Burning Bush

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Had God saved His people… only to enslave His people?

Last week we looked at Joseph’s story - a story that showed how God can take our suffering and turn it into celebration.

Joseph had gone through a lot… He could have become bitter, but instead he remained faithful, grounded in the ways of God… and he did more than survive. God used his circumstance to save his family! Joseph’s position of authority made the way for his family to be provided for in the time of a terrible famine.

As time went by, Joseph would die in his old age. At some point, the Pharoah that had granted Joseph the authority that he had also died. And the transition of power… didn’t work out so well for the Israelites.

Exodus 1:6–10 NIV

6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them. 8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”

God had saved His people… but now they were enslaved by the Egyptians. How could such a things happen?

The cause of the enslavement was made clear in our text. They were growing in numbers and the fear of the Egyptians did the rest. In their fear, they came to the conclusion that something bad was on the horizon. And then the oppression began. The people of God became slaves. And this lasted for a long time.

So… where was God? Had God forgotten about the promise He had made to Abraham? Had God forgotten about His people? Why was this taking place?

God had not forgotten about them or His promise. God had a plan… and that plan involved an unlikely deliverer that would become the leader of His people. We know that man as Moses.

Moses had no idea God would use him in the way that he did. In fact, Moses tried to do things his way and that didn’t work out so well. Now, hiding out because of his mistake, Moses has an encounter with God that is truly amazing. That encounter… changed everything.

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Silence. For a long time, the people of God heard nothing but silence. They were suffering under the oppression of the Egyptians and there was no clear pathway to freedom.

Moses tried it his way… and failed. He killed a guard to save a fellow Hebrew and got caught. Moses was now on the run. Could it get any worse? He tried to do the right thing but in the wrong way and now he was apart from the rest of his people.

Until… God spoke up. And when God spoke, He made it clear that He had not forgotten His people, and He had a plan to set them free.

How many have heard of the actor by the name of Alec Guinness? He was a British actor made famous for his role in Star Wars as Obi-Won Kenobi. Alec tells a story about how he had an unexpected encounter with God that led him to faith in Jesus.

While on location in France for the filming of Father Brown, Guinness walked several kilometers into town during a break in shooting. Not wanting to change from his costume, he remained dressed in the black robes as a Catholic priest. Returning from town, Guinness heard a high-pitched voice call out, “Mon Père!” (My Father!). His hand was gripped tightly by an excited little boy who swung Guinness’s arm about, hopping, skipping, and jumping around. The boy chatted nonstop, but never let go of him. Guinness remained silent, fearful his broken French would alert the boy to the fact that he was not a local priest, or a priest at all.

As quickly as the boy appeared, he darted off through the hedge as they reached his home. Guinness realized that because the boy believed he was a priest—an agent of God—that even without speaking a word his presence alone comforted and cheered the boy along his journey home. The encounter began to change Guinness’s long held prejudices toward the church and God, eventually leading to his faith in Christ.

The boy felt at peace in the presence of one he thought served the Lord. Guinness was amazed at the joy the boy had experienced.

And I can echo that same joy the boy had experienced. There is NOTHING like being in the presence of our heavenly Father! NOTHING! When you can feel His presence… when you know His presence is with you… it brings a sense of peace and joy that no one else can bring!

So I can only begin to imagine what Moses felt when he came upon the burning bush. I’ve never seen anything like that… but I know what it means to be in the presence of the Lord! And in this moment… God reassures Moses that He is near… and that He has a plan.

Exodus 3:7-10 tells us in part what God said to Moses through the burning bush.

Exodus 3:7–10 NIV

7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

Moses was not expecting this encounter. Moses didn’t see this one coming! He expected that this day would be like the last…but it certainly proved to be different.

This passage brings out some incredible reminders we need to pay attention to. Maybe you’re walking through a situation in which you haven’t heard from God yet. Maybe you’ve been praying and seeking Him, but you’ve yet to receive and answer. What I want you to know tonight is that God is moving on your behalf. God always answers prayers. He is not distant nor has He turned a blind eye your direction.

The passage we read reveals some important things that we need to never forget when we might feel that God is silent.

God IS AWARE of Your Situation.

Look again at the first few words of God’s report to Moses in Exodus 3:7

Exodus 3:7 NIV

7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.

God was not only aware of what was taking place… God was concerned about the suffering they were going through… as He is also concerned with any suffering you might be going through. A day will never go by that God is not aware of in your life.

By the time Moses has this encounter with God, the people of Israeli had been captive to the Egyptians for a LONG time - upwards of four centuries! And… that’s time spent as slaves… time that will feel hopeless and meaningless.

God had NOT placed His people on the earth only to become slaves to others… but in this moment, that was their reality. And in this moment they wondered, “Where is God?” The truth was, God had never left them nor had he ignored their suffering.

I want you to see something in Psalm 56. David is going through a rough time. His enemies are in hot pursuit. And in this moment he cries out to God for help.

Look at Psalm 56:8

Psalm 56:8 ESV

8 You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?

David knows that God has kept a record of his suffering. David knows that God is completely aware of what he has been through. And look at how David poetically talks of God’s record - he says that God has placed David’s tears… in a bottle. NOT ONE TEAR falls to the ground without God making a record of it!

That is how aware our God is of our circumstances! Not one of the tears shed by the Israelites went unnoticed by the Lord! And I’m sure there were many tears!

Now I realize that knowing God records our tears may not make those tears any less painful, but I hope you realize tonight that God is FOREVER aware of what you might be going through. Your experience does not equal indifference on God’s part.

God is FULLY aware of your circumstance and situation… and I believe in His awareness, He has a plan to deliver you as well. How can I say that? This leads us to our next reminder...

