Burning, yet not

Of all the statements to make...

“I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

Okay, so I guess I should take a step back.

After having a rather abnormal upbringing, which growing up in the Pharaoh’s palace in my eyes certainly qualifies as not being par for the times, Moses flees the plush surroundings that was the palace after killing a man and burying him in the sand. Moses goes from the best of the best to hanging out with goats. Well, it may have been sheep, but the ability for sheep to climb mountains leads me to imagine it was goats... And I hate sheep. Vile and stupid creatures.

Anyway, while tending the flock of four legged creatures Moses looked upon the side of a mountain and noticed a fire, and what guy can possibly stay away for something that is on fire. But there was something different about this fire. The closer he got to the fire he noticed that something was on fire, but nothing was burning. Now, I love campfires. I love sitting there with my feet up on the side of the fire ring watching the flames dance through the air and through my studies I have noticed that there are at least two major types of wood based fire. The first is the slow burning heavy wood fire which burns, ummm... slowly.

Very slowly.

It takes a while to get this type of fire started, but once it is started it lasts a very long time. The heat from this type of fire remains long after the flames subside. And those flames last a very long time.

The other type of fire is the ultra-fast burning brush fire which burns very quickly. This fire starts easily and only lasts a brief time. The heat doesn’t stick around for very long, but when it is burning it is very intense and bright.

But this fire was neither and both at the same time. It was a bush, which should burn rapidly, that was not burning but was on fire. If it were me standing there I would probably have stared at that bush for quite some time. At first simply enjoying the fire. But then noticing that this fire wasn’t doing what I had expected it to do (perhaps a glimpse into what was to come).

Then, while mesmerized by the fire that wasn’t burning, a voice calls from within the bush to Moses. At this point I would have needed to change my toga, or whatever the historically accurate garment for the time would have been. And it only gets stranger, because the very first thing this on fire yet not burning bush tells Moses to do was take off his flip-flops. Why? Because the ground he was standing on was holy, and if you track mud (or goat remnants for that matter) onto the new carpet you are dead.

After that the bush voice finally tells Moses who He is, and who else could pull this off but God.

God: “Excuse me Moses, but could you please take off your shoes, I just hand Gabe clean up”

Moses: “Certainly,” Moses says half confused and frightened out of his mind.

God: “Thanks, and by the way I am the God that you real father served.”

Moses: “Oh Crap!” Moses thought to himself as he quickly covers his face in fear.

God: “Listen, Moses, I have seen what’s going on in Egypt and I am none too happy about it, and you are going to fix it.”

Moses: “Wha...”

God: “So, I want you to pack up and go get my kids.”

Moses: “Umm, I don’t know if you know, but I’m not the right guy for the job.”

God in all of his wisdom and mercy and power says to Moses, “Just go. I’ll be with you. And this is how you will know that I sent you: when you are done, you and the rest of them will worship me one this mountain that we are on now.”

Pause for just a moment...

God’s sign to Moses is that after Moses is done they will worship God. Yeah, real reassuring for Moses at that moment. I always find strength before I go in to over-through the strongest empire known to mankind in knowing that when I am done I’ll know I was right. And neither did Moses.

Back to the action...

Moses: “Okay, so lets just say that I do go to the Israelites, what am I going to say? ‘Get in! we’re gonna make a run for it!’ You have lost your mind. I don’t even know Your name, so who am I even supposed to tell them sent me?”

God: “I AM.”

Moses: “...”

God: “Tell them that I AM sent you.”

Moses: “Right, and what if, on some off chance they don’t believe me?”

God: “What do you have in your hand?”

Moses: “A staff.”

God: “Throw it on the ground,” God said to Moses.

So Moses does so, and the staff turns into a snake, and Moses screams like a little girl (ok, that’s not in the Bible, but lets call it personalization of the character) and runs away (which is in the Bible). After getting a third clean toga, Moses picks the snake up and it turns back into a staff. God then has Moses put his hand into his cloak, freshly changed mind you, and when he pulls it out... his skin is falling off.

I have heard some say that this was the turning point. This is the moment that Moses realized the God saw him for exactly what he was, and yet still chose him. Moses realized that God knew that he wasn’t the best, or healthiest, or most capable, or smartest, or emotionally stable. But he was paying attention. He noticed that bush that wasn’t burning yet was on fire. He slowed down. He listened. He obeyed. And the rest is history.