Daily Lesson for January 4, 2016

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Exodus chapter 3 verse 1:

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

We all know the story of Moses and the Burning Bush and we've been told a thousand times how while Moses was keeping the flock the LORD suddenly appeared to him in the bush which was aflame but could not be consumed.

But were you ever told or did you ever notice where it was that Moses was keeping the flock?  Scripture says, he was on the west side of the wilderness.  That would be on the side nearest Egypt which is a very curious place for a guy who is wanted in and on the lam from Egypt.  Why would Moses be there, so near to the place and people he was said to be running away from. Shouldn't he have been keeping that flock as far east could rather than the west?

It makes me wonder whether or not that sudden burning bush appearance might not have been so sudden after all. Moses was in the wilderness 40 years after escaping Egypt the first time. What if there was something in Moses leading him back towards Egypt long before the LORD appeared to him in the burning bush telling him to go back to Egypt and lead His people out.  What if then the burning bush was a sign of something already aflame in Moses but not consumed -- not put out. What if Moses himself was in some way the burning bush?

We all have our burning bushes within.  Little sparks of desires that will not go away. These are the promptings, the nudges, the nagging itches of the Holy Spirit. This is calling. Listen to it.  Listen to the flame within. Pay attention to the promptings which just won't go away. As the Scripture says Moses did at the LORD's appearance in the burning bush, turn and see what this thing might be.

In other words, if you for some reason keep leading the flock to the west then by all means go west, young man!