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Burning Bushes

           Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.  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.” (Exodus 3:1-3)

The main question that comes to mind as I think about this passage is whether I’d notice a bush burning but not being consumed. I grant, I might notice a bush burning. I’d call 911 and maybe try to try to keep the fire from spreading. I’d be likely to pull out my phone (or preferably, my camera.) I’ll grant, I think I’d notice if someone appeared among the flames and called me by name. And the silly point is that I need to give God more credit. As oblivious as I think I am, God has made it clear that He will not let me miss my “exit,” or at least He’ll get me on the right “road” even if it involves a detour. I don’t have to beat myself up because I’m not paying good enough attention.

 The other idea that comes to mind is that I tend to feel envious of these folks in Scripture who got to see burning bushes or any of the other awe-inspiring manifestations of God’s power. I’m no better than the atheist who says, “I’ll believe in God if __________.” Oh, I claim to believe regardless, but I’d “really” believe if He did more that wowed me and kept my focus on Him. If He performed for me, I wouldn’t be a third or fourth-rate Christian.

There are problems with putting our relationship with God on a performance basis. The first is we are putting ourselves in God’s place. We get to judge when God is performing well enough to be granted acceptance. God didn’t leave it up to us to achieve His acceptance, but we leave it up to Him.

Requiring “burning bushes” and putting out “fleece” grants us the freedom to reject responsibility for our own beliefs and actions. God has to win our belief, not just once but every time He interacts with us. If we fail to believe in Him or what He says, it’s His fault. But, if we fail to win His approval, it’s also His fault. None of it speaks of our acting like an adult, or even of our treating God the way we want to be treated. If we insist that God prove He exists, should we not be ready to prove that we exist and are deserving of His attention? According to His specifications?

Another idea comes to mind about the bush. Moses had spent forty years in Egypt, and another 40 years as a fugitive among the Midianites. He was going to be sent back to Egypt to face an enemy. This wasn’t going to be an easy sell for God. It required that He take Moses from a clear, definite, and unambiguous “No!” to a “Yes, Lord.” It takes more to move a person to buy a house than it does to convince them to buy their favorite drink when they’re thirsty. It takes more for a stranger to convince someone than for their best friend to do so.

If you’re a Christian, God shouldn’t have to overwhelm or astound you to gain your cooperation. Such an expectation on our part should be appalling. Instead, we should be ready to hear the Shepherd’s voice and follow. Smoke signals should not be necessary.

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