The call of Moses is an all too familiar story to most Christians. Moses intervenes in a dispute between an Egyptian and a Hebrew slave, and he kills the Egyptian. Fearing the Pharoah’s wrath, Moses escapes to the land of Midian, and settles there as a shepherd. It is here in the wilderness at Horeb while tending his flock when Moses’s attention is called by a voice coming from within a burning bush. I want to reflect on how Moses’s attention turned to the burning bush.
Some bible historians would indicate that bramble bushes are abundant in the Midian desert, and the sight of these bushes spontaneously combusting (perhaps because of combination of the oils in the plant plus the intense heat) is not uncommon. Moses therefore is really not taken by surprise just because he sees a bush in flame.
But it so happens that Moses takes a second look at one particular burning bush, and it’s at that point of second look when he notices something peculiar. Although the bush is on fire (like so many he has seen before), this one is not being consumed by the fire. It remains intact as a bush, and Moses approaches to investigate it. The rest is history.
I imagine how the entire salvation history from the time of Moses all the way through modern Christendom would be non-existent if Moses had not taken a second look at that common burning bush. I mean, think about it. History was made because Moses took a second look at what initially seemed common.
Maybe I exaggerate, but it is a natural human mindset to tune out the monotony and the all too familiar. Yet, there are probably many good, if not important, things that escape our attention because we don’t bother to take a second look at the familiar. We’ve heard many motivational messages that tell us to slow down so we can appreciate our surroundings, and enjoy what is out there. In today’s modern mass(ive) media, we are bombarded by so many cues, that we’ve taught ourselves to tune out. Yet, this tendency to protect our minds from clutter can have the negative effect of losing out on what is good, what is important, what is valuable.
If we’re honest with ourselves, we bring this same mindset even when we read the word of God in scripture. That is why I have decided that I should start a new way of reading and studying the bible in search of burning bushes that I would otherwise leave unnoticed.
Actually, there have been serendipitous moments when I encounter burning bushes while reading the bible. Out of the blue a detail catches my eye, and it causes me to stop and remark: “Say what?” (“Ano daw?”) “How can that be?” (“Pano nangyari yon?”)
I read about the passion and death of Christ, and the narrative as Jesus is taken down from the cross into His mother’s arms. The typical scene does not escape me. I’ve read this many times before. But then I say, wait a minute, and ask myself, “What was on Mary’s mind” all through the past 24 hours since the capture of Jesus to His crucifixion and death. Did she not think of the time the angel appeared to her and said her son would be king? I wonder how she dealt with this death in light of that promise. God reminds me how His ways are not my ways.
I read the narrative about the catch of a boatload of fish in the middle of the day, and the sudden attraction of Peter to the call of Jesus. Then I take a second look and reflect. Wasn’t the large haul an answer to Peter’s prayer the night before, when he went out fishing the whole night and caught nothing? If that was me, I’d probably ask Jesus to come fishing with me and make Him my business partner. God shows me something about myself.
The story of the healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda, prompts me to take a second and third look at the scene. I reflect on the hopeless despair of the paralytic. Then on third reflection, I remember the many healing miracles of Jesus, and notice that this is the only instance when it is Jesus who approaches the sick asking if they wish to be healed. God shows me how deeply compassionate He is through Jesus.
Or when I see on second look in the chapters in Leviticus containing the many detailed commands of God to the Israelites (what some commentators call the codes to holiness), and I pause to reflect on the repetition of the words “I am the Lord…” and I see the covenant contract of God with His signature on every page. God reminds me not to trivialize His invitation to a covenant with Him.
Just like Moses in that burning bush, I hear God speak to me during these moments when I take a second look at these burning bushes before me. The Holy Spirit enlightens me. God reveals a new facet of Himself and of His wonderful plan.
I’m certain I’m not alone in this. And I am minded to invite others to share their own burning bush discoveries. In fact, I’m thinking it would be a good idea to make this a thematic approach in our small group bible study: stopping to investigate the burning bushes and to listen to God’s special message.
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