Faith Through a Burning BushSample

Moses Turned Aside

“And Moses said, ‘I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.’” That phrase in Exodus 3 is what caught my attention. All the times I read or heard the story of the burning bush my mind assumed the bush was right in front of Moses; that Moses had no choice but to walk up to it. But that was not the case. The burning bush was close enough to be seen by Moses, but he still had to make the decision to turn and investigate.

This was the first small step of faith God asked Moses to make. It is not a hard ask to have a man be drawn to a fire. Not today at least, and I doubt it was much different in Moses’ day. There is something about a fire to us. Fireplaces, campfires, bonfires, forges, grills we men like our fires. Obviously, Moses spent some time looking at this burning bush from wherever he first saw it to realize that the bush was not being consumed.

When he went to investigate, this is when we find Moses being asked to take a larger step of faith. The voice of God called out from the bush and Moses answered. Then the voice instructed Moses to stay away from the bush as it was holy ground. Moses was instructed to remove his sandals on this holy ground.

Moses had to decide on very little evidence if this voice from the bush was indeed God. Now, I have never been spoken to by a flame in a bush. I have never heard the audible voice of God, but I am not sure my first reaction would be to assume God was speaking to me. Falling asleep while watching the sheep and dreaming might be a possibility - or heat stroke. "A bit of bad potato", to borrow from Dickens. When Moses was asked to remove his sandals, the bush had not yet told Moses he was God. The ground would not be holy if God weren’t there. Moses had to decide if this was indeed God. But God quickly followed up with Moses, stating that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This must have been enough evidence for Moses. Moses not only acknowledged this place as holy ground, but he also went a step further. Verse 6b states, “And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” Moses acknowledged his place before a holy God.

If Moses had not turned to the side, he would not have been given the chance to have God speak to him. If Moses had not recognized God’s presence he could not have stayed and taken the next step of faith that would ultimately lead to the freedom of millions of people and so much more.

What small step is God asking you to take today? What is He using to catch your attention? Have you already taken a small step? What is the next bigger step? What is keeping you from taking off your sandals?