“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. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 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, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And 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. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He 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.” Then 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?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” God 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.” Exodus 3:1-15

“Beating Around the Bush”

Parents might get annoyed if kids beat around bushes or lollygag. No one seems to know the origin of the latter term. It’s just one of those weird words. But beating around the bush most likely relates to America’s hunting history and culture. When a hunting party went after wild boar, the animals often hid in low undergrowth. Beaters were on hand to run into the bush and flush the animals out. But knowing the beasts to be dangerous creatures with tusks that could kill, the beaters were more likely to “beat around the bush”, much to the consternation of their masters. Today the phrase is used to tell someone to get to the point.

It is clear that G-d is not beating around the bush when it comes to calling Moses to his newest task. And it will be a monumental task — so G-d decides to come to Moses in a monumental way. Can you imagine coming across a burning bush one day, and as you peer into the bush, you notice it is not actually burning — but yet is glowing with fire. And then a voice emanates from the bush — calling you by name — and telling you it is the Lord? How would you react? I might run like heck — before stopping and considering what is actually happening.

Moses is not convinced that he is the one to do G-d’s bidding in this calling. He tries very hard to convince G-d to ask someone else. But G-d is not having any of Moses’ argument that he is not suited to this calling. And G-d persists.

Many of us who have received a calling from G-d know the way Moses felt in this moment. Many of us have resisted our calling until, after years of poking a prodding, G-d has won the battle of wills. And, my friends, G-d wins these battles. Oh, it may take years for G-d to convince us of what, where, how and why. But G-d has all the time in the world for us to realize that, though we do not believe we have what it takes, just like Moses, G-d will be with us no matter where that calling takes us. We just have to believe our ears and eyes — and then trust G-d has a better understanding and a higher plan for our lives.

Pastor Dave