Exodus Chapter 3 Deep-Dive: The Burning Bush

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Exodus Ch 3 The Burning Bush

ANCIENT PEOPLES BELIEVED THAT GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS COULD, AT TIMES, BE CONNECTED TO, OR GATEWAYS TO, THE SPIRITUAL WORLD.  EX: MT OLYMPUS IN GREECE IS AN ACTUAL SMALL MOUNTAIN, AND ANCIENT GREEKS COULD CLIMB IT AND SEE THAT THERE WERE NO GODS THERE, HOWEVER, THEY BELIEVED THAT THE MOUNTAIN TOUCHED THE SPIRITUAL WORLD IN SOME WAY THEY COULDN’T UNDERSTAND, BUT IT WAS STILL THE MOUNTAIN OF ZEUS AND THE OTHER GREEK GODS.  ALL ANCIENT PEOPLES HAD SIMILAR BELIEFS.  IN THE SAME WAY, IN THE BIBLE, GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS WERE SOMETIMES ASSOCIATED WITH GOD … THINK OF JACOB WRESTLING WITH GOD AT PENUEL, AFTER THAT INCIDENT JACOB CONSIDERED PENUEL TO BE A SACRED SITE.  SO, IN THIS CHAPTER WE’LL REVIEW GOD APPEARING TO MOSES IN A BURNING BUSH ON MT HOREB, IN MIDIAN, THE KEY TO THAT SCENE IS THAT WHEREVER GOD APPEARS … THAT IS HIS HOLY MOUNTAIN.  ALL THE EARTH IS THE LORD’S, HOWEVER, WHEREVER HE IS APPEARING … AT THAT MOMENT … IT’S THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD … GOD MOVES FROM PLACE TO PLACE AND HIS DIVINE COUNCIL MOVES WITH HIM.  SO, IS MT HOREB THE SAME AS MT SINAI, FROM WHICH GOD APPEARED TO ISRAEL … Bible bones and ligaments:  

Ps 106: They made a calf in Horeb, and worshiped a metal image. 

Mal 4:4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules[fn] that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.

IT’S MOST LIKELY THAT HOREB REFERRED TO A GENERAL GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION IN MIDIAN/SINAI AND THAT THIS PARTICULAR MOUNTAIN WHERE THE BURNING BUSH OCCURRED IS NOT THE EXACT SAME LOCATION OF MT SINAI FROM WHICH GOD GAVE THE LAW TO ISRAEL.  BIBLE SCHOLARS DIFFER IN THEIR OPINION OF WHERE EXACTLY MT SINAI WAS BUT THE WHOLE EXODUS OCCURRED IN A RATHER SMALL AREA IN THE SINAI PENINSULA THAT INCLUDED MT HOREB, MT SINAI, MT SEIR … ARE THEY ALL THE SAME MOUNTAIN?  THERE’S NO WAY WE CAN KNOW, HOWEVER, THE KEY IS THAT WHEREVER GOD IS APPEARING FROM … THAT’S THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD. 

1Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. REMEMBER, MIDIAN/SEIR IS WHERE GOD SAID HE WAS LOCATED BEFORE THE EXODUS OCCURRED.  2And the angel of the Lord (THIS A DEFINITE ARTICLE, SO NOT JUST A RANDOM ANGEL … THE/UNIQUE ANGEL OF THE LORD) the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. THIS IS AN ANGEL APPEARING IN THE MIDST OF A BURNING BUSH AND WHENEVER ANGELS/MESSENGERS APPEARED TO INTERACT WITH HUMAN BEINGS … THEY APPEARED IN THE FORM OF MEN … THE ANGEL IS SPEAKING FROM A “MOUTH”, HOWEVER, MOSES KNEW INSTANTLY THAT THIS WAS NO MAN.  He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4When the Lord YAHWEH saw that he turned aside to see, God ELOHIM called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

Bible bones and ligaments: “holy ground” Josh 5:13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” 14And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” 15And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.  IT’S HOLY GROUND ONLY BECAUSE GOD IS THERE … HOW CAN SINFUL MAN STAND BEFORE A HOLY GOD?  … THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM, BECAUSE, GOD IS THE MOST DANGEROUS “PERSON” IN THE UNIVERSE … HE CAN HURT YOU IN WAYS THAT YOU CAN’T IMAGINE … THINK OF THE FLOOD …

BACK TO MOSES AT THE BURNING BUSH … SO WE HAVE GOD APPEARING AS AN ANGEL/MESSENGER/DIVINE-MAN AND SPEAKING AUTHORITATIVELY AS GOD … BUT … NO MAN CAN SEE GOD AND LIVE: Ex 33:20But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”  SO, HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?  JESUS IS THE ANGEL OF THE LORD WHO APPEARS AS A DIVINE MESSENGER (ANGEL = MESSENGER) IN SUPERNATURAL HUMAN FORM THROUGHOUT THE OLD TESTAMENT TO SPEAK AS GOD … AS THE 2^ND PERSON OF THE TRINITY, AND ON BEHALF OF YAHWEH, THE FIRST PERSON OF THE TRINITY.  SO, YAHWEH AND THIS ANGEL OF THE LORD ARE BOTH GOD … BUT DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER.  THIS IS WHERE THE ANCIENT ISRAELITE CONCEPT OF “TWO POWERS IN HEAVEN” COMES FROM WHICH DR MICHAEL HEISER WROTE EXTENSIVELY ABOUT.   

