Exodus 3.2, 3

And the angel of the LORDappeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush wasnot consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”

In the incident of the burning bush, Moses glimpsed the Biblical worldview in a microcosm.

Here was a familiar physical reality, a common bush, which had been invaded by a mystery and which, rather than be consumed by that mystery, seemed actually to live, in a new and wholly different way, because of it.

The fire Moses observed was no ordinary fire, but the fire that goes before the living God, a spiritual fire that illuminates, attracts, and vivifies, without consuming or destroying that which it draws unto itself. The fire which illuminated that bush was the carriage of the Word of God, the “Messenger” (“angel”) from God to introduce Moses to a reality and calling greater than he had ever known.

The worldview of the Law of God is like the burning bush. It comes to us in a familiar physical form – words on the pages of a book. But these words derive from, are sustained by, and carry the fire of God, which is His Spirit (Ex. 31.18; cf. Jn. 6.63; Lk. 11.20/Matt. 12.28). And they convey the very Word and presence of God Himself, creating a space of holiness into which God invites all whom He is drawing unto Himself by grace through faith.

In order to gain the benefit of God’s Law we must approach it spiritually, in an attitude of fear and wonder and not simply as a written code to be memorized and dutifully obeyed. We must receive it as coming to us from beyond this world, from the very presence of God. We will need to listen to the Spirit of God in order to gain the message God has for us (Ezek. 36.26, 27). Apart from the presence of God’s Spirit in and with the Law of God, we can have no benefit of its promises and blessings.

The Law of God reveals the heart and mind of God as it outlines His wisdom for how human beings may know full and abundant life.

The Law of God, like the fire in that bush, invades the hearts and lives of human flesh as the Spirit of God opens our souls to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, draws us to God through the sacrifice of His Son, and begins to burn with the light of truth, beginning with God’s Law, in and through the souls of all who believe (Gal. 4.4-7; Ezek. 36.26, 27; Jn.6.63).

If we would enter this worldview, therefore, we must learn to see within the written Law the heart and mind of God and the larger world of spiritual truth to which He has called us. The Law will only entangle and snare us, like the branches of a bush, unless we set our souls to discern the Spirit of God and His good and perfect will for us in what is written there.

Like Moses, we must remove the sandals of our worldly walk and approach the Lord open and vulnerable, on bare feet, as it were, fearful of His presence, but confident, in His calling and grace, that we will not be consumed by what we encounter in God’s Law, but will instead be illuminated, vivified, and empowered.

Act: God is holy. God is good. God is wise. God is perfect. What should we expect regarding the world which comes to us from Him in His Word? Talk with a Christian friend about this question.

T. M. Moore

Jesus came proclaiming the Kingdom of God – another primary theme of Scripture. Order a copy of The Gospel of the Kingdomfrom our online store, and learn how you can become more effective at proclaiming this wonderful Good News.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.