(Exodus 3:1-6) Who Is In That Bush? The LORD.

Exodus  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
0 ratings
· 678 views

The miracle of the burning bush was meant to be a sign representing the character of God. It was meant to point Moses to the true God and to call him to faith and fear in the Lord. Today we get to learn about the God who changed the life of Moses and has the power to change our lives. May we consider who is in the bush?

Notes
Transcript
Fire is an incredibly destructive force.
Fire disintegrates anything in its path.
It can consume a house in just a few minutes.
2008 the USS George Washington faced the destructive power of fire - and was laid up in docks for an entire year.
And of course we've seen how fast and powerful it can move with what it did up in can grace.
Fire got so hot there it instantly disintegrated the roots of the trees.
What defence does a bush have against fire?
ILLUSTRATIONS:
In our backyard we had a number of overgrown bushes.
And so we took it out and begin to slowly burn the bushes.
But bushes don't burn like a log of wood.
The fire gets really hot for a few minutes, and then it is just gone.
Bushes are one the most combustible plants out there.
This morning we are going to continue to look at the miracle of burning bush.
But specifically were going to look at who is in the burning bush?
Who is the one they can cause the bush to be burned, and yet not be consumed?
Lets look at Exodus 3:1 – 6 this morning.
Exodus 3:1–6 ESV
1 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.

Who is in the burning bush?

This text will give show us 3 qualities of God that should teach us to Fear the LORD.
First we observe - God is

1) The Merciful One - Consider God’s calling Moses to himself. (Exodus 3:1-4)

Moses is not the guy you would expect God to reveal himself to.
Moses becomes one of the greatest leaders anywhere in the Old Testament.
But that is all future.
At this point - who is Moses?
He is a murder.
He is a fugitive from Egypt.
Is the son-in-law of the pagan priest in Midian.
If anything, he's the kind of guy we might expect God to judge.
>>>The one thing he's got going for himself is that he is an Israelite. <<<<
But did Israel deserve the Exodus?
Deuteronomy 7:7–8 ESV
7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
And yet God in his love.
And God in his mercy.
And God in his compassion for Israel.
Called out to Moses, a murder, a fugitive, and a pagan worshiper.
How did God call Moses to himself?
God begins calling Moses – by giving him:

a) The awesome sign of the burning bush.

Exodus 3:2–3 ESV
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.”
In other words,
God does something to get his attention.
Did you ever do anything against your parents - just to get their attention?
He gives them a site so amazing,
he knows Moses would have to come down and talk to him.
And what was so amazing about this bush?
It was on fire, and yet it was not consumed.
Fire can consume houses, destroy aircraft carriers, and vaporize trees.
A bush is one of the most combustible objects out there.
And yet this bush, is on fire, but doesn't desinigrate.
This bush continues to burn, but doesn't become ashes.
The bush was meant to be a miraculous sight,
that would draw Moses to God.
It was not simply to present God to Moses,
but to present God as the only God worth paying attention too.
We see that not only in the miracle of the burning bush,
but because the Bush called out to him.

b) God call’s him by name.

Exodus 3:4 ESV
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.”
God’s calling out to Moses personalized his relationship.
God’s calling out to Moses was meant to bring Moses into a relationship with the one true God.
This is the merciful, effectual call of God upon his life.
God was merciful to Moses, and to Israel, and he is merciful to us.
1 Peter 1:3 ESV
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Who is the one in the bush?
He is God, the merciful one.
But the LORD in the bush is not simply the merciful one, but -

2) The Self-Sustaining One - Consider the Self-Sustaining burning bush. (Exodus 3:2)

