Preached by Eric Schumacher
“Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about!?”
“Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about:”
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
It’s been on my mind because it reminds me of this morning’s text: A shepherd is keeping watch over his flock, when suddenly, the angel of the Lord appears to him—and he is “sore afraid.” And the angel brings good tidings of great joy, which were for God’s people. The Lord has heard cry of his people and salvation is about to appear—even, the Lord himself.
So, this morning, I want us to learn three truths about Yahweh. (And, perhaps, as we do, we can answer Charlie Brown’s question—“Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about!?”
(1) Yahweh is the God who condescends in love, accommodating himself to sinners.
In verse 1, we catch up with Moses. It has now been almost 40 years since Moses arrived in Midian. He is now almost 80 years old (Ex 7:7).
We read here that Moses is a shepherd, “keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian.” This is man known as “Reuel” earlier in the story. It appears then that in these 40 years, Moses has come into no substantial wealth of his own, but is a household worker for his father-in-law (Stuart, Exodus).
We read that Moses “led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.” Horeb is likely another name for Mount Sinai. In verse 12, the Lord will tell Moses to bring the people out of Egypt to serve God on that very mountain.
The Appearance
In verses 2-4, the action begins: “And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.” This is, of course, the narrator’s description for the reader of what is going on—“the angel of the LORD” was appearing! But, initially, this is not what Moses observed.
Rather, what caught Moses’ eye was a peculiar burning bush. As a wilderness shepherd, Moses would have likely seen bushes burning under the hot sun. And, needing to cook and keep warm at night, he would have been familiar with sources of fuel for a fire. He was familiar with burning bushes. He would have known that although dry bushes burn well, but they also burn quickly. They have little substance.
But that wasn’t true of this bush. Rather, Moses “looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.” You can imagine the scene: Moses is scanning the landscape as his livestock graze. A flash of fire catches his attention, and so he decides to watch it for a bit. (Who can resist watching fire!?) He keeps watching, expecting the fire to die down at any moment. But, no matter how long he watches, the fire simply does not die down.
A burning bush? Interesting, but normal. A burning bush that isn’t consumed? That is simply unnatural; it calls for a detour. And so, in verse 3, we read that Moses decides, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”
Yahweh Speaks
In verse 4, something happens for the first time in the book of Exodus—Yahweh speaks. “When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’”
There are several things we need to pause to notice.
God is Yahweh
First, we learn the identity of God—he is Yahweh. In verse 4, Moses refers to God as “the LORD.” When your English Bible prints “LORD” in SMALL CAPS, it is translating the Hebrew name, “Yahweh.”
Yahweh is the personal name of the one true God, the creator of heaven and earth. Yahweh is the name which he reveals to his people in his covenant.
This is the first time in Exodus that the name “Yahweh” is presented. To this point, Moses has simply referred to God as “God” (Elohim). We’ll discuss the name of God in more depth later in this chapter. But for now, what does its appearance at this point tell us?
The name “Yahweh” reminds us that we are not dealing with a generic God—but a specific God, the God, who makes himself known. The God who the Hebrew midwives feared, the God who, in our previous passage, “heard their groaning” and “remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob,” the God who “saw the people of Israel,” the God who “knew”—he is not a generic God. This God is a specific God—Yahweh.
It also reminds us that Yahweh saves. Chapters 1-2 presented the Hebrew’s bondage and need, affliction in which they remain. With this chapter, their salvation is announced. And we are reminded that their salvation is by the hand of Yahweh, the God of the covenant.
And central to Yahweh’s purpose in the Exodus, in redemption, is to make his name great in all the earth.
The Angel Yahweh
Second, we learn is the identity of the “Angel of Yahweh”—he is God!
The “angel of Yahweh” is an interesting figure in Scripture, and commentators have speculated much on his identity.
The title “the angel of Yahweh” is used 67 times in the Old Testament. And, in a number of passages, he is either called “Yahweh” or is recognized as him. For example, “the angel of the LORD” speaks to Hagar in Genesis 16, and she identifies him as “the LORD.” In Genesis 31, “the angel of God” speaks to Jacob, and identifies himself as God. And in Genesis 48, Jacob refers God as “the angel who has redeemed me from all evil.”
In Malachi 3, the prophet records, “the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to the temple”—and this Lord is identified as, “even the messenger [angel] of the covenant in whom you delight.”
“The angel Yahweh” is what is called an “appositional construct.” An apposition is two nouns that appear together, both referring to the same object; the second word often defines the first (Stuart, Exodus). So, if you hear “the River Euphrates,” you know that the Euphrates is the river. Or, if you hear, “the Bard Shakespeare,” you know that the Bard is Shakespeare.
This does not mean that “the angel of the Lord” is always the Lord, but texts often present it this way. And, in Exodus this is how the angel appears—as God.
