The Burning Bush

Moses is eighty years old when this happens. He's spent the last forty years as a shepherd in Midian after fleeing Egypt. The first forty years of his life were spent as an Egyptian prince — raised in Pharaoh's household after being rescued from the Nile as a baby. But when he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave, he became a fugitive. By the time the burning bush appears, Moses has been living a quiet, anonymous life tending his father-in-law's flock. Whatever ambitions he once had seem to be long gone.

The Bush

Moses leads the flock to Horeb, the mountain of God. He notices a bush that's on fire but isn't burning up. It's not a quick glance — the text says Moses thinks to himself, "I will go over and see this strange sight — why the bush does not burn up." He's curious enough to investigate. That curiosity changes the course of history.

When God sees Moses approaching, He calls out from within the bush: "Moses! Moses!" Moses answers, "Here I am." God tells him: "Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Then He identifies Himself:

"I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." — Exodus 3:6

Moses hides his face, afraid to look at God.

The Commission

God tells Moses that He has seen the suffering of His people in Egypt. He has heard their cries. He knows their pain. And now He's going to do something about it: "I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

Moses' response is not exactly enthusiastic. He asks five questions that are really five objections: Who am I to go? What if they ask your name? What if they don't believe me? I'm not a good speaker. Can't you send someone else? Each objection reveals a man who has been thoroughly stripped of confidence. The prince who once took matters into his own hands now can't imagine God using him.

God answers each objection. To "Who am I?" He says, "I will be with you." To "What is your name?" He gives the mysterious and powerful answer: "I AM WHO I AM." He gives Moses miraculous signs — his staff turns into a snake, his hand becomes leprous and then heals. When Moses insists he can't speak well, God allows Aaron, his brother, to be his spokesman. But there's an edge to God's response at that point — He's growing frustrated with the excuses.

Why This Matters

The burning bush is where Moses' second life begins. For forty years he was a prince, then for forty years he was a nobody. Now, at eighty, he's called to the most important mission in the Old Testament. The timing is intentional. God didn't call Moses when he was young and powerful and confident. He called him when he was old, humbled, and convinced he had nothing to offer.

The bush itself is symbolic. It burns but isn't consumed — an ordinary desert bush holding the presence of God without being destroyed. Some interpreters see it as a picture of Israel itself: oppressed by the fire of slavery but not consumed. Others see it as a picture of how God works through ordinary, fragile things without destroying them. Either way, the point is that the extraordinary showed up in the most ordinary setting — a wilderness, a bush, and a shepherd who almost walked past it.