Any Old Bush Will Do

I want to first say that I can’t take credit for the title or idea of this blog entry. I went to my old church a couple of Sundays ago for homecoming and my former Pastor, David Gales, preached a wonderful sermon on the history of my former church. He referenced Exodus 3, where God speaks to Moses through the burning bush:

1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up." 4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." 5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." 6 Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that and into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." 11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" 12 And God said, "I will be with you…

Keep in mind Moses’ past. He was literally put in a basket and sent down the river! He was raised in Pharos’s house and later in life, killed an Egyptian who was beating an Israelite slave. He buried the Egyptian and fled to Midian and became a Sheppard for his father-in-law for 40 years until one day he was walking along and found a bush burning that wasn’t being consumed by fire. Look what he said at the beginning of verse 4:

“…Moses! Moses!”

God’s first words to Moses were his name. This tells me that no matter what Moses had done, where he was at, a forgotten shepherd on the backside of the desert, God knew his name. This said volumes to me. No matter what I’ve done, where I’m at, or who I am; God knows MY name. He can call out to me and use me, no matter what. Isn’t it awesome that Elohim, God the creator, knows MY name!

Now, let’s not forget the significance of the bush. Even though the type of bush is not mentioned in the Bible, some believe that it was a Creosote bush, a dry, thorny bush that mainly lives in the dessert. Not a very pretty bush, I may add.

So, look at this picture. God didn’t need a beautiful bush to set ablaze to speak to a forgotten shepherd on the backside of the desert give him the message that he will “send you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” “Any old bush would do.” God, also, didn’t need a King to deliver his people from the Egyptians. “Any old Shepherd will do.”

Compare this analogy to the birth of Christ. God could have selected a Queen to give birth to his son, Jesus. She could have lived in a beautiful palace and had servants tend to Jesus’ every need. But he didn’t. He selected a humble Mary. He selected a humble stable. He selected animals surrounding Mary as she ushered in our Lord. You see, “any old stable would do.” “Any humbled servant will do.”

Isn’t it amazing that our Lord, the Creator, the Redeemer, our Father used a bush to speak to Moses? That He used a Stable for His Son to be born in? How awesome it is to know that He used a murderer to deliver his people from Egypt and a he used a humble lady to deliver his Child. If he can do that, what do you think he can do through you and me? All we have to do is allow him to use ‘Little Ole Me.”