Exodus 3:5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which
you are standing is holy ground.”
When Moses saw the bush not being consumed in flames, he came near out of curiosity. But when
Moses heard God calling his name twice, fear crept in to Moses. It further made him afraid when God
prevented Moses from coming closer. Why? Because the place is a holy ground (v5).
In most cultures, footwear needs to be taken off as a sign of respect to the house. Moses needs to
realize that this is not his house, but God’s house. But more importantly, in their time, removal of
footwear means that they confess that they are defiled and unworthy to be there. The idea is when you
travel you gather dirt on your shoes. It is disrespectful to enter the house of God with the dirt of the
sinful world. This kind of separation between the Holy Creator God and the sinful creature human
should always be in our minds. The Creator and creature distinction.
Consider how God declared Himself:
6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
The Holy God of Israel is right before Moses. The God of their patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The
One who saw all Moses’ evil works. This wasn’t a new God, this is the same God that he never talked to
for 40 long years of hiding. He knew God knows His sins.
In today’s world, many don’t take church seriously because they have a low view of God and a high view
of themselves. The reason why people do not read His word, pray to Him, show compassion to people is
because people see themselves as the highest being. Whenever we take pictures, when do we
determine it is it properly taken? Only when we look good in the pictures even if others look foolish. We
think highly of ourselves.
Why do many neglect the importance of Bible Studies and Prayer Meetings and Lord’s Day service?
Because we do not revere God. We do not have a high view of God. If we have a high-view of God then
our worship would prioritize Him and His glory instead of us being emotionally moved. We can be
emotional but consider checking if your emotions are for God alone.
Be aware of the holiness of God. Let us take time to acknowledge His awe-inspiring presence by taking
our relationship with Him seriously. Fully resolve within yourself that you are a created being graciously
maintained and sustained by this holy and powerful Creator God. God’s holiness demands it to be
recognized and respected. If we do this, we will for sure live correctly before God as we embrace
reverence to His holiness. Then, we will begin to understand that the greatest need of Man is found in
the greatest satisfaction that only God can provide.
