A willing servant, a holy God (Exod 3:1-7)

We pick up again Moses’s tracks as he pastures his flock towards the west side of the wilderness (the Hebrew calls it the back end of the desert). According to Jewish tradition, forty years have passed since Moses had fled Egypt.[1] He is now eighty (Exod 7:8). Is he reconciled to his fate of sinking into oblivion, having a quiet life? Does he ever wonder what happened to his people under Pharaoh, to his brother and sister? The mention of Horeb (another name for Sinai) described as the ‘mountain of God’ in Exod 3:1 alerts us, readers, that something significant is about to happen. Some try to explain the burning bush by positing that the colour of the leaves resembled fire or the sun setting behind the bush gave the illusion of burning, but it is hard to believe that a shepherd who spent forty years in the desert could not tell the difference. What we learn is that Moses at eighty is still alert to the world around him and still curious. He has not given up on life. In fact, the ministry he was saved for all those years ago is just about to begin. It strikes me that God presents Moses with something that awakens his interest and, as if to test his readiness, it is only when he responds that God calls out to him. I wonder how many ‘burning bushes’ we miss, situations that stir our hearts and call us to explore, but we walk past, immersed in the enjoyment of life, preoccupied with our troubles, or simply closing down our world and involvement. Moses, on the other hand, responds with the words of a willing servant: ‘Here I am’ (v.4).

God establishes the parameters of the relationship: distance to be maintained, sandals to be removed, Moses stands on holy ground. Compared to the rather more spontaneous encounters that Abraham had with God, the introduction of holiness into the picture about God may feel less than satisfactory. If God could relate so intimately to Abraham, why not do so with Moses? The OT is emphatic about God’s holiness as a key determinative factor in His character. If this wasn’t evident in Abraham’s time, it is possibly because God did not reveal Himself all at once. Perhaps He veiled that aspect of His nature, so as not to destroy him. However, sooner or later it had to come out. We may all know people with whom we can only share some aspects of our lives and character and never move beyond certain boundaries, but in a healthy and whole relationship we are free to reveal gradually the fundamental parts of who we are. Thus, the introduction of holiness into the equation is not a regression, but a deepening of human engagement with God.

The implications of this holiness will be revealed over time, but the initial image of fire indicates some of its characteristics. Fire is necessary for human life: it gives light and warmth, but it is also a force that can destroy what is flammable. And here we face the fundamental problem for human beings: our sins make us highly flammable to the fire of God’s holiness, hence the need for distance and Moses’s fear of even looking at God (v.7). And yet, despite the apparent contradiction of distance, no other human being in the OT received the depth of revelation about God’s character as Moses (e.g. Exod 34:6-7), talking to God face to face, as a person would to a friend (Exod 33:11).

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[1] Stephen’s speech recounting Israel’s history reflects this same tradition (Acts 7:23).