The story of the burning bush and Moses’ encounter with God through it are considered as one of the crucial turning points in the salvation history of Israel. It appears to be the story of how Moses first met the God of Israel. Also, it marks the beginning of the direct intervention of God into the affairs of the history of Israel. Moses was persuaded to go back to Egypt taking the leadership of freeing the Israelites from their painful bondage.
In his exile in Midian, Moses was a shepherd to the flock of Jethro, the priest of Midian and his father –in-law. The tending the sheep motif in the Hebrew Bible was an important motif in the lives of ancient ancestors like; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Amos, etc. In the Psalter, the Psalm 23 is an important song that helps to understand the role of the shepherd motif as a way of fulfilling a special religious role. For a shepherd, tending the sheepfold involved long periods of reflection in solitude. While shepherding the flocks, roaming through the hills and valleys, the shepherds were cut off from the noise and distractions of the society. For some shepherds, that silence and serenity could have given ample time for inner reflection. Again, for some, that long period of solitary reflection became a means to an awareness of the divine presence.
Moses, while shepherding the flock, was drawn to a strange sight on a mountain. In a distance, his eyes caught something that snapped him out of his thoughts. Something was burning and when he more carefully looked into it, it was a bush that was on fire that was not consumed. The bush seemed unaffected by the flames since it burned and did not burn up. This aroused Moses to have a closer look into it. Although it can be somewhat common for a desert bush to be on fire because of the hot climate in the desert, the closer he got to it, the more incredible the scene became.
Flaming fires were a part of the way God appeared to the ancient people of Israel; God appeared to Abraham in a smoking fire pot. Then, in the Exodus story, God appeared in a pillar of fire in the wilderness. Here, in the burning bush God did not appear to Moses directly as implied in the event, but rather indirectly. It was an experience of the sacred for Moses that changed his life forever. Like Abraham and Jacob experienced God, Moses too encountered the presence of God.
God appeared to him in the form of an angel who was considered as a messenger of God (Ex 3:16). There, God revealed to Moses His own divine identity; “I am who I am!” indicating as the One who would deliver the Hebrew people from their oppression and bondage. This account of the ‘burning bush’ was so central to the Jews in the days of Jesus since both Mark and Luke referred to this section of “the bush” potion in their Gospels (Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37).
For Moses, it was pretty obvious when God appeared to him in the burning bush and told him specifically what He wanted him to do. But it may be not the same experience for us. The experience of God may not be always that clear for us. It can sometimes be difficult to know when God is calling us to do something. The Season of Advent, which means “coming,” is another segment of the liturgical year that invites us to prepare our hearts to experience the coming of the Lord Jesus again into our lives. Christ has already come at Bethlehem on that first Christmas. Then, again, He also comes to us now, every day, in such mysterious ways; as in prayer, grace, word, and sacraments. These are the ways that Our Lord comes to us. Advent is a time that invites us to open our hearts to reflect on the love of God as we prepare to welcome Christ into our lives. The candles of the Advent Wreath remind us that Jesus Christ came to lead us in His light.
— Fr. Niranjan Rodrigo, Ph.D.
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