1. George W. Bush and Moses
Maybe you have heard the story of the day that President George W. Bush was in an airport and noticed a man in a long flowing red robe with a long flowing white hair and beard.
The man had a staff in one hand and some stone tablets under the other arm.
George W. approached the man and asked, “Aren't you Moses?”
The man ignored George W. and stared at the ceiling.
George W. positioned himself more directly in the man's view and asked again, “Aren't you Moses?”
The man continued to stare at the ceiling.
George W. then tugged at the man's sleeve and asked once again, “Aren't you Moses?”
The man finally responded in an irritated tone, “YES, I AM!”
George W. asked him why he was so irritated and why he had taken so long to answer him.
Moses replied, “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but the last time I spoke to a Bush I ended up stuck in a desert for forty years!”
2. Exodus 3.1-6
3. Moses Encountered God in an unusual place and in an unusual Way
a. Backside of the desert
b. Burning Bush
c. Holy Ground – Presence of God; No dirty shoes
1) Separate from the common/ordinary – Isaiah 6.1-3
In the year that King Uzzi′ah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
2) Set apart – for a purpose
3) People of God – Say to all the congregation of the people of Israel, You shall be holy; for I the LORD your God am holy. Leviticus 19.2
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter (Kefa) 1.14-16
4) Different from Isolation (as Moses had been for 40 years)
4. Consider Moshe’s encounter with the Holy God at a special place:
I. Fire Is a Powerful Symbol of God
I read about a man whose bathtub was filthy. Apparently he was having little luck getting it clean with normal bathroom cleansers, but he had heard that gasoline was a solvent. So he took a rag with gasoline to the tub… and it worked!
Well… it worked, but it stank up the bathroom.
So, he decided he needed to do something to take care of the odor.
You’ll never guess what he did… he set out aromatic candles and he lit them.
He survived… but his apartment didn’t.
It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Fire is powerful and contains images of God for us:
A. The Attractive Nature of God [Fireplace; Campfire
1. Moshe noticed the burning bush and was curious
2. Was this some sort of Test for Moshe?
3. He observes an appearance of God as:
• Adam and Eve had seen
• As Abraham (human/angelic form?)
• Elijah – still small voice
• Rab Shaul – special appearance on Road to Damascus – interruption of his plans; redirection of his steps
• Nature’s revelation: 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Romans 1.20
B. Illuminating – God represented in the Menorah
1. God is Light – This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1.5
2. God Enlightens his people – Moshe is able to “see” the light of God and follow
3. Light of God reminds us of his salvation
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch. Isaiah 62.1
6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; 7 but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1.6-7
C. Warmth/Life
1. Need warmth in the winter
2. Need to cook
3. Pagans believed gods gave fire as a gift and that to have fire in your home you had to take fire from the common place of fire within the community – after – you had made an offering to the gods
D. Purifying – Malachi 3.3 "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.
He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot. Then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy - when I see my image in it."
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.
E. Steadiness (Emunah) of God – Bush that Burns but not consumed
1. Unchanging Nature – For I the LORD do not change; Malachi 3.6a
2. Eternal Nature – God of Avraham; Yitzach; Yacov – Yeshua and Sadducees – life and world to come
3. Apply to us: 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life.
1 John 5.11-12
II. The Bush Is a Humble Symbol of Man
He could have used a great, lofty, regal tree but chose a thorn bush to represent Israel and its humiliation in Egypt
A. An Amazing Fact – God Wants a Family Relationship with People
1. He had it with Adam and Eve; Abraham; Moses
2. He wanted with the Hebrew People
a. Tabernacle – built so God could dwell in the “midst of the people” –
b. In the camp but wanted to be IN the hearts of the people (point of the New Covenant – Torah written on their hearts – Jeremiah 31.31-34)
B. He Wants it with Us!
1. “Tabernacled” with us in Yeshua – John 1.14
2. Ruach HaKodesh to Indwell us – Acts 2.38
a. Can’t put God in a box or make a one-size-fits-all formula
b. HS came in different ways in the book of Acts – On Apostles at Shavuot; at baptism of some; before baptism of some; with laying on of apostles’ hands; sometimes with spectacular signs; sometimes not
c. Rending of temple curtain at crucifixion of Yeshua – to let us IN and let God OUT – he was getting a new address!
III. The Event Is a Reminder Even of OUR Times
A. A Time of Darkness
1. For Moses (He had a fire in his heart while in Egypt to be God’s Deliverer of the Hebrews);
a. Miraculous rescue from the River
b. 40 Years in Egypt in Prosperity and Favor
c. In killing the Egyptian – he jumped ahead of God and stepped into the darkness of sin, fear, and doubt
2. For the Hebrews
a. Rescue from Famine by Joseph’s experience (Romans 8.28)
b. 400+ Years in Egypt
c. Persecution of the new Pharaoh
d. Pain of the People reached God
3. US – But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Avoid such people. 2 Timothy 3.1-5
B. A Promise of God – Psalm 112.4
To the upright he shines like a light in the dark,
merciful, compassionate and righteous.
1. A sudden appearance of light as dawn breaking and dispels the darkness – darkness cannot overcome light – even a small amount of light
a. [A woman went to her Minister in desperation – she worked in a factory but had enough of the abuse of her co-workers. They taunted, ridiculed, and humiliated her for her faith and she wanted to quit but did not know what to do. Her Minister asked her WHERE in her factory they installed light fixtures; she replied that it was in the dark places; he went on to say that God’s people are placed by God in places of darkness to bring light; she went out with a renewed enthusiasm for her faith and a determination to be light in a dark place.
b. 14 Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Philippians 2.14-16
2. To the UPRIGHT – as Job 1.1; right standing before Him
3. Merciful – Compassionate – Gracious as he would tell Moshe at Sinai in Exodus 34.6-7
1. Followers of Yeshua (Jesus) are given the light of life to overcome the darkness in HIM – “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8.12
2. Yet, there is a time coming when the Fire will be one of JUDGMENT in which the Long-suffering of God will come to an end –
3. Not what he wants – 8 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up. 2 Peter 3.8-10
4. In the meantime we:
a. Walk in his light of his presence – 1 John 1.5
b. Walk according to his word – Psalm 119.105
c. Shine in a dark world as lights – Matthew 5.14-16
d. Pass on the light to those in darkness
5. Where are we going?
In Alice in Wonderland, when Alice comes to a crossroads; she asks the Cheshire Cat which way she should go.
“That depends a good deal on where you want to go to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where,” replied Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”
