Burning Bush - JT Devotion Day Eight

“There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up” When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 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. 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. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:2-10 (NIV)

Today’s Jesse Tree symbol is a burning bush. Fire is a symbol which depicts God in scripture, be it the burning bush in Exodus or the tongues of fire of the Holy Spirit in Acts. Moses, a Jew, was raised as an Egyptian by the pharaohs daughter. He then spent many years as a Shepherd in Midian, which is when the burning bush experience happened. This is God’s call on Moses’ life to lead his people out of Egypt into the promised land. Over the next few days we will continue to read about Moses and his experiences with the Israelites, who were sometimes, like us all, quite a trying group of people!

Note that God says “I AM” the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, not “I was”. God was saying that the forefathers still live. In Luke 20:37 Jesus says “But in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Also “I Am” is God saying “I am here today, I’m not an I was, I am with you, I am relevant, I have not gone away.” Moses was alone in a quiet place when he had his encounter with God, sometimes the still and quiet places in life are where we hear and experience God best. Today try and find a quiet place and give God your full attention, just be, just listen. Let the God of Moses speak into your life today and show you that he is “I Am”. If you want take off your shoes as a sign of respect and obedience, for are you standing on holy ground? Read more about Moses in Exodus 2:1-4:20

To read more from fellow advent bloggers, please click on this link.

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Posted on December 5, 2007
Posted by lynhallewell

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