Moses was doing a humdrum job in the desert. Does that ring a bell with you? Does life feel mundane, average? Even the most significant job can sometimes be like that. Moses saw a bush which appeared to be burning yet not burning up. He didn’t think, It’s probably a trick of the light and carry on. He went over to investigate. He “turned aside” as the KJV says, and had an amazing encounter with God. Moses was made the architect of one of history’s most momentous events: the Exodus, the liberation of God’s people and the foretaste of the Greater Exodus which Jesus wrought on the Cross. God even told Moses His Name, which defies human definition, a name meaning that God is ever-present and always there for His people.


All this was because Moses “turned aside” one typical, mundane day. The burning bush was not just another inexplicable, trivial thing. Moses wanted to learn. The “behold” in our passage reminds us that God is near indeed, revealing Himself significantly in the insignificant places of life.