Exodus 3:2 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
This verse is one of the many that reveals how the Lord Himself is intentional in saving His people. In this
case, two significant details should be recognized: the angel of the Lord and the bush that is not
consumed.
Who is this Angel of the Lord? The passage itself reveals to us that the angel of the Lord is not just any
other angel. In the passage, the Angel of the Lord is in the burning bush and speaks differently from
other messengers of God. Typically, He should be speaking as though delivering a message; but in
Exodus 3:4 the Angel was recognized as God. Furthermore, in verses 7 to 8, He proved that He was the
same God who heard the cries of Israel. Later, He instructs Moses to tell the Israelites that “I Am” sent
him. This is God’s Name that all Israelites understood. It is the same name Jesus used for Himself, which
made the Israelites of His time infuriated (Jn 8:58-59). Despite their reaction, this tells us that Jesus was
the Angel of the Lord speaking to Moses. This is the second person of the Trinity’s pre-incarnate
appearance in the Old Testament
The burning bush is also important, as it reflects God’s nature. Moses said in Exodus 3:2 “And Moses
said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” A bush burning in the dessert
is not something new, but a bush not being consumed by fire is truly a sight to see. This signifies God’s
self-sufficiency. The bush was not consumed because God does not need its fuel. He can live by Himself.
This is an important point: God can live even without us. He will continue to be God, yet by His grace, He
chose to save us.
God’s grace is further demonstrated by His personal involvement in the redemption plan. He doesn’t let
things roll and hopes that something good will come out. No. He personally sets everything in place to
accomplish His purpose. God Himself, as the Angel of the Lord, an identification of Christ, came down to
deliver Israel. This is a foreshadowing of Christ’s future work of redemption.
As children of God, we can rest assured that the One who saved us is the same God who will care for us
until He comes again. His self-sustaining power humbles us, for despite being complete in Himself, He
still came down to earth to save us personally. And because of His work, we continue to praise His
glorious name.
