When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, Acts 7:31

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The previous verse said, “And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.” With that remembered, Stephen now says, “When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight.”

The words are more fully explained in Exodus, saying, “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, ‘I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn’” (Exodus 3:2, 3).

Seeing a bush on fire may not be that unusual, but one that burns and is not consumed would certainly draw one’s attention. The mountain is Sinai, where the law was given. Paul says that “by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). Thus, we have a picture developed of the work of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to besin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

The bush anticipates Christ who became our sin and yet instead of being consumed through the judgment on our sin, He purifies us from it. He embodies the law given at Sinai for us, having never sinned under it. Through this account, the Bible gives us an anticipatory look into the work of Christ. As for Moses, Stephen continues with, “and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him.”

That is recorded in Exodus 3 as well –

“So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’
And he said, ‘Here I am.’” Exodus 3:4

There is the fire, and there is a voice, but there is no physical form. Moses responds to the voice, acknowledging his presence. It is a beautiful picture being developed. Moses means “He who draws out.” He is being called to draw out the word of the Lord to present it to the people. But first, He must draw the people out of the bondage of Egypt. The Lord is using Moses to anticipate the greater fulfillment of the redemptive plans of God in delivering His people from the bondage of sin through His drawing out the Word of God through the Person of Jesus Christ.

Life application: Although we should not expect divine appearances of the Lord, nor expect to hear audible voices from the Lord today, we have the word of the Lord right with us in the pages of Scripture. Too often, we look for the miraculous and ignore that which is right at hand, ready to serve us up a meal of what God desires us to do. Let us not have this attitude, but instead hold fast to the word, reading it all the days of our lives.

It is through this word that we can intimately fellowship with our Creator. And so, let us make use of this beautiful avenue of fellowship every day of our lives!

Lord God, Your word is a treasure for us to read and consider. May we be responsible in seeking out its guidance every day of our lives. To Your glory! Amen.