Apr 14
5
THE BURNING BUSH
Much valuable instruction and consolation may be derived from the consideration of the vision with which Moses was favored in the desert of Midian. “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.” (Ex. iii, 2.) Like Moses, I would now turn aside, and contemplate “this great sight;” at once so instructive and consoling.
This bush, which in the original signifies a thorny bush is a fit emblem of the church of God. Considered in itself, it is weak and worthless; a bramble bush, the lowest among the shrubs. “You see your calling, brethren,” writes the apostle to the church at Corinth, “how, that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, has God chosen, yes, and things which are not, to bring to nothing things that are; that no flesh should glory in his presence.”
“The bush burned with fire;” which justly represents the state of the church in this evil world. The malice of Satan—the persecutions of the ungodly—the corruptions of the heart—the trials and afflictions which come immediately from God for the purification of his people, may well be compared to fire.
The bush, though on fire, “was not consumed.” This is a wonderful sight indeed. Here the grace and power of Jesus are eminently displayed. The church has always been in a furnace, and yet never consumed; yes, rather purified and brightened in proportion to the intensity of the flame. The cause of the church’s preservation is revealed to us. The Lord was in the bush. “God is in the midst of her, therefore shall she not be moved.” “The gates of hell shall not prevail against her.” “Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.” “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it he afraid.”
This remarkable vision should teach us humility. The church is not compared to a stately cedar, but to a bramble-bush. We must have low thoughts of ourselves. Man is naturally proud. This inbred evil, even after conversion, rebels against the motions of the Spirit. Hence arises spiritual pride.
When the Lord graciously imparts his gifts for the edification of the church, how prone we are to take the praise of these endowments to ourselves. This made the lowly-minded apostle expostulate with the Corinthian converts; “Who makes you to differ from another, and what have you that you did not receive? Now if you did receive it, why do you glory, as if you had not received it?” “Knowledge puffs up, but charity edifies.”
Moses equally cautioned the ancient people of God against this subtle poison. “The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people, for you were the fewest of all people; but because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers.” “It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.” Deut. 9:5-6. How slow are we to learn this humbling, yet precious truth; that salvation is all of grace, rich grace abounding to the chief of sinners.
The beauty and glory of the church are derived from Christ. He is the glory, as well as the glorifier of his people Israel. Filled with his Spirit, and bearing his image, the church “looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and majestic as an army with banners.” Jesus beautifies the meek with salvation. “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” “By the grace of God, I am what I am.” “In the Lord shall the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.”
From this vision we are taught to expect trials while journeying through this desert world. Sometimes the storm rages violently, and the flame burns with awful intenseness; yet nothing of the church shall be consumed, but its dross. Thus the malice of Satan and the world is overruled for good. Persecution tends only to refine the saints of God. It quickens their graces, and puts new life into their prayers. They run to the strong-hold, and are safe under the fostering care of an Almighty Savior. At such trying seasons, the chaff and the withered branches are consumed. Mere nominal professors cannot endure those persecutions, which are designed in God’s providence to separate the precious from the vile. “It must be that offences come;” “That those who are approved, may be made manifest.”
The consideration of “this great sight” should teach us confidence in the faithfulness and power of Jesus. He is in the bush. He never leaves nor forsakes his people. “When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”—is the gracious sustaining promise.
This vision of a bush burning, yet unconsumed, affords a striking view of the perpetuity of the church of Christ. Nothing shall be allowed to destroy this treasure of Jehovah. It may be reduced, and often has been reduced to the lowest ebb; but in the most degenerate times God never left himself without a church, however few in number, to show forth his praise. From Abel down to the present hour, there has ever been “a remnant according to the election of grace.” When the whole earth was filled with violence, and all flesh had corrupted its way before God, “‘Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He was a just man, and perfect in his generation, and Noah walked with God.” The desolating flood at length descended, and everything wherein was the breath of life perished, except the little church of God, which was preserved in the ark on the bosom of the tempestuous waters!
After the deluge, iniquity began to spread with awful rapidity. Idolatry reared its rebellious tower in the plain of Shinar; and the knowledge of the true God became gradually shrouded in ignorance and superstition, until the Almighty called Abraham by his grace, and caused genuine piety to flourish once more in himself and family.
When planted in the land of Canaan, the Israelites soon forsook the God of their fathers. In the midst of abounding idolatry, the Lord raised up a prophet in whom seemed to center all the religion of the land. In the grief of his heart he said, “It is enough. Now, Oh Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” “I, even I, only’ am left; and they seek my life to take it away.” But what was the answer of the Lord to Elijah? “I have left seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal.”