6And he (THE ANGEL OF THE LORD/JESUS) said, “I am the God ELOHIM of your father MOSES’ FATHER – CURRENT TIMES, the God ELOHIM of Abraham, the God ELOHIM of Isaac, and the God ELOHIM of Jacob.” SO THAT STATEMENT INCLUDES THE WHOLE HISTORY OF ISRAEL TO THAT POINT.  And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God ELOHIM. 

7Then the Lord YAHWEH 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, 8and 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, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.  SO, EGYPT IS OPPRESSING ISRAEL THROUGH SLAVERY AND NOW GOD IS GOING TO RESCUE THEM, RIGHT?  KEEP IN MIND THAT IN EZEKIEL CH 20 GOD IS FURIOUS WITH ISRAEL AND HE TELLS EZEKIEL THAT BEFORE THE EXODUS, WHILE ISRAEL WAS IN EGYPT, HE TOLD ISRAEL TO GET RID OF THEIR IDOLS … 8“ ‘But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in Egypt. … AND THEY WERE SLAVES TO THE EGYPTIANS … WAS THAT GOD POURING OUT HIS WRATH AND SPENDING HIS ANGER ON THEM?  BACK TO MOSES AT THE BURNING BUSH …

10Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” MT HOREB, MT SINAI, MT SEIR ARE ALL IN THE GENERAL AREA … REMEMBER, THE MOUNTAIN IS HOLY ONLY BECAUSE GOD IS THERE … IF GOD LEADS MOSES & THE PEOPLE TO A DIFFERENT MOUNTAIN IT WILL BE THE SAME … YOU SHALL SERVE GOD ON THIS MOUNTAIN … THIS=THE MOUNTAIN GOD IS ON AT THAT TIME.  SO, DON’T GET WRAPPED UP IN “WHICH” MOUNTAIN IT WAS, KEEP IN MIND THAT MOSES IS FAMILIAR WITH THIS AREA BECAUSE HE’S BEEN SHEPHERDING JETHRO’S FLOCK THERE FOR THE PAST 40 YEARS.  REMEMBER, THAT SHEPHERDS WERE NOT HIGHLY THOUGHT OF IN THE ANCIENT WORLD, CONSIDER THAT DAVID, THE YOUNGEST SON OF JESSE WASN’T EVEN CONSIDERED WHEN SAMUEL WAS ANOINTING THE SECOND KING OF ISRAEL … DAVID WAS OUT SHEPHERDING JESSE’S FLOCK.

Biblebonesandligaments:

Ps 23 (The Lord is my shepherd …)

Is 40:11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Ez CH 34 ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING CHAPTERS IN THE BIBLE THAT YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF, AGAIN, I BELIEVE JESUS IS VERY CLOSELY RELATED TO EZEKIEL IN THE OLD TESTAMENT (Bad shepherds of Israel v1-10, Yahweh the good shepherd v11-24, 31) v11“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. “MY SHEEP – GOD IS PRESENTING HIMSELF AS A SHEPHERD … WHAT DOES GOD DO FOR A LIVING?  HOW DOES HE IDENTIFY HIMSELF? … HE’S A SHEPHERD.  BACK TO EZ 34:12As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

NOW COMPARE EZ CH 34 TO JOHN CH 10 (Jesus the good shepherd v1-30) AMAZING!

BACK TO MOSES AT THE BURNING BUSH EX 3: WHERE MOSES IS BEGINNING TO RESIST GOD …

13Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”  OR, HE WHO CAUSES THINGS TO BE … LET’S TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT THIS NAME … THIS COMMENTARY IS BY FATHER STEPHEN DE YOUNG AN ORTHODOX PRIEST AND PHD IN BIBLICAL LANGUAGES AND STUDUES WHO DOES THE EXCELLENT PODCAST “THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD”  (the LORD) God has multiple names & titles … most ancient cultures had multiple names for their gods.  IN THIS CASE, WITH MOSES, A GOOD TRANSLATION IS “He who causes things to be,” 3^rd person singular verb, used as a noun although a verb in form.  “Yahweh” is used throughout Genesis, however, when God is speaking with Moses at the burning bush he says your forefathers knew me as God, however, they did not yet know me as “He who causes things to be” … “then they will know that I am Yahweh – He who creates and sustains all things.”  The names of God DO NOT define God, they simply define what He’s doing at the time that name is used.  Ex: Ezekiel, the dry bones, then they will know I am the one who calls your dead from the tombs and causes them to live.

BACK TO MOSES AT THE BURNING BUSH: EX 3:14 And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. 16Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. 20So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. 21And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”  SO, GOD LAYS OUT THE WHOLE GAME PLAN FOR MOSES … AND THAT WILL FINISH EX CH 3

 

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