Let us turn again to the portion we read earlier in Exodus chapter 3, and reading again the opening two verses. In Exodus chapter 3, verses 1 and 2, we're told, Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the backside of the desert and came to the mountain of God even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush, and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

Considering then this familiar portion where the Lord God is pleased to reveal himself to his servant Moses and give to him his commission. These are remarkable chapters that we find in Holy Scripture. How the Lord God deals with the man and separates the man to a particular work. Here of course the man Moses.

We can think of another portion like Isaiah 6 where the Prophet is also separated to his work as he experiences that remarkable vision in the very year when the King Uriah died and the throne, as it were, being vacated, the King had died Well, long lived the king. Another king would come to the throne, but he sought a throne that's never vacated, did Isaiah. He saw the throne of God.

But what is the sight that Moses beholds here? Strange sight, really. It's not the Lord appearing in his greatness and in his glory, as was the case with Isaiah. Because there, of course, we reed of that throne high and lifted up and the seraphims about the throne of God and so forth. Whereas here we're simply told how the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush and he looked and behold the bush burned with fire and the bush was not consumed.

And there's a representation, surely, in the bush. It represents something of the misery of the children of Israel. It's an emblem, really, of the children of Israel. They're in bondage. I like the remark that Matthew Henry makes. He says, here are Israel burning in the brick kilns, yet not consumed. How they were there, they were making the bricks for all those great projects of the pharaoh, the building of the pyramids and the like. And they were burning in those brick kilns. And yet they're not consumed. How they prospered. How they grew all the years that they were there in Egypt.

It was just, of course, Jacob and his sons and their families that had gone into Egypt and yet they grow into a great multitude in spite of all the bitterness of their experiences at the hand of Pharaoh when there arose one that knew not Joseph as we read in the previous chapter here at verse 23 in chapter 2 came to pass in the process of time that the king of Egypt died and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage and they cried and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage and God heard their groaning and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob and God looked upon the children of Israel and God had compassion upon them.

What does God say as He speaks now to his servant, this man whom he is going to commission to be the deliverer. There at verse 7, the Lord said, Surely I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. And then he repeats it again at verse 9, Now therefore behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me, and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

Come now therefore and I will send thee unto Pharaoh that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." We read time and again, you see, about the Lord God is mindful of the prayers of his people. Though they can hardly begin to speak in their prayers, it's their groanings, isn't it, that are remembered. and in remembering their groanings God is ever mindful of his covenants. They are the children of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.

But here you see in this bush that's burning and yet never being consumed just keeps on burning and burning. It's such a remarkable representation of the church I'm sure we're aware, we were reminded recently when at the Hedgehead anniversary the same passage was preached from that what we have here is used in the Presbyterian churches as an emblem of the church, the burning bush God's people.

It isn't the light of God's true church that in the world they will have tribulation they'll know something of persecutions they won't be able to avoid trials and troubles remember what Peter says there in his first epistle in the 4th chapter verse 12 Beloved he says think it not strange concerning the fiery trial that is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you Oh, it's no strange thing. It's the lot of God's people. And Peter speaks of it not only there in the fourth chapter, but even in the first chapter of that epistle, he speaks of the trial of faith, the trial of your faith being much more precious than the gold that perishes, though it be tried in the fire, is found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How the Lord is always purifying His people. Oh, that fire will try every man's work of what sort it is. The Apostle speaks of it, doesn't he, there in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. The fiery trial. This is the lot of God's church. It was the lot of Israel, the church there. And that church that would go into the wilderness and now the trials would continue through all the wilderness wandering.

God is the one who chooses and appoints the trial. Again He says there in Isaiah 48 and verse 10, Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver. I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. All the trial you see, it's not only bound up with the faith of God's people, the trial of your faith, it's bound up with God's electing law. He chooses his people in the furnace of affliction. And what does he do? Well, as he chooses them, so, of course, he also comforts them. And he gives them those exceeding great and precious promises.

Remember the language of Isaiah 43? But ne'er doth set the Lord that created the old Jacob, and he that formed the old Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee I have called thee by thy name thou art mine when thou passest through the waters I will be with thee and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned neither shall the flame kindle upon them here then in the burning bush we have something represented to us it's that people that the Lord God is about to redeem and how will he do it? he will do it himself the angel of the Lord.

