DAY 6 - Holy Fire

 Day 6 - Holy Fire
Exodus 3:1-2 (ESV) -
Now 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. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.
(READ THE WHOLE CHAPTER)

Backyard fire pits are a great attraction for children. Whether one is burning fallen branches after a late spring storm, roasting hot-dogs, melting marsh mallows, or simply burning scrap wood on a cool fall evening—almost anything is a good excuse for kids to build a backyard fire.

In Exodus 3, the old shepherd Moses comes face to face with a very different kind of fire—one that changed his life, and that of a nation. Well into his 80’s, with over 40 years of experience herding sheep, Moses was well acquainted with the vast wilderness terrain of western Horeb and its grazing places. Just another day on the pasture turns into an extraordinary encounter as an angel of the Lord appears to Moses in the flames of a bush on fire. Curiosity takes hold as Moses notices the burning bush is not consumed.

In the ancient world, mountaintops and fire often symbolized divine presence, and both collide in this gripping account of Moses’ encounter with the living, holy God. Out of a burning bush, God’s presence is terrifying and his voice is real as he calls out: Moses, Moses! Moses barely gets the words out, “Here I am.” What else could he say? God instructs him to kick off his sandals as a sign of reverence for the holy ground he is standing on—a common practice in the ancient world, and even today in many parts of the world. God identifies himself as the covenant-making and covenant-keeping God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As God describes his identity, Moses, shoes kicked off, has most likely fallen flat on the ground, hiding his face before the holiness and majesty of the God who calls. All of this is a necessary prelude to what God will ask this old sheep herder to do—lead his people out of slavery from Egypt, a daunting task that would change Moses and a whole nation.
But before that ever happened, there was a necessary prelude: Moses had to be confronted with and respond to the holiness—the utterly terrifying and glorious holiness of God, the one who calls. Prelude to “doing” is always a bowed and prostrate life and heart before the holiness of God.

PONDER: In an increasingly irreverent and casual world, do you have a vision of the holiness and majesty of God who, still calls people today? 

DISCUSSION or REFLECTION
In Exodus 3, Moses encounters God in a very real way. As Moses approached the burning bush, he was told not to come any closer and to take off his sandals. Both of these acts helped prepare Moses to hear from God. God talks to us in a variety of ways today. He can speak to us through other people, through a feeling we get, and even through circumstances to help us understand him.
Read Exodus 3:5-8. What did God ask Moses to do? What are ways that we still hear God’s voice today? What are ways we can create space in our life to better hear God’s voice?