Several times in Exodus (14:19; 23:20-23), “the angel of the Lord” is spoken of as “going before” Israel, which is what the Lord himself does. Noteworthy is Exodus 23:20-23. There the Lord says he will send an angel before them to guard their way and to bring them safely to the Promised Land. They are to listen to this angel and obey him. He has the authority to forgive their sins and judge their enemies. These are all things that clearly refer to the Lord’s work. And so, it seems clear that the “angel of Yahweh” is an appearance of Yahweh himself. And this is affirmed in our text.
Put verses 2 and 4 together. Who is it that appeared to Moses “in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush?” It is “the angel of the LORD.” And, who is it that “called to him out of the bush?” It is “God.” And who is this God? “The LORD.” In verse 2, the angel of Yahweh is appearing “out of the midst of the bush.” But in verse 4, it is God (Yahweh) calling out of the bush.” When you put verses 2 and 4 together, it becomes very clear that this angel is Yahweh himself.
Yahweh God has appeared to Moses in the fire.
A Fire Theophany
This is what some call a “fire theophany.” A “theophany” is a visible manifestation of God.
God frequently manifests himself in fire. In Genesis 15, he was represented by a pot of fire. In Exodus 13, Yahweh goes before Israel in a pillar of fire. In Exodus 19, he will descend on Sinai “in fire.” Exodus (40) ends with the glory of Yahweh in the tabernacle, represented as fire by night.
In Deuteronomy 4, Moses will say that “Yahweh your God is a consuming fire.” We could go on and on through Scripture, even ending in Revelation, where Christ is presented as one with eyes of fire (Rev 1:14; 2:28; 19:12).
Why Such Forms?
Why does Yahweh take these forms—an angel and fire—when appearing to his people? I would suggest that it is not because he wishes to terrify them—as though he were a mean-spirited Grinch, whose heart is two-sizes two small.
Rather, it is because he is a loving God, who graciously condescends to make himself known to his people.
To begin with, God is omnipresent—that is, he is present everywhere, all the time. But, in order to make himself known in special ways to his people, he occupies a small space in a visible way.
Likewise, as Moses will learn, no man can see God’s face and live (33:20). So, the Lord appears in a way that at once both conceals his totality, yet makes himself known. By appearing in fire, the Lord is simultaneously making himself known and yet in way that causes people to approach him with caution. It is a gracious thing for the Lord to keep his people from rushing into a situation that would strike them dead.
Condescending Love
We see the Lord’s condescending love in this passage. He condescends by “coming down” to reveal himself to Moses in the form of an angel, in fire.
We see his love in his address to Moses. The Lord calls out, “Moses, Moses!” The repetition of a name was in that ancient culture a repetition of endearment. Moses would have understood this to be an expression of affection and friendship, that he is being addressed by someone who loves him and is concerned about him (Stuart, Exodus).
We see his love also in his warning not to come near.
So, here we see Yahweh as a God who condescends to his people in love; he is a God who accommodates himself to sinners.
Jesus?
As I mentioned, the identity of “the angel of the Lord” has been the subject of much speculation by commentators and theologians throughout history. And one commonly debated theory is whether this is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus, the second person of the Trinity. John Calvin argued that this was an appearance of the Eternal Son of God.
Whether this is Jesus is difficult to say with certainty. (Although, given the fact that “the angel of God” leads the people out of Egypt into the Promised Land—and that Jude writes that “Jesus…saved a people out of the land of Egypt”—it does not seem unwarranted to conclude as much!)
Regardless, such an appearance of Yahweh, condescending in a form that we can see, must certainly make us think of Christmas. For in the birth of Jesus Christ, we recall how John (1:1-3; 14, 18) began his Gospel:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Jesus Christ is the eternal Word, who was God and was with God eternally. Like “the angel of Yahweh,” he is both fully God and yet distinct from God. And, John continues:
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
…No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”
Moses, despite his request, could not see the grace and truth of Yahweh. He could only stand in the cleft of the rock, shielded by Yahweh’s hand, and hear it proclaimed. But, whoever has seen Jesus Christ has seen the glory of Yahweh.
What a privilege we have—to behold the glory of Yahweh with unveiled faces, through the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3:18; 4:6).
Let us never forget that we cannot prance into the presence of God. We can only know him if he chooses to make himself known. And such is an act of grace, which brings us to our second main point:
Dangerously Holy
When the Lord called, “Moses, Moses!” Moses replied, “Here I am.” And, in verse 5, the Lord does a gracious thing—he cautions Moses not to approach him. He said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
In C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the following famous dialogue transpires as the young Lucy learns about Aslan:
“Is—is he a man?” asked Lucy.
“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the Great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion.”
“Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver, “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”
“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
There are two things that you should never forget about Yahweh. First, the fact that he is good does not negate the fact that he is not safe. And, second, the fact that he is dangerous does not negate the fact that he is good. (In fact, the two go hand-in-hand: his goodness is precisely what makes him so dangerous—he absolutely cannot tolerate evil!)
