth teach us about patience?"
Though patience is a virtue, without the right setting and purpose, it can feel meaningless. Moses’ life appears to have been chosen for a good purpose from the very beginning — set apart at birth.
Not yet knowing the God of Creation personally does not necessarily mean we live apart from Him. It may simply mean that it takes time — through the twists and turns of life — to arrive at the right moment to truly meet Him.
Our own spiritual birth — our being "born again" through accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior — often brings a kind of hindsight; seeing the events that led us to that point in a new light.
Like Moses, patience, then, can be understood as a quiet, steady, and resilient disposition that carries one forward regardless of circumstances – culminating in patient faith when meeting our Savior personally.
As Scripture reminds us, “...in all things God works for the good of those who love him...” - Romans 8:28.
The lesson teaches us how we have to fall into God's way. Sometimes it is not an easy road. Imagine Moses thought he was doing a right thing fighting for his people but he eventual finds himself as a fugitive. I wonder what crossed his mind about God. How we sometimes find ourselves blaming God on how he had left us alone yet we are fighting for his cause. Sometimes we have to let God's will happen not matter how painful it could be for us. All of a sudden Moses was a herd boy right from palace. But if it is the will of God so be it.
40 yrs in the palace Moses had become unique royalty; With teachers from Egyptian Royalty as well as Motherly Hebrew teaching. Moses was no ordinary prince of Egypt. He learnt the art of being and portraying/displaying Egyptian but deep in him was a true-infused identity living in "sheath".
Introduced to the priest of Median *Ruel* as "The kind Egyptian at the well" (Exodus 2:19), Moses was to learn additional skill in the wild, to shepherd as well as gain wisdom in the wilderness through an unlikely messenger from God as well as the role of being a shepherd.
With all this knowledge, something in Moses remained consistent - his keen eye to detail, and observation that led to his encounter with God in the burning bush. His reverence towards God clearly shows that he was ready to use all the skills learnt into a new journey from Prince of Egypt to messenger of Yahweh.
Praise God for the words of inspiration; it gave me some great insight.