“And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” (Exodus 3:2-3) The Burning Bush could be understood as a picture of the cross.
1) Word meaning: The word used for bush is ‘to stick or to prick’ in Hebrew. Lord Jesus was crowned with thorns.
2) Fire: The wrath of God could be considered as the fire. Lord endured the fire, judgement and wrath of God, but was not consumed.
3) Bush and Fire: The bush was not consumed indicates incarnation. Bush is the humanity and fire is the divinity. One does not replace or consume the other. Lord Jesus is one hundred percent human and one hundred percent God.
4) Attraction: Moses was attracted to this strange sight. When Lord Jesus Christ was lifted – crucified, he draws all people (John 12:32) “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,” (John 3:14)
5) Moses hid his face: Moses hid his face, afraid to see God. People at the crucifixion site were appalled and hid their faces. (Isaiah 53:3)
6) Remove the sandals: As the place was holy, Moses was commanded to remove his sandals. The blood of Lord Jesus Christ was shed for the atonement of remission of sin. (Hebrews 9:22) The ground is holy.
7) Salvation: Moses became instrument of God to deliver people from Egyptian slavery. Lord Jesus Christ is the only way for humans to be saved. Moses was reluctant to go, but obeyed God’s will. Lord Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, pleaded for removal of the cup of wrath, yet yielded to do God’s will. (Luke 22:39-46)
The crucified Saviour is the Risen Lord. He died for Sin of humanity and rose again to give us the gift of salvation.
How do I survey the wondrous cross?