As we consider this -
Why the burning bush?
Why not a storm cloud?
Why not a loud voice from heaven?
Why not a still small voice in the wilderness?
Why not a dream like Joseph?
Why the burning bush?
And I believe that God in his perfect wisdom shows the burning bush for a reason.
In fact, the name the LORD,
and the name, the great I am,
is a word play the teaches us that God is making a theological point to Moses.
It is one thing to be a God of mercy.
But what is a God of mercy, who can’t deliver his people?
What is the God of mercy, against the mighty Pharaoh?
And so God give them a burning bush.
We'll talk more about this when we get to verse 13.
What is a Bush that is on fire, but is not consumed?
What is a fire that doesn't need more firewood?
The miracle of the Bush teaches us that the one who is in the Bush - is the self sustaining one.
After all,
Who gave God the strength to hold the world in his hands?
Who gives God the stamina to hold the world together for eternity?
When does God sleep?
Psalm 121:2–4 ESV
2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Bush implies that he had no beginning, will have no ending, and is ever present.
The Bush also implies that his being is derived from his own self - and so he is eternally who and what he is.
(Adapted from MacArthur and Mahue)
This means
God is eternal (MacArthur)
God is self sufficient (Grudem)
God never can change (immutable)
God is infinite.
And God is all-powerful. (omnipotent)
I summarize it here - as the self-sustaining one.
The one who needs nothing else to survive … because he is the one life comes from.
HE IS THE LIVING GOD.
God is presenting himself as the one who can sustain Moses,
and especially the one who is going to sustain him through the Exodus.
God is the one who has the power to deliver them, because he is the self-sustaining one.
And - He is the one who has the power to carry every one of us, through any trial and through any enemy.
Who is the one in the Bush?
- He is the merciful one.
- He is the self-sustaining one.
And - He is -

3) The Holy One - Consider the bush’s holy ground. (Exodus 3:5)

None of us would consider a bush holy.
Some bushes we take time to prune and upkeep,
but many times we cut back and tear out bush’s because they can become a nuisance.
But we also have never had one of our bush’s
>>> be self-sustaining or talk out to us.
This bush is different because it has the LORD in it.
The Presence of the Lord makes this bush Holy.
And the presence of the Lord makes the ground Holy.
Look at Exodus 3:5
Exodus 3:5 ESV
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.”
What does this teach us about God?

a) God is pure.

The holiness of God means he is pure, and he cannot allow impurity to stand before his presence.
This is why the Law has so much to say about priests purifying themselves before entering the Temple.
Slide
In case there was any doubt as to what God meant by talking about holiness, he specifically warned Moses to keep his distance: “Do not come any closer” (Exod. 3:5a). God was separating himself from Moses in order to emphasize the gap between the divine and the human. God is transcendent in his holiness; so Moses was not allowed to subject him to close scrutiny. Indeed, if he had taken so much as one more step in God’s direction, his very life would have been in danger. Moses needed to stay right where he was. (Ryken)
But this text is not only emphasizing the purity of God,
but the majesty of God.
Holy means pure,
but also means separate and distinct.

b) God is separate and distinct.

Slide
Holy in Exodus 3:5 means God is exceedingly pure and majestic compared to us.
How should one approach the presence of the most majestic and holy being in existence? -
with reverence and honor.
To this day in the Middle East, removing one’s sandals is a sign of respect.
The proper way for Moses to show his reverence for God’s holiness was to take off his sandals.  
(Ryken)
God’s Holiness matters here … because it shows us that God is
Good and just
And he is powerful and majestic.
To understand the importance of this - consider how C.S. Lewis describes the Lion in Narnia.
“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”
C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
- Moses need to understand
that he could trust God to deliver them from Egypt, and to care for them in the wilderness.
- Moses needed to understand the LORD is the almighty,
but he is also good and kind.
God’s holiness matters in our lives … because we need to understand that God is the almighty who is good and kind.
We need to understand we worship a God who is Holy.
CONCLUSION:
So,
Who is in the Bush?
The merciful one.
The self-sustaining one.
And the Holy one.
And how should we respond to the one who is in the bush?
Why does it matter who is in the bush?
Consider how Moses responds to the one who is in the burning bush-
Exodus 3:6 ESV
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.

The Response: Moses Fears the Lord - the one who is in the Bush. (Exodus 3:6b)

The character of God demands - that every person Fears the Lord.
Proverbs 1:7 ESV
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Acts records the early church walking in the Fear of the Lord.
Acts 9:31 ESV
31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
And each one of us ought Fear the Lord
The mercy of God, the self-existence of God, and the Holiness of God - Should cause to live in worship and awe of God.
As we finish this morning,
consider the High-Calling of Romans 12:1-2.
Romans 12:1–2 ESV
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
I challenge each one of us today to walk in the Fear of the Lord.
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more