"Burning but not Consumed"; Hero's Journey for Moses

April 4

(Some lessons in Exodus)

Read: Exodus 3

Burned but not Consumed (Hero’s Journey Revisited Part 2)

“…the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.” (v.2)

Burning but not consumed. This is the victorious Christian life… this is walking with the Lord… to be “burning yet not consumed”. This is an example of the effect of the presence of God on the material world. When God is present in us and with us, we are NOT consumed but the things that would normally “consume us” and eat us up! We are exposed to all the heat, all the light, all the noise and power of burning without the consumption or destruction. It is a spectacular sight.

It is in the midst of our “hero’s exile”… our time in the wilderness… that we meet God as the “burning-bush-fire that does not consume”. We will not recognize or understand that it is God at first. Look at what Moses says: “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” (v.3) Moses was going to look at some spectacle in the wilderness and had no idea he was about to encounter the living God. It is utterly unexpected. It was only after he had turned to approach and gaze upon this wonder that God called out to Moses. (v.4)

I am thoroughly convinced that God is working in our lives in so many ways and we simply do not know it is him yet. Once we are stripped of our comforts and have had our self-appointed identities stripped from us we are ready to meet God in unique and powerful ways that we WILL NOT expect. We are ready to embrace “burning yet not consumed”. One day we will walk over to take a look at closer look at something odd or unique… our curiosity will get the best of us… and all of a sudden we will hear the Lord call out our name!

As Moses approaches the Lord tells him, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” (v.5) This otherwise “ordinary” place in the wilderness where animals graze and poop has now become “holy ground”. This is yet another truth of what happens when God comes to rest upon something in this world… it becomes HOLY. This normal patch of dirt was no longer “normal”. This rugged patch of land - rocks, weeds, animal droppings and all - was now HOLY. This ground… the very place he was standing…was now “holy” not by any virtue of the ground other than the fact that GOD WAS PRESENT THERE. It is God’s presence that makes it holy. God is the only true holy one and HE is the one that makes places and people holy. God is the one that makes people fit for the journey and adventure he has for them. Moses was about to learn that God was making him “holy” and “set apart” for the work the Lord had for him. Moses was about to find out that he had been set apart all along… that 80 years ago when his mother had set him afloat in a basket God already had “more in store” for him.

We are the “holy and set apart” ones who are “burning but not consumed”. What God demonstrates in this bush and for this dirt is especially true for us as his children. God dwells within us. The Father, Son, and Spirit make their home in us. (John 14:23) This is what the Lord says to Moses as well, “But I will be with you…” (v.12) This is always the answer. It is his presence that makes us “holy”. It is his presence that allows us to face the fire and not be consumed. We must understand that God is in the fire and that his goal is not to destroy us or burn us up. Like that bush, we will be a spectacle that the world will look upon when we live this way. When we are not “consumed by” the things and circumstances that are consuming others.

God will not leave us in “exile” forever… he does not abandon his people to be enslaved. He hears our cries and sees our affliction:

“Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey…” (v.7,8)

Moses had been away form Egypt for almost 40 years now. It was time for him to return. He does not return as the same murderer who left. He does not return as the same “prince of Egypt” that ran off. He has been transformed by his time away. He has been shaped by his time in the wilderness. Now the Lord is calling him back.

Burning but not consumed. “Bruised but not broken”. (cf. Matt.12:20) We may experience all the heat, light, sound, and phenomenon of the fire - but we will persevere as God’s children. God has made us holy and “set apart”. More often than not we are afraid to look at this truth. Notice how Moses “hid his face and was afraid to look at God.” (v.6) Don’t be afraid. God is not seeking to destroy you! God is going to show up in the least likely places. You will experience your own “burning bush”. Keep your eyes peeled. When you approach to see it listen for God as he calls your name. Take off your shoes because the place where you are standing will be “holy ground”. We are called “children of the light”. (cf. Eph. 5:5,8) You know in the ancient world that there were no light bulbs, right? Light came from FIRE… from a flame. We are the burning ones. Fire consumes and destroys everything it touches but not us! Think about that for a moment. Love you guys. - JDP