So, our second point is this:
(2) Yahweh is the God who is holy and therefore dangerous.
For a sinner to enter the presence of Yahweh would mean death. The Lord will tell Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex 33:20), “You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”
So, Yahweh graciously commands Moses to keep his distance, “Do not come near!” His presence is not safe for sinful man.
This is a sad reminder of how far man has fallen in his sin. In Genesis 3, we find man sinless living in a garden paradise, where he walked with God. And now, man lives in a wilderness, where the presence of his Creator threatens his life.
The Lord explains why Moses cannot come near: “For the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” It is not the ground in and of itself that possesses any special quality, but the presence of God that makes it holy.
Holy
In this verse, we run into another word that will become prominent in Exodus, particularly in the Law—the word, “holy.” What does it mean that something is “holy?”
A popular definition is that “holy” means “separate.” Therefore, holiness is said to mean that the Lord is “wholly other.” The idea of separateness is not wrong; so much as it is insufficient. Holiness is more than separateness.
Often, when we think of “holy,” we think of moral purity. Again, this is certainly connected with the idea of the Lord being “holy.” But, again it is insufficient.
One helpful way to test your definition of terms is to substitute your definition in place of the word where it is used in Scripture.
The word “holy” is used in only two passages prior to this one (not counting where the Hebrew term is used as a name)—and many times afterward. We don’t have the time to work through them all. Hopefully, we can delve into the meaning of holiness as we dig into the Law. But, let’s just examine the two places where it is used.
The first occurrence of “holy” is in Genesis 2:3, at the conclusion of the “creation week.” Moses writes, “So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy…” (We’ll look more at the seventh day and its connection to the “sabbath” when we examine the Ten Commandments.) What does “holy” mean here?
Does “holy” mean “moral purity?” It would be odd to say that the Lord blessed the seventh day and made it “morally pure.” After all, sin hasn’t entered the world yet. How could the seventh day be more “morally pure” than the prior six days?
What about “separate?” There is a sense in which this day is marked off from the other six. It is the only day God specifically “blessed,” the only day God “rested from all his work” in creating, the only day that is not said to end. Then again, the other days are each uniquely marked off from one another.
It seems that the seventh day—the unending day—is the day in which creation is to live out the purpose for which God made it: to multiply, fill the various realms, glorify God as his creation. So, I would suggest that we begin to think about holiness in terms of being “set apart to fulfill the purposes of God.” Let’s test this against the second occurrence of “holy.”
The second occurrence of “holy” is in Genesis 38:21-22, where it occurs three times. It is not translated “holy” in your English Bible, probably because its use doesn’t jive with our concept of “holiness.” This passage records the occasion on which Tamar dressed as a harlot so that Judah, her father-in-law, would sleep with her and give her offspring. He gives her some personal items as a pledge of payment. And when his men return in these verses, they ask for the “temple prostitute” and are told “no temple prostitute” has been here.
The term “temple prostitute” or “harlot” is actually the Hebrew word for “holy,” with a feminine ending and the definite article. In other words, it literally reads, “the holy woman.” Perhaps you can see why translators are uncomfortable using the word “holy!”
Such a “holy woman” was certainly not “morally pure!” Such a “holy woman,” as Judah thought she was, would be set apart from the ordinary women of a culture to be devoted only and entirely for the special service of that pagan god. Such “prostitution” was part of the cultic worship, special devotion to the pagan god. (Israel was forbidden to have such “holy women.”)
To be “holy” means to be set apart for single-minded devotion to God’s purposes, purposes which are defined in his covenant. This is what it will mean for Israel to be “holy”—they are to be a nation, set apart from all the other nations on earth—for single-minded devotion to Yahweh.
What does it mean for Yahweh then to be holy? It means that he is single-mindedly devoted to his own purposes. And it is precisely this that makes Yahweh so dangerous to Israel (and every sinful man). When they (and we) do not live in single-minded devotion to God’s purposes—the Lord still does. And such devotion to the display of his glory means that he must punish all that does not display his glory—which no man does!
This raises a dilemma—how may unholy man approach the holy Lord and live?
Approaching the Holy
The Lord instructs Moses to take his sandals off his feet. To us, this seems like a strange thing to do. In this ancient culture, it was a sign of humility and reverence in the presence of a superior. The Lord is instructing Moses in how to approach him.
This will be a theme in Exodus. In Exodus 19, Israel will be given instructions on how to be “consecrated” or “sanctified”—how to become “holy.” Physical acts—such as food and clothing restrictions or washings—are often given as externally representations of holiness. Such “holiness” is required, “lest Yahweh break out against them” (19:22).
Later, the Mosaic Law will begin to answer the question of how the unholy may be made holy: Sin must be atoned for through sacrifice.
