Moses and the Burning Bush
From Timeless Themes by Gowdy, Moore, & Skwire

Although moses was raised as the grandson of the Pharaoh, he still thought of himself as a Hebrew. Once, when he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, Moses tried to stop the Egyptian. In the struggle, the Egyptian was killed. This made the Pharaoh very angry, and Moses had to go into hiding.

While he was in hiding, he married and started to raise a family. Once, while tending his father-in-law's sheep, he saw a bush that burned without being burned down. Moses went closer to look at this amazing bush, up on the side of a mountain. As Moses came closer, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses."

Moses answered, "Here I am," and covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

God told Moses that the suffering Hebrews at the hands of the Egyptians had not gone unnoticed: God had heard the Hebrews' cries. Indeed, God had come to deliver them from the Egyptians and to bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey. Thus God was sending Moses to the Pharaoh to free the Hebrew people from Egypt.

But Moses protested, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Hebrew people out of Egypt? If they ask, 'What is the name of the one who has sent you!?' what shall I say?"

God said to Moses, "I am who I am. Say, 'I am has sent me to you. The God of your fathers and mothers, the God of Abraham and Sarah, the God of Isaac and Rebekah, the God of Jacob and Rachel has sent me to you.'" Moses still protested that people would not believe him. God told Moses to throw the staff he had in his hand on the ground. When Moses did so, the staff turned into a snake, and Moses drew back from it. God told him to grab the snake by the tail, and when Moses did, the snake turned back into a staff.

Then God told Moses to put his hand inside his cloak and then take it out. When Moses did so, his hand developed a very bad disease called leprosy. Then God told Moses to put his hand back inside his cloak and take it out. When Moses did, his hand was restored to health.

God told Moses, "If they will not believe you, or heed the first sign, they may believe the second sign. If they will not believe these two signs or heed you, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground."

Still Moses protested. He reminded God that he stuttered and wouldn't be able to speak well. God assured Moses that his speech would be taken care of. Moses still begged God to send someone else.

Finally God got angry and told Moses that Moses' brother, Aaron, would be there to speak for him, but that Moses must go. And so Moses and his family went to Egypt. Four times he had tried to get out of going. But he believed it was God who was calling him, so he went.