Moses often suffers heavy abuse at our hands. Much of our preaching, teaching and writing about his exchange with God at the burning bush are heavy with condemnation and accusation. We give Moses grief for not being more willing when God called him. But let’s look at this episode in another light. Think about how far Moses has come since the disastrous decision to kill the Egyptian taskmaster earlier. The Moses at the bush is not the same Moses we saw then. Forty years in the wilderness has educated Moses. In another forty years God will bury the body of Moses on Mount Nebo but on Horeb’s mount four aspects of the self-life die in our man Moses.
For one, Moses has died to impetuosity. His question, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh? (3: 11) reveals a Moses not as quick to assert himself as before. Earlier Moses was God’s man, had God’s mission and expected God’s movement but he did not have God’s moment. Timing is everything if we are talking about God’s timing. We must learn to wait patiently for the hand to strike midnight or high noon on the clock of heaven. God will not be rushed by the most earnest of us. The man or woman who learns to step with the Spirit will be the man or woman used by God to change the destiny of nations.
Moses also died to intellectualism. This Harvard educated (by Ancient Near Eastern standards) Renaissance man confessed he did not even know God’s name (3: 13). In the Old Testament God’s name equals his nature. To know God’s name is to know God’s nature. Moses, whom we would regard as a theologian of the first magnitude, acknowledged he did not really know God. Moses has learned the more you know about God the less you believe you know about God. Moses now knows brainpower will not win the war for God.
Moses dropped dead to independence. Moses knew God had to intervene if anyone was to believe his report (4: 1). He knew neither brain nor brawn would do it. It is ‘Not by strength, or by might, but by My Spirit’ (Zech. 4: 6). The confirming hand of God must accompany us or all is vain.
Moses wrote the obituary to impressiveness. I have never been eloquent was Moses’ plea (Ex. 4: 10). Smooth lips may impress or even wow men but they do not insure the blessing of God (1 Cor.2: 4 – 5). Moses learned it is God’s Word not man’s which changes men and nations.
The bush still burns, the call still kills and we like Moses need to fall into the grave of death to the self-life.