Here, the Lord reminds Moses (and us) that his holiness makes him dangerous. And Moses, in verse 6, “hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”
Jesus
Don’t be tempted to wrongly apply this passage, thinking that what the Lord requires of you to approach him is the mere removing of your footwear or some other type of external display of reverence. Such external displays, even the severe treatment of the body, are woefully inadequate to make us holy—especially so that we might draw near to God—and can be insulting to God!
Our answer comes in the birth of the one who is named Jesus because “he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21). As Zechariah said about the birth of Jesus, the Lord has visited us so “we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days” (Lk. 1:74-75).
Yes, as Paul writes, “through him we…have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Eph 2:18). And this access, Peter writes, comes by way of his substitutionary death for our unholiness—“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18).
The author of Hebrews (10:14-22) explains how it is that we are made holy:
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ perfects, sanctifies all those for whom he died, all those who believe in him. Therefore, the way in which we “draw near” to God is “with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” We enter the holy places by faith in Jesus.
Through the death of Jesus Christ, we have been cleansed and set apart to be a people who are “single-mindedly devoted to God’s purposes”—purposes which are to reflect the glory of God in our living, thinking, speaking; loving one another the way that Jesus loved; proclaiming the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name.
We do not need to live for this world, because our eternal life is secured in Christ’s death. And that brings us to our final point:
I Am the God…
In verse 6, the Lord says to Moses, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
By beginning, “the God of your father,” the Lord reminds and assures Moses that he is a part of the covenant people of Yahweh. (Evidently, Moses’ father was a man of faith—as Hebrews tells us.)
Then, the Lord progress through the patriarchs, to whom he had made the covenant promises. We looked at the significance of this covenant last week. So, I want to conclude by noticing something significant in this statement. Our third point:
(3) Yahweh is the God who gives his people eternal life.
It is noteworthy (and striking) that Yahweh does not say, “I was the God of your father, was the God of Abraham, was the God of Isaac, was the God of Jacob.” Such a statement would have been understandable, for the patriarchs had died hundreds of years before this.
But, the Lord speaks in the present tense—“I am the God of…” He is, at that moment, their God. This implies that he is, at that moment, still in a covenant relationship with these men who had died hundreds of years before.
This implies that they have not ceased to exist, even though they have died. In other words, those who died in faith still live. God has given them—or will give them—life beyond death.
Even here, in Exodus, we are seeing that the salvation Yahweh promises to bring his people is bigger and better than freedom from earthly slavery and the possession of real estate in the Middle East. He gives eternal life and resurrection from the dead.
That, at least, is how Jesus Christ interprets this passage. Three Gospels record an occasion on which the Sadducees (who did not believe in the resurrection or life beyond death) tried to trick Jesus with a question about the resurrection (Mt 22:31-32; Mk 12:26). In Luke 20:37-38, Jesus rebuts them:
But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.
Jesus says that Moses is showing, in the passage about the bush (our passage!) that the dead are raised, when he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jesus says that he is not God of the dead, but of the living.
Jesus argues that when the Lord spoke to Moses at the bush, he was still the God of the patriarchs who had died long ago. Therefore, God must still be in covenant relationship with them. Thus, they must be alive in some sense or will be raised from the dead. Therefore, Moses, by recording this, is attesting to faith in a future resurrection (Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament).
As Don Carson writes (Matthew), God must raise the dead simply because he is incapable of not keeping his promises.
Hope Beyond the Grave
What hope we have! Even if we, like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (and, like Moses), should die without receiving what is promised to us (a resurrection from the dead!)—this does not mean the Lord has failed to keep his promise.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we cling to what Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10:
…God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
Our faith unites us with the death of Jesus Christ, which makes us God’s people. And, “if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him” (Rom 6:8).
Therefore, as we have great confidence of living again with Christ in the resurrection, we are given power to “walk in the newness of life.”
How good it is to know that God’s promises of life in Christ are not defeated, even by the grave. God’s faithfulness cannot be stopped by sin, death or the devil. Christ has defeated them all—and so we must and shall go free.
The Meaning of Christmas
And so, as you travel this week to be with family and friends for Christmas, as you mourn those who are not with you, as you celebrate the birth of our Savior—the appearance of God in Jesus the Messiah, the angel of the covenant, Yahweh of armies—remember these truths:
(1) The Lord has condescended in love; he has revealed himself to us in Jesus Christ.
(2) The Lord is holy, and therefore dangerous. And yet, through the death of Jesus Christ, he has washed us clean, so that we may approach God. He has filled us with his Holy Spirit, so that we might live to him.
(3) And, the Lord gives his people eternal life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For as Jesus said to Martha, mourning at her brother’s tomb (John 11:25-26):
I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?
Through Jesus Christ, the holy God makes sinners holy, so that all who believe in Jesus will live with him, now and forever.
And, as Linus said, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”
© Eric M Schumacher — Preached December 18, 2011 at Northbrook Baptist Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Sermon audio will be available here.
“Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about!?”
“Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about:”
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
That dialogue has been in my mind this week—and not just because we watched A Charlie Brown Christmas(twice).
It’s been on my mind because it reminds me of this morning’s text: A shepherd is keeping watch over his flock, when suddenly, the angel of the Lord appears to him—and he is “sore afraid.” And the angel brings good tidings of great joy, which were for God’s people. The Lord has heard cry of his people and salvation is about to appear—even, the Lord himself.
So, this morning, I want us to learn three truths about Yahweh. (And, perhaps, as we do, we can answer Charlie Brown’s question—“Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about!?”
(1) Yahweh is the God who condescends in love, accommodating himself to sinners.
In verse 1, we catch up with Moses. It has now been almost 40 years since Moses arrived in Midian. He is now almost 80 years old (Ex 7:7).
We read here that Moses is a shepherd, “keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian.” This is man known as “Reuel” earlier in the story. It appears then that in these 40 years, Moses has come into no substantial wealth of his own, but is a household worker for his father-in-law (Stuart, Exodus).
We read that Moses “led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.” Horeb is likely another name for Mount Sinai. In verse 12, the Lord will tell Moses to bring the people out of Egypt to serve God on that very mountain.
The Appearance
In verses 2-4, the action begins: “And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.” This is, of course, the narrator’s description for the reader of what is going on—“the angel of the LORD” was appearing! But, initially, this is not what Moses observed.
Rather, what caught Moses’ eye was a peculiar burning bush. As a wilderness shepherd, Moses would have likely seen bushes burning under the hot sun. And, needing to cook and keep warm at night, he would have been familiar with sources of fuel for a fire. He was familiar with burning bushes. He would have known that although dry bushes burn well, but they also burn quickly. They have little substance.
But that wasn’t true of this bush. Rather, Moses “looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.” You can imagine the scene: Moses is scanning the landscape as his livestock graze. A flash of fire catches his attention, and so he decides to watch it for a bit. (Who can resist watching fire!?) He keeps watching, expecting the fire to die down at any moment. But, no matter how long he watches, the fire simply does not die down.
A burning bush? Interesting, but normal. A burning bush that isn’t consumed? That is simply unnatural; it calls for a detour. And so, in verse 3, we read that Moses decides, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”
Yahweh Speaks
In verse 4, something happens for the first time in the book of Exodus—Yahweh speaks. “When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’”
There are several things we need to pause to notice.
God is Yahweh
First, we learn the identity of God—he is Yahweh. In verse 4, Moses refers to God as “the LORD.” When your English Bible prints “LORD” in SMALL CAPS, it is translating the Hebrew name, “Yahweh.”
Yahweh is the personal name of the one true God, the creator of heaven and earth. Yahweh is the name which he reveals to his people in his covenant.
This is the first time in Exodus that the name “Yahweh” is presented. To this point, Moses has simply referred to God as “God” (Elohim). We’ll discuss the name of God in more depth later in this chapter. But for now, what does its appearance at this point tell us?
The name “Yahweh” reminds us that we are not dealing with a generic God—but a specific God, the God, who makes himself known. The God who the Hebrew midwives feared, the God who, in our previous passage, “heard their groaning” and “remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob,” the God who “saw the people of Israel,” the God who “knew”—he is not a generic God. This God is a specific God—Yahweh.
It also reminds us that Yahweh saves. Chapters 1-2 presented the Hebrew’s bondage and need, affliction in which they remain. With this chapter, their salvation is announced. And we are reminded that their salvation is by the hand of Yahweh, the God of the covenant.
And central to Yahweh’s purpose in the Exodus, in redemption, is to make his name great in all the earth.
The Angel Yahweh
Second, we learn is the identity of the “Angel of Yahweh”—he is God!
The “angel of Yahweh” is an interesting figure in Scripture, and commentators have speculated much on his identity.
The title “the angel of Yahweh” is used 67 times in the Old Testament. And, in a number of passages, he is either called “Yahweh” or is recognized as him. For example, “the angel of the LORD” speaks to Hagar in Genesis 16, and she identifies him as “the LORD.” In Genesis 31, “the angel of God” speaks to Jacob, and identifies himself as God. And in Genesis 48, Jacob refers God as “the angel who has redeemed me from all evil.”
In Malachi 3, the prophet records, “the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to the temple”—and this Lord is identified as, “even the messenger [angel] of the covenant in whom you delight.”
“The angel Yahweh” is what is called an “appositional construct.” An apposition is two nouns that appear together, both referring to the same object; the second word often defines the first (Stuart, Exodus). So, if you hear “the River Euphrates,” you know that the Euphrates is the river. Or, if you hear, “the Bard Shakespeare,” you know that the Bard is Shakespeare.
This does not mean that “the angel of the Lord” is always the Lord, but texts often present it this way. And, in Exodus this is how the angel appears—as God.
