John Calvin 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 to him. It was necessary that He should assume a visible form, so that He might be seen by Moses—not as He was in His essence, but as the infirmity of the human mind could comprehend Him. For we must believe that God, whenever He appeared in ancient times to the holy patriarchs, descended in some way from His majesty, so that He might reveal Himself as far as was useful, and as far as their comprehension would allow. The same is also to be said of angels, who, although they are invisible spirits, yet when it pleased the Almighty, assumed some form in which they might be seen.

But let us inquire who this Angel was, since soon afterwards He not only calls Himself Jehovah, but claims the glory of the eternal and only God. Now, although this is an allowable manner of speaking because the angels transfer to themselves the person and titles of God when they are performing the commissions He entrusted to them, and although it is plain from many passages (and³⁷ especially from Zechariah 1) that there is one head and chief of the angels who commands the others, the ancient teachers of the Church have rightly understood that the Eternal Son of God is so called regarding His office as Mediator, which He figuratively bore from the beginning, although He truly took it upon Himself only at His Incarnation.

And Paul sufficiently expounds this mystery to us, when he plainly asserts that Christ was the leader of His people in the desert (1 Corinthians 10:4). Therefore, although at that time, properly speaking, He was not yet the messenger of His Father, still His predestined appointment to the office even then had this effect: He manifested Himself to the patriarchs and was known in this character. Indeed, the saints never had any communication with God except through the promised Mediator. It is not surprising then, if the Eternal Word of God, of one Godhead and essence with the Father, assumed the name of “the Angel” because of His future mission.

There is a great variety of opinions regarding the vision. It is too forced an allegory, as some make it, to say the bush represents the body of Christ, because His heavenly majesty did not consume it when He chose to inhabit it. It is also improperly twisted by those who refer it to the stubborn spirit of the nation, because the Israelites were like thorns, which do not yield to the flames. But when the natural sense is presented, it will not be necessary to refute those interpretations which are improbable.

This vision is very similar to that former one which Abraham saw (Genesis 15:17). He saw a burning lamp in the midst of a smoking furnace; and the reason assigned is that God will not permit His people to be extinguished in darkness. The same analogy applies to the bush retaining its wholeness in the midst of the flame. The bush is likened to the humble and despised people; their tyrannical oppression is not unlike the fire that would have consumed them, had God not miraculously intervened. Thus, by the presence of God, the bush escaped safely from the fire. As it is said in Psalm 46:1, that though the waves of trouble beat against the Church and threaten her destruction, yet she shall not be moved, for God is in the midst of her. Thus the cruelly afflicted people were aptly represented, who, though surrounded by flames and feeling their heat, yet remained unconsumed because they were guarded by the present help of God.

³⁷ Calvin’s own commentary on Zechariah 1:8, will best explain this reference; there, also, he inclines to identify the chief of the Angels with the Son of God. “There were then, as it were, a troop of horsemen: but the Prophet says that one appeared as the chief leader, who was accompanied by others.” “There was one more eminent than the rest, and in this there is nothing unusual, for when God sends forth a company of angels, he gives the lead to some one. If we regard this angel to be Christ, the idea is consistent with the common usage of Scripture,” etc. — Com.. on Zech., pp. 31-33.., pp. 31-33.