Moses and the Burning Bush | Bible Stories Retold

He had run for his life. And for 40 years, he thought God was done with him. Moses was born to a Hebrew slave family. But he grew up in Pharaoh's palace, raised as a prince of Egypt. He had everything. But he never forgot where he came from. One day, Moses went out to see his people at work. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. He looked this way and that way. And when he saw no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day, two Hebrews were fighting and Moses tried to break it up. One of them turned on him, who made you a prince and a judge over us. "Do you plan to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Moses was afraid. His secret was out. And Pharaoh wanted him dead. So Moses ran, all the way to the desert of Midian. The prince became a nobody. He married, had a son, and tended another man's sheep. He named his son Gersham because he said, "I have been a stranger in a strange land." 40 years went by. Every day, the same rocks, the same sheep, the same silence. Maybe he thought, "This is it. This is what I deserve." Then one day, near the mountain of God, Moses saw something strange, a bush on fire.

But it wasn't burning up. When he went closer, God called to him from the bush. "Moses? Moses? Here I am." "Take your sandals off your feet, for the place you are standing on is holy ground. I have seen the misery of my people. I have heard them crying out. I know how they are suffering. So now, go. I am sending you." Moses said, "Who am I? Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?" He knew his record, a murderer, a fugitive, a failure. And God didn't argue with any of that. He just said, "Certainly I will be with you." Moses kept making excuses, "What if they don't believe me? I'm not a good speaker. Please send someone else." But God wasn't looking for someone else. He was looking for Moses. So Moses picked up his staff and started walking. Back toward the place he had run from. He would lead his people out of slavery and be remembered as one of the greatest leaders who ever lived. Maybe you've done something you can't undo. Maybe you've spent years thinking God is finished with you. Moses thought so too. But 40 years in the desert wasn't the end of his story. It was where God was getting him ready. God didn't ask Moses to erase his past. He said, "I will be with you." ♪♪♪