Acts 7:1-51 / 31-34 – When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say: 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look. 33 “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.
“When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say:” My daughter-in-law will snap her fingers to get her the attention of her (beautiful) infant daughter. It usually works, for now. =) Here we see the Lord using the burning bush to get the attention of Moses. Moses wondered at the fire that engulfed the bush, but did not consume it. Throughout the Bible the Lord has used signs to get the attention of mankind in order to speak to him, or lead him, where He would have him go. Jesus did too many miracles and healings to write a list of them and they were all attention getters. What the Lord really wanted to do was to express to them the Truth and to lead them to the Father. The Lord got the attention of Moses so that His will would be done through him.
“‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.” The first thing that God did was identify Himself to Moses. For those who do not understand the fear of the Lord it is because it is so hard to conceive the almighty power of God. If a giant being appeared from outer space and was so large and powerful that when it walked it sent powerful tremors throughout the world, even if we were told that the being had only good intentions towards us, I submit that we would be terrified of it when it first began to approach us. Now imagine God who would terrify the imagined giant alien. That is only the beginning of the might and power of God. Of course Moses trembled, though we might not understand, we would all be terrified. In Revelation 6:15-17 those who have opposed God are terrified of God. They understand what those who don’t now reverentially fear God, understand. Moses was so overwhelmed, so afraid, that He couldn’t get himself to look at God. Wow!
““Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Family, any place that we are in God’s presence is Holy Ground whether that is at church, in your home, or on a mountaintop. Where ever God is, it is Holy. His presence changes everything. A common part of Asian culture is to take off one’s shoes before entering the house. They don’t want the dirt of the world tracked throughout the home. God tells Moses to take off his shoes. God does not want the ways of the world brought into the relationship with Moses. He is telling Moses to leave wherever he has been, whatever he believes, outside of the presence of God. God is speaking and only what God says is important. What our minds have thought of, what is incredible or humanly conceivable is not important. Drop our judgments and critiques and believe and do, what God is saying. It is God, the God who always was and always will be, who is speaking. Leave everything outside of what God has said or is saying outside, off of Holy Ground, and believe God. No matter how incredible, believe God, trust God and obey God. Family, when God speaks to us, take off our sandals, we are on Holy Ground.
“34 I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.” God has seen the oppression of His people. Of course He has, He sees and knows everything. To wonder if God is aware of our problems is to not remember or to display an ignorance or misunderstanding of exactly who is. Or perhaps one has never been in the presence of God? In that case, please, get alone and get with God. There is no better place to be than in His presence. Once we understand His goodness and His love, we will never again doubt that He is always and forever watching us and caring for us. God was and is watching over Israel and He is also watching over us! Praise God!
God calls Israel His own. We must never forget that. God has loved and will always love Israel. The Word of God, Old Testament and New Testament, is clear on that. Also, God loves us. He has called Israel “my people” and He also calls us His own. God calls you and me His own. Nothing better! Absolutely nothing better!
God heard their groaning. He is not only watching over them, but He is listening to them. We know there were those among them who began to doubt God and say “Where is God? If He cares, then why hasn’t He delivered us?” We know some of them thought that and we know some of us also do. Yet He God is saying that He has not forgotten, He has seen and He has heard the groaning of His people.
God then says that He has “come.” There is a perfect time for deliverance, a time for salvation and God knows when that time is (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Let’s be clear that it is God who knows the times of everything and it is us who do not know. If we know that it is an eternal truth that He is good and that He loves us, let us cling to that truth and not doubt God. Everything in all of the universe, including ourselves and our loved ones, may be doubted. But God is not a man, only He is God, therefore let us never doubt God. Family, no excuses, there is never, not ever, a good reason to doubt God. At the perfect time God came to earth to send Moses, a deliverer and savior of God, to save His people. At the perfect time God sent Jesus to earth, the Deliverer and Savior from God, to save all who will come. Praise God! Don’t you love it when His plan comes together!
God has His eyes on us. He calls us His own. He sees us. He listens to us. Jesus has come to us and delivered us. He has paid the full price that we might have peace between God and us. Let us remember the God who has no need to remember us because His attention is always on us. How is He able to do that? Because He is God. If you want a full explanation, well you’ll have to ask Him when you are speaking with Him One on one. If He tells you, please share with me. In the meantime, love, obey and trust God and always walk in the awareness of His love. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.