Moses and the Burning Bush: God’s Character Revealed

/ Eva Burkholder

It is impossible to have a healthy relationship with God without having a right concept of who He is. An incorrect concept of God will bring an incorrect response to Him.1

Dan DeHaan

Moses, who owes his life to two midwives, his mother, sister, and Pharaoh’s daughter, ends up fleeing into the wilderness to further preserve his life. He meets a Midianite family, marries, has children, and settles down to a life of shepherding (Ex 2:11–22). Eventually, he encounters God in a bush that’s on fire but doesn’t burn up (Ex 3:1–4).

God introduces himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob (Ex 3:6) and reveals his character. He then commissions Moses to the difficult task of leading the Hebrews out of Egypt (Ex 3:10). In each answer to Moses’s excuses or clarification questions, God offers a portrait of his character. We can be certain he is the same God today.

I am Holy2

“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” (Ex 3:5)

But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation (Col 1:22).

I See3

The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt.” (3:7)

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer. (1 Pet 3:12)

I Hear4

“I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers.” (3:7)

If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 Jn 5:14)

I Know5

“I know about their sufferings.” (3:7)

He understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. (Heb 4:15)

I Rescue6

“So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians.” (3:8)

He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. (Col 1:13)

I am Present.7

And God said, “I will be with you.” (3:11–12)

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Mt 28:20)

I Am Who I Am8

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” (3:14).

  • I am Self-Existent “The Father has life in himself.” (Jn 5:26)9
  • I am Immutable “God is not a human being, that he should change his mind.” (Num 23:19)10
  • I am Incomprehensible “God is greater than we can understand.” (Job 36:26)11
  • I am Faithful “He is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love.” (Dt 7:9)12

“I am he,” Jesus said. When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. (Jn 18:6)

I Care13

“I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.” (3:16)

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Pet 5:7)

I Fulfill my Promises14

“I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt.” (3:17)

He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature. (2 Pet 1:4)

I am Powerful15

“If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second.” (4:8)16

With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. (Mt 19:26)

I Provide17

“I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” (4:12)

Put [your] hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. (1 Tim 6:17)

I am Longsuffering18

“All right,” [God] said. “Aaron will be your spokesman to the people.” (4:14, 16)

[God] is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish. (2 Pet 3:9)

As Moses was, we too will be awed by God’s holiness when we encounter him. Be assured, God sees, hears, knows, cares, and comes to our rescue. Because we have the pledge of his sure and continual presence, we know it’s not about us but about the one who accompanies us—the faithful, incomprehensible God who has always existed and will always be the same. Whatever he has promised he will do for us. His divine power provides us with everything we need to fulfill our calling. And he is patient with us, graciously entertaining our concerns, answering them, and bringing all the help we need.

Moses’s God is our God. Get to know him. Seek him. You will find him.

How can you get to know God better? What about him do you need to cling to today?

PRAYER

Holy God, I desire to get to know you, the God of my ancestors. I worship and serve you with a clean heart and a willing mind, for you see every heart and understand and know every thought. If I seek you, I will find you (1 Chron 28:9 LB).

  1. Dan DeHaan, The God You Can Know (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1982), 73. ↩︎
  2. Holy: God is set apart from all other beings. More than just perfection or sinless purity, it is the essence of his being which makes him transcendent, awesome, and completely “other.” ↩︎
  3. See: He is “El Roi, the God who sees” (Gen 16:13). “This term underscores the belief that God is not distant but is actively observing and involved in the lives of His people.” ↩︎
  4. Hear: It extends beyond the mere act of hearing to include understanding, paying attention, and responding appropriately. ↩︎
  5. Know: God is omniscient. He possesses complete and infinite knowledge which includes a deep, personal, and intimate relationship of his people. ↩︎
  6. Rescue: Deliverance was deeply intertwined with the covenant relationship between God and his people, Israel. Deliverance was not only a physical rescue but also a spiritual and moral act, reflecting God’s faithfulness and power.  ↩︎
  7. Present: God is present everywhere; free from the laws or limitations of space. ↩︎
  8. This is the name God chose for himself. This four letter Hebrew word is YHWH (pronounced Yahweh) but since the Israelites did not want to say this sacred word, they called God “my Lord (Adonai).” In the medieval period, the vowels of Adonai were added to YHWH which resulted in the name Jehovah.—Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary ↩︎
  9. Self-existent: God has his being of himself and has no dependence upon any other. God does not need a parent to give him life. He always has existed and always will exist. ↩︎
  10. Immutable: God is eternally the same. God doesn’t evolve or get smarter or become a better person. He has been and always will be the same. ↩︎
  11. Incomprehensible: Perfect or complete knowledge of God is not attainable by man upon the earth. ↩︎
  12. Faithful: Loyal to his promises, trustworthy, sure, firm, and certain. ↩︎
  13. God cares. He pays close attention (CSB), he is indeed concerned (NASB), he observes (ESV), watches closely (NLT), attends to (Berean). ↩︎
  14. Promise: In ancient Hebrew culture, spoken words held significant power and authority. If God said it, it would happen. ↩︎
  15. Powerful: Having virtually unlimited authority or influence and able to do everything that is in harmony with his wise and holy and perfect nature. ↩︎
  16. God gave Moses 3 signs to perform—his staff turned into a snake, his hand became leprous, and the Nile river water became blood. ↩︎
  17. Provides: He exercises continual and unlimited care over the universe he has created. ↩︎
  18. Longsuffering: He endures long before being angry. He has patience, constancy, and forbearance. ↩︎

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