Several times in Exodus (14:19; 23:20-23), “the angel of the Lord” is spoken of as “going before” Israel, which is what the Lord himself does. Noteworthy is Exodus 23:20-23. There the Lord says he will send an angel before them to guard their way and to bring them safely to the Promised Land. They are to listen to this angel and obey him. He has the authority to forgive their sins and judge their enemies. These are all things that clearly refer to the Lord’s work. And so, it seems clear that the “angel of Yahweh” is an appearance of Yahweh himself. And this is affirmed in our text.
Put verses 2 and 4 together. Who is it that appeared to Moses “in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush?” It is “the angel of the LORD.” And, who is it that “called to him out of the bush?” It is “God.” And who is this God? “The LORD.” In verse 2, the angel of Yahweh is appearing “out of the midst of the bush.” But in verse 4, it is God (Yahweh) calling out of the bush.” When you put verses 2 and 4 together, it becomes very clear that this angel is Yahweh himself.
Yahweh God has appeared to Moses in the fire.
A Fire Theophany
This is what some call a “fire theophany.” A “theophany” is a visible manifestation of God.
God frequently manifests himself in fire. In Genesis 15, he was represented by a pot of fire. In Exodus 13, Yahweh goes before Israel in a pillar of fire. In Exodus 19, he will descend on Sinai “in fire.” Exodus (40) ends with the glory of Yahweh in the tabernacle, represented as fire by night.
In Deuteronomy 4, Moses will say that “Yahweh your God is a consuming fire.” We could go on and on through Scripture, even ending in Revelation, where Christ is presented as one with eyes of fire (Rev 1:14; 2:28; 19:12).
Why Such Forms?
Why does Yahweh take these forms—an angel and fire—when appearing to his people? I would suggest that it is not because he wishes to terrify them—as though he were a mean-spirited Grinch, whose heart is two-sizes two small.
Rather, it is because he is a loving God, who graciously condescends to make himself known to his people.
To begin with, God is omnipresent—that is, he is present everywhere, all the time. But, in order to make himself known in special ways to his people, he occupies a small space in a visible way.
Likewise, as Moses will learn, no man can see God’s face and live (33:20). So, the Lord appears in a way that at once both conceals his totality, yet makes himself known. By appearing in fire, the Lord is simultaneously making himself known and yet in way that causes people to approach him with caution. It is a gracious thing for the Lord to keep his people from rushing into a situation that would strike them dead.
Condescending Love
We see the Lord’s condescending love in this passage. He condescends by “coming down” to reveal himself to Moses in the form of an angel, in fire.
We see his love in his address to Moses. The Lord calls out, “Moses, Moses!” The repetition of a name was in that ancient culture a repetition of endearment. Moses would have understood this to be an expression of affection and friendship, that he is being addressed by someone who loves him and is concerned about him (Stuart, Exodus).
We see his love also in his warning not to come near.
So, here we see Yahweh as a God who condescends to his people in love; he is a God who accommodates himself to sinners.
Jesus?
As I mentioned, the identity of “the angel of the Lord” has been the subject of much speculation by commentators and theologians throughout history. And one commonly debated theory is whether this is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus, the second person of the Trinity. John Calvin argued that this was an appearance of the Eternal Son of God.
Whether this is Jesus is difficult to say with certainty. (Although, given the fact that “the angel of God” leads the people out of Egypt into the Promised Land—and that Jude writes that “Jesus…saved a people out of the land of Egypt”—it does not seem unwarranted to conclude as much!)
Regardless, such an appearance of Yahweh, condescending in a form that we can see, must certainly make us think of Christmas. For in the birth of Jesus Christ, we recall how John (1:1-3; 14, 18) began his Gospel:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Jesus Christ is the eternal Word, who was God and was with God eternally. Like “the angel of Yahweh,” he is both fully God and yet distinct from God. And, John continues:
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
…No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”
Moses, despite his request, could not see the grace and truth of Yahweh. He could only stand in the cleft of the rock, shielded by Yahweh’s hand, and hear it proclaimed. But, whoever has seen Jesus Christ has seen the glory of Yahweh.
What a privilege we have—to behold the glory of Yahweh with unveiled faces, through the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3:18; 4:6).
Let us never forget that we cannot prance into the presence of God. We can only know him if he chooses to make himself known. And such is an act of grace, which brings us to our second main point:
Dangerously Holy
When the Lord called, “Moses, Moses!” Moses replied, “Here I am.” And, in verse 5, the Lord does a gracious thing—he cautions Moses not to approach him. He said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
In C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the following famous dialogue transpires as the young Lucy learns about Aslan:
“Is—is he a man?” asked Lucy.
“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the Great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion.”
“Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver, “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”
“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
There are two things that you should never forget about Yahweh. First, the fact that he is good does not negate the fact that he is not safe. And, second, the fact that he is dangerous does not negate the fact that he is good. (In fact, the two go hand-in-hand: his goodness is precisely what makes him so dangerous—he absolutely cannot tolerate evil!)
So, our second point is this:
(2) Yahweh is the God who is holy and therefore dangerous.
For a sinner to enter the presence of Yahweh would mean death. The Lord will tell Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex 33:20), “You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”
So, Yahweh graciously commands Moses to keep his distance, “Do not come near!” His presence is not safe for sinful man.
This is a sad reminder of how far man has fallen in his sin. In Genesis 3, we find man sinless living in a garden paradise, where he walked with God. And now, man lives in a wilderness, where the presence of his Creator threatens his life.
The Lord explains why Moses cannot come near: “For the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” It is not the ground in and of itself that possesses any special quality, but the presence of God that makes it holy.
Holy
In this verse, we run into another word that will become prominent in Exodus, particularly in the Law—the word, “holy.” What does it mean that something is “holy?”
A popular definition is that “holy” means “separate.” Therefore, holiness is said to mean that the Lord is “wholly other.” The idea of separateness is not wrong; so much as it is insufficient. Holiness is more than separateness.
Often, when we think of “holy,” we think of moral purity. Again, this is certainly connected with the idea of the Lord being “holy.” But, again it is insufficient.
One helpful way to test your definition of terms is to substitute your definition in place of the word where it is used in Scripture.
The word “holy” is used in only two passages prior to this one (not counting where the Hebrew term is used as a name)—and many times afterward. We don’t have the time to work through them all. Hopefully, we can delve into the meaning of holiness as we dig into the Law. But, let’s just examine the two places where it is used.
The first occurrence of “holy” is in Genesis 2:3, at the conclusion of the “creation week.” Moses writes, “So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy…” (We’ll look more at the seventh day and its connection to the “sabbath” when we examine the Ten Commandments.) What does “holy” mean here?
Does “holy” mean “moral purity?” It would be odd to say that the Lord blessed the seventh day and made it “morally pure.” After all, sin hasn’t entered the world yet. How could the seventh day be more “morally pure” than the prior six days?
What about “separate?” There is a sense in which this day is marked off from the other six. It is the only day God specifically “blessed,” the only day God “rested from all his work” in creating, the only day that is not said to end. Then again, the other days are each uniquely marked off from one another.
It seems that the seventh day—the unending day—is the day in which creation is to live out the purpose for which God made it: to multiply, fill the various realms, glorify God as his creation. So, I would suggest that we begin to think about holiness in terms of being “set apart to fulfill the purposes of God.” Let’s test this against the second occurrence of “holy.”
The second occurrence of “holy” is in Genesis 38:21-22, where it occurs three times. It is not translated “holy” in your English Bible, probably because its use doesn’t jive with our concept of “holiness.” This passage records the occasion on which Tamar dressed as a harlot so that Judah, her father-in-law, would sleep with her and give her offspring. He gives her some personal items as a pledge of payment. And when his men return in these verses, they ask for the “temple prostitute” and are told “no temple prostitute” has been here.
The term “temple prostitute” or “harlot” is actually the Hebrew word for “holy,” with a feminine ending and the definite article. In other words, it literally reads, “the holy woman.” Perhaps you can see why translators are uncomfortable using the word “holy!”
Such a “holy woman” was certainly not “morally pure!” Such a “holy woman,” as Judah thought she was, would be set apart from the ordinary women of a culture to be devoted only and entirely for the special service of that pagan god. Such “prostitution” was part of the cultic worship, special devotion to the pagan god. (Israel was forbidden to have such “holy women.”)
To be “holy” means to be set apart for single-minded devotion to God’s purposes, purposes which are defined in his covenant. This is what it will mean for Israel to be “holy”—they are to be a nation, set apart from all the other nations on earth—for single-minded devotion to Yahweh.
What does it mean for Yahweh then to be holy? It means that he is single-mindedly devoted to his own purposes. And it is precisely this that makes Yahweh so dangerous to Israel (and every sinful man). When they (and we) do not live in single-minded devotion to God’s purposes—the Lord still does. And such devotion to the display of his glory means that he must punish all that does not display his glory—which no man does!
This raises a dilemma—how may unholy man approach the holy Lord and live?
Approaching the Holy
The Lord instructs Moses to take his sandals off his feet. To us, this seems like a strange thing to do. In this ancient culture, it was a sign of humility and reverence in the presence of a superior. The Lord is instructing Moses in how to approach him.
This will be a theme in Exodus. In Exodus 19, Israel will be given instructions on how to be “consecrated” or “sanctified”—how to become “holy.” Physical acts—such as food and clothing restrictions or washings—are often given as externally representations of holiness. Such “holiness” is required, “lest Yahweh break out against them” (19:22).
Later, the Mosaic Law will begin to answer the question of how the unholy may be made holy: Sin must be atoned for through sacrifice.
