The Way
The Burning Bush
A fire that burned but did not consume
Story
Moses drove the flock of his father-in-law Jethro far to the other side of the wilderness. And so he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. On a silent slope of nothing but rock and dry scrub, a single bush was wrapped in flames. Yet however long he looked, the bush did not burn away. Moses stopped where he was. I must go closer and see how this can be.
As he came near, a voice called from the heart of the fire. Moses, Moses. Moses answered. Here I am. The Lord said, come no closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you stand is holy ground. Moses took off his sandals and covered his face. He was afraid to look at God. The Lord said, I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt, and I have heard them crying out because of their taskmasters. Now I have come down to rescue them.
The Lord went on. Now go. I am sending you to Pharaoh. Moses replied. Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh? Moses held back again and again. If the people ask me your name, Lord, what shall I tell them? The Lord told him his name. I am who I am. Moses spoke again. What if they do not believe me? The Lord showed him signs. The staff he threw on the ground became a snake and writhed, and the hand he put inside his cloak came out white as snow. Still Moses pleaded once more. Lord, I am no speaker. To the man who resisted to the very end, the Lord gave his brother Aaron, saying, I will be with your mouth and with his.
Walk this scene on the map →God's Words
I am who I am. Tell the people of Israel this: I Am has sent me to you.
I have clearly seen the suffering of my people in Egypt, and I have heard them cry out. I know their pain. Now I have come down to rescue them.
Who gave people their mouths? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go. When you speak, I will be with your mouth.
Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the people of Israel out of Egypt?
The sayings are fresh renderings of the original meaning in today's language. Text: Ex 3:1–4:17
Background
Horeb is taken to be another name for Mount Sinai. Tradition places it at Jebel Musa in the southern Sinai Peninsula, where Saint Catherine's Monastery stands at its foot, but other views place it in the northern Sinai or in the land of Midian in northwestern Arabia.
Pause and Reflect
Am I running from God's call because I think I'm not good enough?