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 Burning
Bush
When
I was a child I had a book of Bible stories written especially for
young children. One of my favorite stories was about Moses and his
encounter with the burning bush in the wilderness.
As I remember it, Moses had been hiding out in the wilderness after
killing an Egyptian whom he found beating upon one of the Israelite
people. Moses let his anger get the better of him and he hit the
Egyptian causing to him to die. Then Moses became a wanted man and he
took off to hide in the wilds of the wilderness.
While he was hiding out, he came across the burning bush. Moses had
never seen such a strange sight - the bush was on fire but it wasn't
being consumed by the flames - so he crept a little closer to get a
better look. Upon approaching he heard a loud voice and received his
commission from God to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and
into the Promised Land.
Upon receiving his commission, Moses left the wilderness, returning to
Egypt. The commission he had received upon his encounter with the
burning bush, required that he approach Pharaoh and demand that the let
God's chosen people go.
Pharaoh was very uncooperative and his obstinate attitude resulted in
ten plagues being brought upon the land of Egypt. As the plagues became
increasingly harsh, God's people were protected, while the Egyptians
suffered.
Finally, Pharaoh relented when his own son was struck dead. Moses was
able to carry out the instructions that he received from the voice
issuing from the burning bush. The Israelites were freed from Egyptian
bondage and allowed to leave the land.
However, Pharaoh soon came to change his mind once again. He set off in
hot pursuit of the Israelites with war chariots and horses. It seemed
that the Israelites would be trapped with the Red Sea on one side of
them and the Egyptians barring their way to escape on the other.
However, God parted the waters of the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites
to pass through on dry land. There were millions of Israelites crossing
through that sea bed, and yet, every single one of them crossed to
safety. However, all of the Egyptians and Pharaoh lost their lives when
God allowed the waters to come crashing down upon them in their pursuit
of the Israelites.
Moses served as leader of the Israelites until his death - continuing
in carrying out the commission he received all those years before
during his encounter with the burning bush in the wilderness.
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