Isn't the angel of the Lord that one who is with them all their journeyings in the fiery pillar that leads them by night and the cloud that leads them in the right way during the day. The Lord is in all of these things and we see it so wonderfully with those three young men who were cast into the fiery furnace. Remember Daniel Daniel chapter 3 and what we are told concerning those young men when the king comes to look into the furnace and these three, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego they've fallen down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king, it says, was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men, loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no heart, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

What an amazing scene is this. They're bowed hand and feet and they're cast into the burning fiery furnace and when the king beholds they are free and they're unhurt but there's a fourth with him and he's like unto the Son of God. And here is the Lord God you see. represented as being in the midst of his people in their trials.

The angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush and he looked and behold the bush burned with fire and the bush was not consumed. What do we have here? We have the manifestation of God. or we might say the manifestation of the Lord Jesus Christ, but this is God.

In verse 4, when the Lord saw that he, that is Moses, turned aside to see God, called unto him out of the midst of the bush. This angel of the Lord who is in the midst of the bush is God. And who is it? It's God himself. but it's the Lord Jesus Christ as the angel of the Lord. It's that one again of whom Isaiah speaks there in chapter 63 and verse 9, in all their affliction he was afflicted and the angel of his presence saved them.

He's speaking of the Lord God in all their affliction he's afflicted. Who saves them? The angel. The angel of his presence. save them. Oh, who do we have here then? Three things I want us to observe. Here we see the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Are we not to find Christ in all the Scriptures? He himself said to the Jews, search the Scriptures, in them ye think that ye have eternal life, and these are they that testify of me. We're not reading God's Book of Rites if we're not finding the Lord Jesus Christ. And now we need to search for the Lord Jesus Christ, wherever we turn in this blessed book, the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It says there at the beginning of that second verse, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him. A revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is that same one of course, who had appeared unto Abraham. He's the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. You know, this is repeated, isn't it? Time and time again, verse 6, and then again at verse 15, and at verse 16, he's the God of Abraham. He is the God of Isaac, He is the God of Jacob, He is the God of all the patriarchs and He appears unto them.

And He had appeared unto Abraham who is the father of all the faithful and we have the account of that remember back in the 18th chapter of Genesis. And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day, and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him. And when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door and bowed himself toward the ground.

" Three men. And here is a man entertaining angels, angels unaware. But one of these three is the angel of the Lord. what do we read subsequently there? verse 16 of that chapter how these men rose up from thence and looked towards Sodom and Abram went with them to bring them on the way Sodom where Lot has gone when there had been those disputes amongst the herdsmen of Abram and Lot and Lot had had chosen all that fertile plain where the Dead Sea is today. And he'd fallen in with the men, the wicked men of Sodom. And God is about to judge those wicked cities. And here are these three men and they rose up, it says, and looked towards Sodom. Abraham went with them. And then it says at verse 22, And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom. But Abram stood yet before the Lord.

And what do we read in the following chapter? There came two angels to Sodom at even, and Lot sat in the gates of Sodom. So there were three men, And two of them are angels, and the third is the Lord. Abram stood yanked before the Lord. How the Lord God had appeared unto his servant Abram.

We have these various happenings, don't we? Repeated time and again through the Old Testament. How the Lord appears. How the Lord will appear also to Gideon later on in the book of Judges and appears as an angel of the Lord to him. And what does Gideon say? He is being given his charge you see. The Lord comes to these different people and gives them a charge. And Gideon is to be a judge, is to be a deliverer in Israel. And what does Gideon say, Judges 6, 22? Alas, O Lord God, for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. He's afraid he's going to die. No man can see God and live. Alas! Alas, he says.

And we have something similar also in the experience of the father of Samson remember in the 13th chapter of that book of Judges and again it's the angel of the Lord what do we read in Judges 13? at verse 16 we read of the angel of the Lord speaking to Manoah And then he says at the end of that verse, Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the Lord. Verse 17, And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, What is thy name? That when thy saints come to pass, we may do thee honour. And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret? Now the margin tells that the Hebrew word is wonderful. The angel says unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is wonderful?