God is a God of Action.

Look again at Exodus 3:8

Exodus 3:8 NIV

8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.

I have come… says the Lord. He came to RESCUE His people. He was NOT going to leave them where they were. God’s action may not have been on Israel’s preferred timetable, but God had not only recorded their suffering, He had planned their deliverance.

It is important to note that although the people experienced a period of suffering hardship, they remained His people. Despite their current circumstance, God had NOT given up on them. He took action on their behalf… just as He has for us as well.

God took action when we didn’t deserve it. He took the greatest action we could have ever asked for. We weren’t necessarily slaves to a nation or earthly authority, but we were all slaves to sin.

Sin is the worst form of suffering a person can find themselves in today because with sin comes certain death. Sin robs us of life and well-being. Sin separates us from the fellowship of the Father. Sin… keeps us in the dark.

But God… took action. He sent Jesus to deliver us from sin. Yes… we may still face troubles in this world, but never forget YOU HAVE BEEN DELIVERED. Your spiritual deliverance remains no mater what trials you may end up facing.

I understand we walk through difficult seasons. I know sometimes we might feel like God isn’t watching or that God doesn’t care. God cared so much that He gave His one and only Son for you. This is a truth that will never change - but sometimes we forget the action He took as we walk through difficult times.

Never forget, church - God is for you! God took action for you! God made a way for your deliverance!

Going back to Israel’s story, God was now taking action to rescue His people from the hands of the Egyptians. It had been a long time coming, and while I cannot say how God’s timetable works… I have come to learn that His timing is perfect in all things!

God is not indifferent or apathetic towards your situation… He is a God of proven action! A God of deliverance!

God is Always Present

Exodus 3:10–20 NIV

10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” 13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. 16 “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’ 18 “The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.

God told Moses that He would be with Him… but He also shared with Moses how He had been with His people the entire time.

God had been with them long before they were slaves in Egypt… and He was with them now in their current situation. God is Always present.

I am glad tonight that our God is Omnipresent. This literally means that God is present everywhere… at the same time. It means… you cannot go where God is not.

God is in every space… at every time. God is not like the manufactured idols of this world that extremely limited in their existence. God reveals Himself in the Bible as the Lord IN all creation.

Psalm 139:7–12 NIV

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

God is even present in our inner-most thoughts. Thoughts the world never hears, but the Lord knows well.

He is there when we get the bad news from the doctor.

He is there when work and scrape to pay the bills.

He is there as we work the long hours

He is there when we don’t have the answers

He is there when we push through the pain

He is there when we mourn and grieve

He is there when we feel lost or abandoned.

HE IS THERE!

The problem isn’t that God is not there… the problem is we often forget that He is there.

Our feelings would lead us to believe that God is not there… but He is! There is no where you can go that God is not there!

Just as He saw every ounce of oppression on His people… He sees you… in your struggle… in your circumstance… and in this season.

God is there… but… are you aware of His presence?

And that brings us to our final reminder tonight...

Be Aware of God.

This closing point might seem super obvious and elementary, yet we miss it all the time. Why? Because often we become too aware of our circumstance and less aware of God.

I can imagine it would be difficult to not become overly aware of your situation while living under the oppression of the Egyptians.

And think of this… how hard would it be to see God as infant boys were thrown into the Nile for population control? This was a very difficult situation for sure.

This world is broken. This world is capable of doing terrible things. Good people… GODLY PEOPLE… will often experience bad things because of the nature of this world.

This does not make the people around us our enemy… but we do face a very real enemy that desires destruction for our lives.

When we find ourselves in difficult situations, we might find ourselves asking, “Is God aware of my suffering?” And the answer is a resounding YES HE IS. And the key to making it through that season is to BE AWARE OF GOD. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

My mind takes me back to the story of Peter walking on the water.

The disciples were in a boat being rocked by a storm. Jesus was walking to them and they feared Him at first thinking He was a ghost.

Peter asks if it is Jesus, invite me out there with you… and Jesus said… come. But Peter had to leave the boat to walk on the water.

Peter had to walk through the storm to get to Jesus. And the amazing thing was, the storm had no impact on Peter… until his focus changed. Peter was doing just fine UNTIL he looked at the storm instead of Jesus. That’s when He began to sink.

Peter hadn’t reached his destination yet. Peter was in the midst of the journey to Jesus when he began to sink. When his focused remained in the right place, the storm could not touch him. Peter was fully aware of Jesus. But that awareness began to fade when Peter remembered the wind and the waves.

The storm you might be walking through is very real. The feeling of being tossed about without control is concerning and destabilizing at best. Yet, in all that is going on… BE AWARE OF JESUS. Don’t take your eyes off Him.

Peter began to sink but Jesus reached out and grabbed him. The Israelites began to wonder where God was, so God began to speak to Moses through a burning bush.

God will give us reminders that He is with us. The KEY is… we must REMAIN in Him. We must be aware of our God… His power… and His strength.

My closing question is this: How aware of God are you in this season?

Maybe all is good… there is no storm and all is well. Are you aware of God today?

Maybe all is upside down. The storm is raging and tossing you about. Are you aware of God today?

Maybe you’ve tried to hide the reality of the storm. It’s there, but you’ve swept it under the rug hoping it will go away. But you worry and you might be full of concern. Are you aware of God today?

Tonight, I want us to become more aware of the truth that God is with us. Will you join me in prayer, asking God to help us keep focused on Him in any and all seasons we might face?

Prayer

Help me to remember that You are aware of my circumstance.

Help me to remember that You take action for me.

Help me to remember that You are always there.

Help ME to be aware of YOU!

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