Whenever Hollywood cranks out a movie . . .
Whenever Hollywood cranks out a movie about the Exodus, they
usually end up casting someone like Charlton Heston in the role of
Moses—someone commanding, assertive, and brimming with confidence. But judging by the way Moses behaves at the
burning bush, casting someone like Woody Allen might be truer to the story.
Let’s face it; Moses is not exactly a pillar of strength on
Mount Horeb. He hems and haws and trots
out every excuse he can think of to avoid confronting Pharaoh. He complains that he’s a wanted man back in
Egypt and that he’ll be arrested the moment he crosses the Red Sea. He tells God that he has zero credibility
with the Hebrew slaves and that they’ll never believe him, let alone follow
him. He whines about being a poor public
speaker, who is “slow of tongue and speech.”
God isn’t buying it.
“You’re the one I’ve chosen,” says God, “and the fact that I’ve chosen
you should give you all the confidence you need!”
Still, it is interesting to note that, while God has
selected Moses for this assignment, God does not speak until Moses makes the
first move. Moses sees a burning bush
that, surprisingly, is not being consumed by the flames, and it piques his
curiosity. “I must turn aside and look
at this great sight,” Moses says to himself.
Only then does God speak!
Granted, this may seem like a minor point in the story, but
the fact remains that when God sets the bush ablaze, God doesn’t choose a bush that
is right in front of Moses. Nor does God
choose a bush that is easily accessible.
It is within sight, sure; but at enough of a distance that Moses must go
out of his way to investigate it.
There may be a lesson here for us. As Christians, we are encouraged to be
attentive to what God is calling us to do.
But a lot of us seem to think that, in order to be attentive, we need to
stay put—willing to serve, but waiting for God to initiate the call.
If the story of Moses and the burning bush teaches us
anything, it’s that God’s mission for us may not be right in front of our
eyes. It could be off to one side,
requiring us to leave our comfort zone and explore whatever has caught our
attention and piqued our curiosity. If
we do that, we may be in a better position to hear God’s call and be set on
fire ourselves!
1 Comments:
What an amazing insight! I'll never think of this story again without having that detail in my thoughts. You always apply it right home to us in today's life. Thank you so much!
By Anonymous, at 5:19 AM
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