Just Passing By
By Shauna Leis
“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up.’”
Exodus 3:1-3
There are so many details about this story that the author did not share with us for whatever reason. What we do know, though, is that Moses was just passing by. Moses was not searching for any divine encounter with God. Moses did not go up to Mount Horeb hoping to be in God’s presence. On the contrary, after what had just happened to him in Egypt years earlier, God was probably the furthest thing from his mind and from where he wanted to be. Not only was Moses hiding from the Egyptians and his past, he was probably also hiding from God and what he had done.
After killing an Egyptian guard and fleeing from Egypt, Moses found himself serving in his father-in-law’s household by tending the flock. Flocks of sheep have to be moved around from place to place because the sheep eat the grass all the way to the ground, causing it to die wherever they are feeding. So, Moses would have been moving the flock around to find areas of water and grass to sustain the sheep. One day, while moving the flock around, Moses noticed a strange sight. Now, we are not sure how far off this sight might have been when Moses first noticed the bush that was on fire but not being consumed. But, at some point he notices the bush and decides to investigate.
Please do not miss this point: Moses could have just kept right on going. Remember, he was just passing by. He did not have a destination at Horeb and had no plans to stop by the mountain of God, but something pulled him in to go and see what this was all about. One has to wonder if he had some guardian angel whispering into his soul, “Moses, Moses, do not miss this. This is the chance of a lifetime.”
What Moses found on the mount was truly a life-changing event. Moses met on the mountain with the Almighty God of the universe – the first of many encounters over his lifetime. He saw Jehovah. Verses 5-6 in chapter 3 record, “‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ Then he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.” Oh, to stand in the physical presence of Jehovah!
On the mountain, Moses learned that he was to carry out God’s deliverance of His people from the Egyptian tyranny over years and years. If Moses had just kept on walking, one has to wonder if God would have continued to seek him. Or would God have just given the blessing of delivering the Israelites to someone else? We will never know because, thankfully, Moses chose to pause in his passing. He stopped to check out the site that had peaked his interest. And today, we still celebrate his faithfulness because we, at the very least, share in his spiritual heritage.
In my heart of hearts, I truly believe that God has a plan for each one of us, too, and the life that we are called to live. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’” However, I also believe that we humans have a free will that we can choose to follow God’s will or go our own way. When we go our own way, we forfeit the blessings that God would have sent our way while being in His will.
Inevitably, God’s plan will be accomplished. Those of us who choose to not participate will miss the blessing that God had intended for us. In some instances, He may offer us another chance to be back in His will, but it will never be in the same way twice. Those that choose, like Moses, to follow the burning bush will be blessed beyond measure to share in the adventure of a lifetime.
Pray with me: Oh, Jehovah! How awed we are that You would choose to include us in Your plans. Those plans could be accomplished in so many ways, but You delight in a relationship with us so much that You engage us to labor with You in the harvest field. God, give us spiritual discernment to see the burning bushes in our lives, especially when we are just passing by and not expecting You to move. Whisper into our spirits Your plan and how we might partner with You to glorify Your name. Lord, we love You so very much, God, and pray all of this in the name above all names, Jesus Christ! Amen.