Baby Moses had been left in a waterproof basket in the rushes along the edge of the Nile, where he was discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter, who eventually adopted him (Exodus 2:1-10. He was raised in the royal palace, with all the advantages of wealth and education. Yet apparently he knew that he had been born as a Hebrew, for when he went out he saw “his people, and saw their forced labor,” and when he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, “one of his own people,” he took the side of his own people, and killed the Egyptian (2:11-12).

A day later Moses realized that people were talking about how he had killed the Egyptian, and he ran away to escape punishment. He headed northeast, out of Egypt into the wilderness of Midian, where he got married, had a son, and worked for his father-in-law taking care of his flocks (2:15-22, 3:1). Being a shepherd is honest work, but as he slept each night under a thin blanket in the cold desert air, it had to feel like a big step down from the luxurious bedchamber where he had grown up.

Then he saw the burning bush. The text does an interesting thing here. It tells us that this was “the angel of the Lord” (3:2) appearing to Moses, so that at this point in the story we know what’s happening, while Moses sees the fire but does not yet know what it means. And Moses says, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is not burned up” (3:3).

And it was only when “the Lord saw that Moses had turned aside to see” (3:4) that the voice of God called Moses by name, and began to fill Moses in on his call to go back to Egypt to set the people free and bring them to the promised land flowing with milk and honey (3:4-12). What might have happened if Moses had not bothered to be interested? Would God have redeemed the people of Israel some other way? Probably. Eventually. Yet it makes me wonder: how many opportunities to participate in the work of God’s kingdom have we missed out on, because we did not pause, and consider, and take a step to find out more?

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Day by day you offer us chances to encounter you, O Lord, in unexpected moments: but we often hesitate to step aside and see what you are doing. Grant us a sense of curiosity and openness, ready to sense your presence and hear your voice, so that we may bow in worship and follow your call.

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