When our blessed Lord came in the flesh, darkness covered the earth and gross darkness the people; yet even then there were a chosen few, who in faith “waited for redemption in Israel.”
Oh, my soul, rejoice in this great salvation. Lord, grant unto your unworthy servant a portion of this felicity. Make me even now a living member of your mystical body, poor in spirit, and pure in heart, patiently enduring every trial, daily exercising faith in your truth and mercy; adoring your sovereignty; admiring your power; and rejoicing in the perpetuity of the grace which lives in all your faithful people, and preserves them unto your eternal kingdom and glory.
Let my whole heart praise you, you God of my salvation. Let my whole life be consecrated unto you. The work, Oh Lord, is yours. You alone can new-create the soul. Perform this act of grace, this miracle of mercy, for your own glory and to your everlasting praise. Amen. Thomas Reade
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O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. 2 Chronicles 20:12
Jehoshaphat did not know what to do; he was altogether at his wit’s end; and yet he took the wisest course a man could take. This is the beauty of it; that when we are fools, then we are wise; when we are weak, then we are strong; when we know not what to do, then we do the only right thing. O had Jehoshaphat taken any other course; had he collected an army, sent through Judah, raised troops and forged swords and spears he would certainly have been defeated! But not knowing what to do, he did the very thing he should do. “Our eyes are upon you.” “You must fight our battles; you must take the matter into your own hands. Our eyes are upon you, waiting upon you, looking up, and hoping in you; believing in your holy name, expecting help from you, from whom alone help can come.”
But this is painful work to be brought to this point, “Our eyes are upon you,” implying there is no use looking to any other quarter. It assumes that the soul has looked, and looked, and looked elsewhere in vain, and then fixed its eyes upon God as knowing that from him alone all help must come.
This I believe to be the distinctive mark of a Christian, that his eyes are upon God. On his bed by night; in his room by day; in business or at market, when his soul is in trouble, cast down, and perplexed, his eyes are upon God. From him alone all help must come; none else can reach his case. All other but the help of God is ineffectual; it leaves him where it found him; it does him no good. We are never safe except our eyes are upon God. Let our eyes be upon him, we can walk safely; let our eyes be upon the creature, we are pretty sure to slip and stumble. J.C. Philpot.
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“He must increase, I must decrease.”
As the years pass, I come to a greater and greater realization of how much I must depend upon the grace of God for my salvation. My righteousness appears less and less acceptable in my sight: and if it looks poor in my sight, how awful it must appear in God’s sight! My will and determination do not appear half so strong as they once did, and I feel a greater need to rely upon the unchangeable will of God if I am to persevere. This business of growing in grace is not at all what I once thought it would be. Rather than growing stronger, it seems I am growing weaker. Rather than growing more self-sufficient, it appears that I am growing more Christ – dependent. My utter dependence on Christ for all things is more evident to me now than before. I suppose this is why Peter united growing in grace with growing in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. So, if your desire is to grow in grace, then prepare yourself to diminish; prepare yourself to reduce in the flesh, for growth in grace is a growth in “Christ being formed in you,” which always follows the old pattern “He must increase, I must decrease.” Pastor Joe Terrell
For there are no bands(pangs of mental or even physical pain) in their death. This is mentioned as the chief wonder, for we usually expect that in the solemn article of death, a difference will appear, and the wicked will become evidently in trouble. The notion is still prevalent that a quiet death means a happy hereafter. The psalmist had observed that the very reverse is true. Careless persons become case hardened, and continue presumptuously secure, even to the last. Some are startled at the approach of judgment, but many more have received a strong delusion to believe a lie. What with the surgeon’s drugs and their own infidelity, or false peace, they glide into eternity without a struggle. We have seen godly men bound with doubts, and fettered with anxieties, which have arisen from their holy jealousy; but the godless know nothing of such bands: they care neither for God nor devil. Their strength is firm. What care they for death? Frequently they are brazen and insolent, and can vent defiant blasphemies even on their last couch. This may occasion sorrow and surprise among saints, but certainly should not suggest envy, for, in this case, the most terrible inward conflict is infinitely to be preferred to the profoundest calm which insolent presumption can create. Let the righteous die as they may, let my last end be like theirs. CHSpurgeon commentary on Psalm 73:4