Who is the wonderful one? Or think of the language of Isaiah. His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, the Child born, the Son given. The wonderful one, that's the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is Manoah's experience, you see. And what is the fear of Manoah? Well, like Gideon before him. He thinks he's going to die. Verse 22 there, he says unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. But his wife said unto him, If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received the burnt offering and the meat offering at our hands. neither would He have showed us all these things, nor would He, as at this time, have told us such things as these. And all this in order to Samson, who was the son, of course, of Manoah and his wife, another great deliverer to Israel.

And so it is here, this one, who is the angel of the Lord appearing unto Moses. Subsequently, in chapter 23 of Exodus, we're reminded the way wherein the Lord is going to lead them. As I said, He'll guide and direct through the fiery, cloudy pillar, day and night. They will have guidance from the Lord God.

But look at the language, look at the words that we have in chapter 23. Verse 20, God says, Behold, I send an angel before thee to keep thee in the way and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him and obey his voice, provoke him not, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my name is in him. God's name is in the angel and the angel is able to pardon transgressions. the angel can pardon transgressions and remember what they say to the Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel there in Mark chapter 2 when the Lord performs a remarkable miracle and those friends have brought the man sick of the palsy, the paralyzed man and there's a great crowd around the Lord Jesus but they found a way whereby they clambered onto the roof and They've lowered the man's bed and the Lord heals the man. But what does the Lord say first of all in healing? He says, Son, thy sins be forgiven.

And now the Jews object, who can forgive sins but God only? Only God can forgive sins. Only God can forgive sins, and this angel. What does it say there in that 23rd chapter? He will not forgive. This angel of the Lord is none other than the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And who is he? Who is he? Well, of course, it's such a familiar chapter, we know who this is. It is Jehovah. It's I Am. That I Am. There in verse 14, God says to Moses, I am that I am. And He said, Thou shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you. And isn't that who the Lord Jesus is? There at the end of John chapter 8, He says, Before Abraham was, I am. He's before Abraham. He's before Moses. He is that one who is from everlasting to everlasting. He's the unchanging one. The I am. That I am.

And we have looked at that other verse there in John 8 and verse 24 where the Lord says to the Jews, if you believe not that I am He, you shall perish in your sins. But the He as we know is there in italics in our authorised version. Literally He said, if you believe not that I am, ye shall perish in your sins and what is he doing there in John throughout the Gospels throughout the New Testament throughout the Word of God he's being revealed as that one who is the Lord or the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ what a blessed and precious truth it is he is God but he is also man and here what do we read? how the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush out of the midst of a bush now I can't remember where I read this it was either in Joseph Hall's contemplations George IV was the Bishop of Norwich back in the 17th century. He was a gracious, godly man. And that's a lovely book, his contemplations on the historic parts of the Old Testament scriptures. I'm not sure whether it was Bishop Hall or whether it was Matthew Henry, but the remark was this, the wood of the bush denotes Christ's human nature. I think it was Bishop Hall. It sounds like one of his remarks.

The wood of the bush denotes Christ's human nature. And then one immediately thinks of the language of Isaiah 53 too. He shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground. Well what sort of a bush was this? Wasn't it a root out of a dry ground there in the backside of the desert? But what a representation of the remarkable humility of the Lord Jesus Christ as God is manifest in the flesh, how he humbles himself. He thinks he's not worthy to be equal with God, but takes upon him the form of a servant. In the covenant he becomes a servant of the Lord. He's made in the likeness of man, and then we see him in fashion as a man and what does he do? he humbles himself and he humbles himself even to the obedience of the accursed death of the cross it's humility upon humility and yet it's a revelation of God and now remember later as he comes to the end of his days the end of the book of Deuteronomy the fifth and last of the five books of Moses He speaks there in Deuteronomy 33.16 of the goodwill of him that dwelt in the bush.