Here, the Lord reminds Moses (and us) that his holiness makes him dangerous. And Moses, in verse 6, “hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”
Jesus
Don’t be tempted to wrongly apply this passage, thinking that what the Lord requires of you to approach him is the mere removing of your footwear or some other type of external display of reverence. Such external displays, even the severe treatment of the body, are woefully inadequate to make us holy—especially so that we might draw near to God—and can be insulting to God!
Our answer comes in the birth of the one who is named Jesus because “he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21). As Zechariah said about the birth of Jesus, the Lord has visited us so “we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days” (Lk. 1:74-75).
Yes, as Paul writes, “through him we…have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Eph 2:18). And this access, Peter writes, comes by way of his substitutionary death for our unholiness—“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18).
The author of Hebrews (10:14-22) explains how it is that we are made holy:
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ perfects, sanctifies all those for whom he died, all those who believe in him. Therefore, the way in which we “draw near” to God is “with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” We enter the holy places by faith in Jesus.
Through the death of Jesus Christ, we have been cleansed and set apart to be a people who are “single-mindedly devoted to God’s purposes”—purposes which are to reflect the glory of God in our living, thinking, speaking; loving one another the way that Jesus loved; proclaiming the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name.
We do not need to live for this world, because our eternal life is secured in Christ’s death. And that brings us to our final point:
I Am the God…
In verse 6, the Lord says to Moses, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
By beginning, “the God of your father,” the Lord reminds and assures Moses that he is a part of the covenant people of Yahweh. (Evidently, Moses’ father was a man of faith—as Hebrews tells us.)
Then, the Lord progress through the patriarchs, to whom he had made the covenant promises. We looked at the significance of this covenant last week. So, I want to conclude by noticing something significant in this statement. Our third point:
(3) Yahweh is the God who gives his people eternal life.
It is noteworthy (and striking) that Yahweh does not say, “I was the God of your father, was the God of Abraham, was the God of Isaac, was the God of Jacob.” Such a statement would have been understandable, for the patriarchs had died hundreds of years before this.
But, the Lord speaks in the present tense—“I am the God of…” He is, at that moment, their God. This implies that he is, at that moment, still in a covenant relationship with these men who had died hundreds of years before.
This implies that they have not ceased to exist, even though they have died. In other words, those who died in faith still live. God has given them—or will give them—life beyond death.
Even here, in Exodus, we are seeing that the salvation Yahweh promises to bring his people is bigger and better than freedom from earthly slavery and the possession of real estate in the Middle East. He gives eternal life and resurrection from the dead.
That, at least, is how Jesus Christ interprets this passage. Three Gospels record an occasion on which the Sadducees (who did not believe in the resurrection or life beyond death) tried to trick Jesus with a question about the resurrection (Mt 22:31-32; Mk 12:26). In Luke 20:37-38, Jesus rebuts them:
But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.
Jesus says that Moses is showing, in the passage about the bush (our passage!) that the dead are raised, when he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jesus says that he is not God of the dead, but of the living.
Jesus argues that when the Lord spoke to Moses at the bush, he was still the God of the patriarchs who had died long ago. Therefore, God must still be in covenant relationship with them. Thus, they must be alive in some sense or will be raised from the dead. Therefore, Moses, by recording this, is attesting to faith in a future resurrection (Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament).
As Don Carson writes (Matthew), God must raise the dead simply because he is incapable of not keeping his promises.
Hope Beyond the Grave
What hope we have! Even if we, like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (and, like Moses), should die without receiving what is promised to us (a resurrection from the dead!)—this does not mean the Lord has failed to keep his promise.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we cling to what Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10:
…God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
Our faith unites us with the death of Jesus Christ, which makes us God’s people. And, “if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him” (Rom 6:8).
Therefore, as we have great confidence of living again with Christ in the resurrection, we are given power to “walk in the newness of life.”
How good it is to know that God’s promises of life in Christ are not defeated, even by the grave. God’s faithfulness cannot be stopped by sin, death or the devil. Christ has defeated them all—and so we must and shall go free.
The Meaning of Christmas
And so, as you travel this week to be with family and friends for Christmas, as you mourn those who are not with you, as you celebrate the birth of our Savior—the appearance of God in Jesus the Messiah, the angel of the covenant, Yahweh of armies—remember these truths:
(1) The Lord has condescended in love; he has revealed himself to us in Jesus Christ.
(2) The Lord is holy, and therefore dangerous. And yet, through the death of Jesus Christ, he has washed us clean, so that we may approach God. He has filled us with his Holy Spirit, so that we might live to him.
(3) And, the Lord gives his people eternal life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For as Jesus said to Martha, mourning at her brother’s tomb (John 11:25-26):
I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?
Through Jesus Christ, the holy God makes sinners holy, so that all who believe in Jesus will live with him, now and forever.
And, as Linus said, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”
