7 takeaways from this study

God’s call often comes when we feel least ready — when we’re aware of our flaws, our fears, and our limitations. Yet, it’s in these moments that God’s mercy and presence shine brightest:

When God calls His people, He often sends them into places that feel dangerous, impossible, or beyond their strength. Yet in those moments, His presence becomes the very fire that guides, purifies, and protects without consuming. From Moses at the burning bush to Peter in the house of a Gentile centurion, God shows us that His mission is not about our ability, but about His mercy and power. As we turn to Exodus 3, we are reminded that the God who dwells with His people in holiness also equips us to walk into difficult places with courage, because He goes with us.

In the vision of the unclean animals, God was calling Peter to enter the house of a centurion—very dangerous territory for a Jewish man—yet God sent him on this important mission for His Kingdom. The same was true of Moses, who, at the burning bush, was called by God to be His emissary to Pharaoh. Moses saw this as a very dangerous mission, yet God was with both of them and helped them succeed.

Let’s begin in Exodus 3, where Moses encounters the burning bush on Mount Horeb (Sinai). The text says:

“Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.”

There are a few interesting symbols in Exodus 3. The first is that Moses was leading a flock of sheep that did not belong to him—they belonged to his father-in-law. Later, Moses would be appointed to lead God’s flock in the wilderness.

“The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.”

The Hebrew word for “bush” here is סְּנֶה seneh, traditionally understood as a thorn bush or bramble. This is not a majestic tree, but a prickly, ordinary, even undesirable plant. Yet, God chooses this bush as the vessel for His presence.

The fire — אֵשׁ esh — represents God’s holiness and power. The word for “flame” in Hebrew, לַהַב lahav, is related to the word for “heart” (לֵב lev), suggesting an inner intensity, a burning passion. The bush is aflame, but not destroyed. Why? Because God’s presence, while powerful and consuming (see Deuteronomy 4:24: “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”), is also merciful. He chooses not to consume the bush, just as He chooses not to destroy His people, despite their imperfections.

This image of the bramble is echoed in Judges 9, in the parable of Jotham. The trees seek a king, and after the olive, fig, and vine refuse, they turn to the bramble (אָטָד atad):

“All the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come, reign over us!’ The bramble said to the trees, ‘If in truth you are anointing me as king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, may fire come out of the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’”

Bramble bushes are meant to be consumed, yet God chose not to consume this one—even though the bramble is a thorny, unpleasant plant. God was giving Moses a picture, a foreshadowing of what He would later do.

When God brought Israel out of Egypt, He led them with a pillar of fire—yet that fire did not consume them. When they built the tabernacle, His fire entered it—yet He did not consume the tabernacle. This terrified the nations around Israel, for they alone could live near God’s presence and not be consumed.

The burning bush is a picture of God dwelling with His people, though they were not perfect.

The bush Moses approached was on Mount Horeb, later called Mount Sinai. At first, Moses saw only a small bush on fire. Later, when he brought all Israel to the mountain, the entire mountain burned with fire so intense it scorched the rocks. By all appearances, it should have consumed Moses as he ascended to meet God and receive the Ten Commandments. The people assumed he had perished, which led to the golden calf episode.

By not consuming the bush—or Moses—God revealed His grace and mercy. He reassured Moses that His fire would not consume him, preparing him for his mission to confront Pharaoh and liberate God’s people.

The bramble is a symbol of unworthiness, even danger. Yet, in Exodus, God’s fire dwells in the bramble without consuming it. This is a picture of God’s mercy — His choice to dwell among and use the unworthy, to show favor (חֵן khen — grace) and mercy (רַחֲמִים rakhamim).

Why does God choose not to consume the bush? The answer, I believe, is found in His character — His grace, mercy, and purpose. Moses, like the bush, is not perfect. He is reluctant, afraid, and feels unworthy (Exodus 3:11). Yet God calls him, equips him, and promises His presence:

“Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”

God’s favor is not based on our merit, but on His purpose and love. He chooses to use thorn bushes — imperfect people — to accomplish His redemptive work.

God’s call to Moses is not to a safe or comfortable mission. He is sent into “enemy territory” — Egypt, the heart of oppression and idolatry. Moses is understandably afraid. But God reassures him, not by removing the danger, but by promising His presence.

This theme is echoed in Acts 10, where Peter is called to go to the house of Cornelius, a Gentile centurion. For a Jew, this was dangerous and taboo. Yet, God’s Spirit leads Peter, breaking down barriers and extending mercy to those once considered “unclean” (Acts 10:28).

