THE BURNING THISTLE-BUSH (EX.3)
So Moses was a shepherd and one day he was tending the flocks of his father-in-law, Jethro, the pagan-priest of Midian. And he led them far into the back of the wilderness and came to the mountain of YAHUSHA in Koreb (Sinai). And YAHUSHA Himself appeared to Moses in a blazing flame of fire from the midst of a thistle bush. Moses was flabbergasted, for he saw the bush burning brightly, totally engulfed with flames yet it had no power over the bush to consume it.
“What’s all this about? A burning bush that doesn’t burn up? I gotta see more of this!"
And YAHUSHA saw that He’d gotten Moses’ attention and called out to him from the midst of the bush, “MOSES! MOSES!”
“Yes, I’m right here”
“Don’t come too close Moses, take off your sandals, for you are standing on set-apart ground”.
(YAHUSHA’S ESTEEM IS LIKE RADIATION AND CAN'T BE IN CONTACT WITH ANYTHING COMMON OR UNCLEAN).
And as Moses took his sandals off, YAHUSHA said “I am the Alahim of your father and of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”.
And when Moses heard this he covered his face because he was afraid to look at the living Alahim. Then YAHUSHA told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave-drivers. Trust Me, I’m well-aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out into their own land of blessings, a land owing with milk and honey, the place where the Canaanites, Kittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Kuis and Jebusites now live. My Son it’s time, the cry of the people of Yisharal has reached Me, and I’ve seen how cruel the Egyptians abuse them and crush their spirits. So into the very palace of the Pharaoh Himself and to My chosen nation, I am sending . . . YOU! . . . . Now go my son, and lead My people Yisharal out of Egypt.”
But Moses was gob-smacked and protested, “Why on earth would You send me? As if I could ever go to the Pharaoh and lead the people of Yisharal out of Egypt?”
“Don’t worry Moses, I am with you and the proof (SIGN) of this will be obvious when you bring My people back to this very mountain and serve Me here”.
THIS STRONG AND BOLD SON OF THE MIGHTY PHARAOH WAS NOW SHY, AFRAID AND UNSURE HOW TO SPEAK!
“So let me get this straight, You want me, a nothing, a no one to go to the people of Yisharal and say ‘The Alahim of your fathers has sent me to you’, and when they say ‘Which Alahim? What’s His name?’ What am I supposed to say then? How will I convince them?”
ACCORDING TO EGYPTIAN RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, KNOWING AN IDOL/DEITY’S PERSONAL NAME (AND THERE WERE LOTS OF THEM) GAVE YOU THE POWER TO MANIPULATE IT INTO DOING WHATEVER YOU WANTED IN A GIVEN AREA. BUT ONLY IF YOU KNEW IT’S NAME! SO MOSES’ QUESTION HERE REFLECTS 400 YEARS OF YISHARAL BEING TOTALLY IMMERSED IN THE PAGAN WORSHIP OF ANCIENT EGYPT.
“This has always been My Name and will always be a remembrance to all generations to come. Now go and call together all the elders of Yisharal.
(NOT THE RULING TRIBAL PRINCES OR CHIEFS BUT THE ELDERS OF THE COMMON FOLK – YAHUSHA ALWAYS BYPASSES THE RELIGIOUS FREAKS AND THE ELITISTS AND REACHES OUT TO THE LOWLY COMMON PEOPLE).
Tell them that YAHUAH ALAHIM appeared to you and told you that He’s been watching closely, and He sees how the Egyptians are treating you with such cruelty. And now He’s promised to rescue you from your slavery in Egypt and will lead you to a land owing with milk and honey, the land where the Canaanites, Kittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Kuis and Jebusites now live. The elders of Yisharal will listen to you, then you and the elders must go to the Pharaoh and tell him that YAHUAH THE MIGHTY ALAHIM OF THE HEBREWS has met with you and ask him to let you all leave, but only to travel three days journey into the wilderness so you can slaughter offerings to Me”.
WHY ASK TO LEAVE FOR ONLY 3 DAYS? WHY NOT FOREVER? BY THE PHARAOH REFUSING TO ALLOW THEM TO SEPARATE FOR EVEN A MERE 72 HOURS, THE ELDERS OF YISHARAL (who were actually comfortable in their slavery) WOULD COME TO REALISE THAT THE ONLY PATH FOR THEM WAS COMPLETE AND UTTER SEPARATION FROM EGYPT THROUGH THE DELIVERANCE OF YAHUSHA.
“But I know this . . . the Pharaoh will not let you go, not even when a mighty st forces him too. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders. Then at last he will let you go. And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you and they’ll give you gifts when you go so you won’t leave empty-handed. Every woman of Yisharal will ask for silver and gold and ne clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from the foreign women in their houses, dressing their sons and daughters with them, and plundering the Egyptians of all their wealth . . . O’ they’ll have a ball cleaning them all out.”
But Moses objected again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘YOU??? WHO ARE YOU?? AS IF YAHUAH THE ALAHIM OF OUR FATHERS EVER APPEARED TO YOU’?”
And YAHUSHA said, “What’s that in your hand?”
“A shepherd’s stick,”
“Chuck it down on the ground”,
So Moses threw down the stick, and it turned into a serpent and Moses quickly jumped back.
“Now pick it up by its tail.”
So Moses reached out and grabbed the serpent by it’s tail and it turned back into a shepherd’s stick in his hand. “Show them this sign and they’ll believe you, and they’ll know that I, Yahuah the Alahim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has really appeared to you.”
But Moses still had his doubts so YAHUSHA said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.”
So Moses put his hand onto his chest inside his garment and when he took it out again his hand was white as snow with a grotesque skin disease. “Now put your hand back into your cloak,”
So Moses put his hand back in, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body.
“If they don’t believe you and are not convinced by the first miraculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign. And if they don’t believe you or listen to you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. And when you do, the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground.”
But Moses pleaded with YAHUSHA, “Please my Master, I’m hopeless with words. I’ve always been, and even though You’ve spoken to me, I’ll stuff it all up cause I can’t speak properly!”
MOSES NEEDED TO CONVEY THE TRUTH, RAW AND WITHOUT COMPROMISE AND BEING SLOW OF SPEECH MEANT HE COULD DO THIS MUCH BETTER THAN IF HE WAS AN ELOQUENT SPEAKER WHO WOULD EASILY REACT TO OPINIONS AND INCORPORATE THE IDEAS OF AN AUDIENCE TO BE BETTER APPRECIATED.
“WHO MADE MAN’S MOUTH? WHO DECIDES THE DUMB, DEAF, SEEING OR THE BLIND? ISN’T IT ME? NOW GO! I’ll be with you as you speak, and tell you what to say.”
But Moses again pleaded, “MASTER PLEASE!!! Send anyone else.”
Then YAHUSHA’S anger raged against Moses.
“SERIOUSLY??? . . . FINE, What about your brother Aaron the Levite? I know He speaks well. And look! He’s on his way out to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you, I will instruct you, you will instruct Aaron and he will be your spokesman to the people. Now take your shepherd’s rod with you and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you.”
