Bible Commentaries

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, [even] to Horeb.

To the backside of the desert, — Here it was that Moses wrote the book of Genesis, and that of Job too, as some conceive, Alsted., Chron. for the comfort of his poor oppressed countrymen in Egypt, that they might lean upon, and live by faith in, the promises made to the fathers.

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And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush [was] not consumed.

And the Angel of the Lord. — Christ, that Angel of the Covenant, and of the great council.

And the bush was not consumed. — No more is the Church, whereof this is an excellent emblem, by the fire of tribulation, Isaiah 43:2 because of "the goodwill of him that dwelt in the bush." Deuteronomy 33:16

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And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

I will now turn aside, and see. — Moses came out of curiosity, but was called by God: so do many to the ordinances for novelty, as the Jews did to John Baptist; or for some other minister respect; to catch, it may be, and are caught, as those in John 7:46 . Or as Austin, who coming to Ambrose to have his ears tickled, had his heart touched. It is good to hear, howsoever. Come, said Latimer, to the public meetings, though thou comest to sleep; it may be, God may take thee napping. Absence is without hope. What a deal lost Thomas by being but once absent!

This great vision. — Great indeed. There was a flame of fire, else how was the bush burning? There was light, else how did Moses see it? There was no heat, else how was not the bush consumed? Yet in every of God’s afflicted, saith one, you may see this great vision. The voice of the Lord in his affliction, as in this fire, divideth the heat from the light, so that he is not consumed by the heat - nay, rather his infirmities and carnal concupiscences are consumed thereby - but only illuminated by the light. See Trapp on " Exodus 2:15 "

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And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here [am] I.

And when the Lord saw, … — God "meeteth him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness." Isaiah 64:5 Acti; agimus. The miller cannot command a wind; yet he will spread his sails, be in the way to have it, if it come. As our liberty, in external acts, is still some - as to come to church, to hear, to repeat, … - so must our endeavours be answerable.

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And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest [is] holy ground.

Draw not nigh. — Be not rash, but reverent. Heathens could say, Non loquendum de Deo sine lumine. God will be sanctified of all that draw nigh unto him. Leviticus 10:2

Put off thy shoes. — Of sensuality and other sins. Quid pedes, saith Erasmus, nisi affectus? Quid pedes calceamentorum onere liberi nisi animus nullis terrenis cupiditatibus oneratus? Affections are the feet of the soul; keep them unclogged.

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Moreover he said, I [am] the God of thy 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 upon God.

Hid his face. — So did the seraphims, with a double scarf, as it were. Isaiah 6:2 Let a man but see God, and his plumes will soon fall.

For he was afraid. — Yea, he "trembled, and durst not behold." Acts 7:32 This was his first meeting with God: when better acquainted, he grew more bold.

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And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which [are] in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

For I know their sorrows. — That is a sweet support to a sinking soul, that God knows all, and bears a part. "Your heavenly Father knows," … Matthew 6:32 That is enough.

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And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

I am come down. — Humanitus dictum, as in Genesis 11:7 ; Genesis 18:21 . See Trapp on " Genesis 11:7 " See Trapp on " Genesis 18:21 "

Milk and honey. — Plenty and dainties; all things both for necessity and delight.

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