The goodwill of him that dwelt in the bush. What comfort we find in the truth of the reality of our Lord's human nature as well as his divine nature. We rejoice in that. We contend for that because how often is that assaulted? how often would men deny the truth of his deity but let us beware lest we forget also the blessed truth of his humanity he's as real a human being as any of us and now of course he's forever God-man there's a man in heaven at God's right hand even this one that appears unto Moses at the burning bush

The person of the Lord Jesus Christ then first of all, but what else do we observe here? Well, strangely it's a place of consuming. Where is it? Where is it? Well, we're told, aren't we? In the opening verse, here is Moses keeping the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, and he leads the flock to the backside of the desert and he says he came to the mountain of God even to Horeb. Why was this the mountain of God? It was not the mountain of God yet. It was not yet the mountain of God. But it's Mount Horeb.

It's interesting because Of course, when he's making his great defense in Acts 7, we find Stephen, that first Christian martyr, relating something of this history himself. And there, he refers to this as Mount Sinai in Acts 7 and verse 13. He actually says It was there at Mount Sinai that the Lord, or the angel of the Lord, appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire in a bush. It's the Mount of God, it's where God will bring the children of Israel, where Moses delivers them out of all the bondage of Egypt and takes them into the desert and takes them there and there of course God enters into covenant with them. as he descends upon the mount and declares the Ten Commandments.

And what are we told here in chapter 19 and verse 18? Now Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke because the Lord descended on it in a fire and the mountain shakes. This is the very mount. And you know that law that law is also a flaming law isn't it? again in Deuteronomy 33.2 from his right hand Moses says went a fiery law all the law was given by Moses and there is that awful ministration of the law what thing soever the law saith It says to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world become guilty before God.

Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight. By the law is the knowledge of sin. How awful a thing is that, that law that was given by Moses. It comes as a fiery law. and how it brings to light in the soul of the sinner all the death that sin is that ministration of condemnation, that ministration of death it's an awful thing the law of God and yet there's nothing wrong with that law of God, it's God's law, it's a good law all the law is holy, the commandment is holy and just and good Let us not be despisers of God's law.

All the fault is with us. It finds out the sinner. That's the ministration of the law. To convince of our sin. There's no justification in the law of God. It's torment to the poor sinner. The law was given by Moses. And here is God calling him to his work to be the deliverer of the children of Israel. He's going to bring them to this very mount. It's the mount of God. And God will enter into covenant with them. And what will they do with the law? They'll break the law. And they'll break the law whilst Moses is still in the mount, communing with God. And God will send him down from that mount with those tables in his hands and he'll break those tables at the foot of the mount. to indicate to them what they are.

But why does God deliver such a people as this? Because He's such a gracious God. The law was given by Moses. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. And where sin abounded, grace did so much more about. Oh, grace doesn't just abound. It abounds so much more And what a comfort that is to us when we reflect on our poor lives and how far we fall short of the glory of God, the God who so graciously has provided salvation for us in the person of His only begotten Son.

And yet what do we render to the Lord for all His favours, all His blessings, What we see here at the bush, it's a place of consuming. It reminds us of that law. But it also reminds us of the grace of God. And so, whilst we've spoken of the person of Christ already, and then, so to say, something with the place of this consuming fire, yet we must return again really to the Lord Jesus Christ and what we see here in the revealing of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And there's a mystery, isn't there? There's a mystery really in the sovereignty of God. And we see it in a remarkable way in the experience of this man Moses. God is always sovereign in the way in which he deals with his people. There's a similarity, I suppose, in all of our experiences. There's a vein that runs through every conversion experience, yet everyone is different. It's like the leaves on the trees, isn't it? We know the tree when we examine the leaf and we say, this is an oak leaf, but we can't find another oak leaf anywhere that is identical to that particular oak leaf. They all of the appearance of coming from the oak tree but they're all individual and yet they're all the same and how God demonstrates his sovereignty in the way in which he deals with his people or the mystery of God's sovereignty Paul tells us doesn't he in the opening chapter of the epistle to the Galatians when he pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace he's acknowledging you see both in his natural birth and in his spiritual birth it was all under the sovereign hand of God, he pleased God to separate him from his mother's womb

Or there was a time to be born for that man who was, first of all, the sword of Tarsus. But then he became Paul the Apostle, didn't he? He pleased God not only to separate him from his mother's womb but also to call him by his grace and call him in a remarkable fashion. In many ways to make of him the pattern believer. He says as much, doesn't he, right there in 1 Timothy. chapter 1, the pattern, the type to them who should hereafter believe there's something to learn from that man's experience not that we're going to have those same depths but there's something to learn now Moses how old was Moses when he received this call from God? well we're told forward into chapter 7 and verse 7 Moses was four score years old and Aaron four score and three years old when they spake unto Pharaoh. Aaron is 83 and Moses is 80. He's 80 years old.