Both Moses and Peter are called to step into the unknown, to confront evil and oppression, and to trust that God’s presence is enough.

Why does God send Moses into Egypt? The text is clear: to deliver His people from oppression (עָשָׁק ashaq) and to defeat the gods of Egypt — spiritual forces of evil. The plagues are not just miracles; they are judgments against the false gods (Exodus 12:12).

Similarly, in Acts, Peter’s mission is to bring the message of Yeshua (Jesus) to the Gentiles, breaking the power of spiritual oppression and opening the way for all people to receive the Spirit of God.

As apostle Ya’akov writes, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). The mission is to defeat evil, to set the oppressed free, and to bring God’s light into dark places.

When Moses approaches the bush, God tells him:

“Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

The act of removing sandals (נַעַל na’al) is a sign of reverence, of setting aside the dust and defilement of ordinary life. God’s presence transforms ordinary places — and ordinary people — into something holy (קָדוֹשׁ kadosh).

For us, this is a call to recognize and respond to God’s presence in our lives, to set aside our past, our failures, and to step onto the holy ground of His calling.

God gives Moses three signs:

These signs are not just for Pharaoh, but for the elders of Israel — to assure them that God is at work.

Each sign speaks to God’s power over creation, disease, and life itself. They also foreshadow the plagues and the ultimate deliverance through the blood of the Passover lamb — a clear Messianic foreshadowing (Exodus 12:13; John 1:29).

Though the elders of Israel were not thrilled with the process of liberation, they did understand that God was acting against Egypt’s power. And when Israel came out, many non-Jews were liberated alongside them.

These stories foreshadow Yeshua (Jesus), the ultimate deliverer. Just as Moses was sent to deliver Israel from physical bondage, Yeshua delivers us from spiritual bondage — sin and death.

In Acts 10, the Spirit falls on Cornelius and his household, fulfilling the promise that God’s salvation is for all nations (Genesis 12:3; Acts 10:44-45). The Greek word for “Spirit” is πνεῦμα pneuma, and for “baptize” is βαπτίζω baptizō. The outpouring of the Spirit is a sign that God’s presence now dwells with all who believe, Jew and Gentile alike.

Both Moses and Peter are examples of reluctant, imperfect people who respond to God’s call with courage — not the absence of fear, but the willingness to act in spite of it. As Isaiah 40 reminds us:

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power.”

God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). We are called to trust, to step out in faith, and to believe that God’s presence is enough.

God delights in using thorn bushes — ordinary, flawed people — to accomplish extraordinary things. His mercy, grace, and presence are greater than our fears, our failures, and our unworthiness.

We are called to step onto holy ground, to respond to His call, and to trust that He will be with us, even in the most dangerous and daunting places. Like Moses and Peter, may we have the courage to say הִנֵּנִי Hineni! (“Here I am!”) and to follow where He leads.

God liberated Israel by defeating Egypt’s false gods. Yeshua defeated death and evil through His death and resurrection. God told Moses he was being sent into the stronghold of evil and oppression—dangerous territory indeed. Oppression is the Devil’s weapon. God warned Moses that the people he would liberate would be stubborn and difficult. They were not good in themselves, and Moses tried to avoid the mission. No one wants to go into the Devil’s house to rescue captives—but God chose Moses (and Aaron) for this task.

Wherever the Devil rules, oppression follows. The only way to set people free is to confront that oppression directly. It is natural to be afraid of such a calling. Whenever an angel appeared, the first words were, “Do not be afraid.” Fear is natural in the presence of the holy—but in His compassion, God transforms fear into courage. When He calls us to a mission, He also equips us with what we need to succeed.

Just as God sent Moses into Egypt and Peter into the home of Cornelius, He is still calling us today to carry His light into places of darkness and oppression. The burning bush reminds us that His presence refines but does not consume, and that His Spirit empowers us to stand where we could not stand in our own strength.

As followers of Yeshua, we are grafted into Israel’s story of redemption, called to walk in holiness, and commissioned to bring the good news of Messiah to both Jew and Gentile alike. Let us not shrink back from the difficult missions before us, but trust that the same God who spared the bush, who sustained Moses, and who poured out His Spirit on the nations will go with us, equipping us to proclaim His Kingdom until all Israel and the nations know Him.

May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who revealed Himself in the burning bush and in the person of Yeshua, empower us to defeat oppression, to walk in faith, and to become vessels of His mercy and light in the world.