Charles Spurgeon Commentary Exodus 3:2

"And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed." — Exodus 3:2 (ASV)

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed (Exodus 3:2).

How near God seemed in those ages when he could be beheld in a bush or sitting under an oak! And is he not equally near to us if we are but prepared for his presence? Surely pure eyes are rare, or sights of God would be more frequent, for the pure in heart shall see God (Matthew 5:8).

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

It might well say, "Behold." I have seen a bush set alight by a match. It blazed in a moment, but it was gone in another moment. It burned up so fiercely and hastily.

But God was pleased to make a poor, consumable bush to be the unharmed place of his abiding. He dwells today in the human person of the Saviour. The Godhead is in Christ.

He dwells today in the church, which might well enough be consumed by his presence; but it is not consumed.

He can come and dwell in my heart and in yours tonight, and yet we shall bear the presence of Deity until the hour of our death.

He has a way of so throwing himself into our feebleness that it becomes strong, and what might otherwise have been destroyed is even preserved by his presence. The bush burned with fire, and was not consumed.