Now clearly he was quite willing to have done something he would have acted previously to this he would have acted when he was 40 years old we see that in the language that's used by Stephen in Acts chapter 7 in Acts chapter 7, that long chapter verse 23 well let's read verse 22 as well Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and in deeds and when he was full forty years old it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel and seeing one of them suffer wrong he defended him and avenged him that was oppressed and smote the Egyptian for he supposed His brethren would have understood that God by his hand would deliver him but they understood not.

That was 40 years previously. But clearly Moses must have had some exercise at that time with regards to what the Lord God meant him to be doing. God had so ordered events of course that he'd been brought up as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, mighty in words and deeds. And he's at the height of his mental powers. He's full 40 years old. Isn't that when a man and a woman are really at their peak? And he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them. But they understood not.

there wants to be a delay now these events of course are recorded here in the previous second chapter you can read it there at verse 11 and the following verses but what we have there in in that account by Stephen is so interesting because he flees and is away there tending to the flocks of Jethro, his father-in-law, for some 40 years. There in Acts 7.30, when 40 years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. The Lord was 40 years in preparing this man. And where was he prepared for this great work? It was in the back side of the desert. Why such a long delay? Why such a long delay? We say, well why this, why that? We're full of questions sometimes, aren't we?

Well let us remember this, the secret things belong unto the Lord our God. And the things that are revealed belong unto us and our children. The things that are revealed are the things that we have recorded here in Holy Scripture. Now I will quote, and this is Bishop Joseph Hall. He says, when we meditate on the mysteries of the words, we come to God. We come too close when we search His counsel. The secret things belong unto the Lord. We're not to search his secret counsel. We don't know. I can't recall that we're told anywhere why it was. There had to be a delay of 40 years, but so it was. But that's the way the Lord works. He's sovereign in our lives, and sometimes you see we're so impatient with God, we want it to die. But maybe the Lord means it for tomorrow, or maybe the Lord means it for next year or maybe the Lord means it not at all

we're to come to his word we're to read his word we're to draw all our instruction from his his words and we're to be cautious we must always approach our God with reverence and this is what Moses must do here verse 5 he said draw not Nye hither, put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. All is holy ground when the Lord is having dealings with us, and the Lord does have dealings with us in strange ways. We have to take the shoes off our feet, draw knots. Nye hither, put off thy shoes from thy feet. Keep thy foot where thou goest to the house of God. Be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they consider not what they do. Be not rash with thy mouth. Let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God. God is in heaven, thou upon earth. Let thy words be few. Those are the words of the wise men, aren't they? Ecclesiastes, in the opening verses of chapter 5.

But what a blessing, what a blessing it is that the Lord does come and He does reveal Himself to men, He reveals Himself to women. He's a God who delights to make Himself known. He reveals Himself in all His works of creation. The heavens declare His glory. All the firmament, the starry skies, all they speak of God. we see his hand, we hear his voice in his providences but above all of course we have this blessed book, we have the scriptures the things that are revealed that belong to us and to our children and in all of this we have this wondrous revelation of this blessed person, the angel of the Lord the Lord Jesus Christ who so humbles himself.

He appears even in this bush. What sort of a bush it must have been. Hardly a bush at all, I imagine, there in the wilderness. But we're told how Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the backside of the desert and came to the mansion of God, even to Horeb, And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush, and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. Oh, the Lord has strange ways and strange dealings with His church, with individuals in His church, but we're never consumed, are we? And the Lord preserves His people. we're kept and we're kept by the power of God and we're kept through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed at the last time

or the Lord granting that we might know this one who so graciously came to manifest himself to Moses or that the Lord might graciously reveal himself to us and that we might rejoice in all that he is and all that he has done the law was given by Moses Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Amen.