First sentence: THE BURNING BUSH HAS BEEN a significant symbol throughout the history of the church, and for good reason. In the account of Moses and the burning bush, we see God’s self-revelation. God appeared to Moses and provided an all-important disclosure: His everlasting, covenant name, Yahweh. The burning bush, as a symbol, signifies an encounter with the transcendent God and His divine revelation.
Originally a teaching series with ten lectures, Moses and the Burning Bush has now been adapted into a book. The chapters/messages are: "The Invisible Hand of God," "The Burning Bush," "A Consuming Fire," "The Angel of the Lord," "Holy Ground," "I AM: The Name of God," "I AM: The Being of God," "I AM: The Aseity of God," "A Divine Mission," and "A Shadow of Christ."
The premise of this one is simple. Sproul writes in the introduction, "One of the church’s biggest problems is that we don’t understand who God is." Later he writes, "In the very early days of Ligonier Ministries, somebody asked me, “What are you trying to do? What’s your mission? What’s the purpose of this ministry that you’ve put together?” I told him, “It’s a teaching ministry to help ground Christians in the Word of God,” and he responded, “What is it that you want to teach, that the people don’t already know?” That was easy. “Who God is,” I said." He follows that up with this sad but true statement, "I think the greatest weakness in our day is the virtual eclipse of the character of God, even within our churches."
In one way, every book Sproul writes shares a common theme, a common premise--to explore, to explain, to examine WHO GOD IS. God is a God who has revealed himself in the written word. He is a God who wants to be known.
In this short book, readers get an in-depth expository message on Moses and the Burning Bush found in Exodus 3. In particular, he focuses on the verse Exodus 3:14.
Sproul writes, "That moment in biblical history when Moses encountered the presence of God in the burning bush is a watershed episode, not only for the life of Moses, or even for the history of Israel, but for the history of the entire world. This book will consider the significance of that event, looking at Moses’ life leading up to that encounter and focusing on the knowledge of God that is revealed in that particular incident."
I enjoyed reading this one. I do think it shows that it was originally a sermon series. Sometimes it got a bit repetitive which makes complete sense in an audio sermon given to an audience with wandering attention spans. Plus, time goes by from week to week--so it's good in a sermon series to remind your congregation of where you are and where you've been. I read it in one sitting. If I'd read it over a couple of days, I probably would not have noticed the repetitiveness.
Favorite quote:
Why does someone worship God? Why give to Him reverence and adoration that is different from any esteem that might be given to anything in the created world? It’s easy to love God, be grateful to Him, and worship Him because of the wonderful things He’s done in history, and in our own personal histories—but a Christian’s reverence for God doesn’t rise to true worship until that Christian worships God not for what He has done but for who He is in His transcendent majesty.
© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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