1.17.25 ~ Overcoming the Fire 🔥
Good morning!
Happy Preparation Day!
We, speaking of me, myself and I, often leave the stories from the Torah in Sunday School form: nice stories about historical figures from long, long ago vs peeling the layers off the proverbial onion to glean 21st century truths to conform our lives to (Rom. 15:4).
In our Torah portion, this week, we are introduced to Moses and his encounter at the burning bush (Ex. 3). This morning, I want to personalize this for us :-)
We know the story version where Moses, shepherding his father-in-law's sheep in the Sinai wilderness, suddenly sees a blazing thornbush. The Angel of the Lord, which I believe is Yeshua/mem tet, appeared to Moses in a blaze of fire from amid a thorny-bush. Moses saw and behold the bush was burning in the fire but was not consumed. Moses said to himself, 'I must go over there and gaze at this great sight—why isn't the bush burning up from the flames? When Moses approaches the scene, God reveals Himself to him, saying: "Don’t approach here. Stop! Hold the phone. Remove your shoes from your feet, for the place upon which you stand is holy ground." He then speaks to Moses, identifying Himself as the God of your fathers," and charging him with the mission of leading the Israelite people to redemption (Ex. 3:1-10).
As with all narratives in Scripture, there are many layers, which leads us to many questions. Why a thorn bush/seneh? God has made numerous appearances in the Torah till this point. Yet never was it in a burning bush not being consumed.
Second, why did God tell Moses not to approach the bush? What would be wrong with him coming closer? Isn't that we all want? Isn't that what He wants? Closeness? Intimacy?
Third, what does God mean when He says, "The place upon which you stand is holy ground?" Why was the actual earth upon which he was standing holy? The burning bush was holy, for God was present in the flame, thus Moses was standing in a holy place. But why the emphasis on the actual sand and earth?
Enquiring minds want to know :-)
I think this vision captures one of the common dilemmas in the life of every believer and indeed of every searching human being.
One of the great challenges of every sincere person striving to grow spiritually is that even when he or she manages to fan the fire in their soul, the fire never consumes the thorns present in the depths of our soul. The passion is aglow, the heart is aflame, the ecstasy is ablaze, but the thorns refuse to be consumed in the flame. Toxicity and anxiety take over. E.g. Have you ever been in the midst of sincere prayer to God, but suddenly a most ugly thought or craving will flare up in your mind? Or, you may be experiencing a most happy moment in life, but suddenly the most obnoxious emotion surfaces in your heart. Even in our most potent fires, the thorns abound. Even in our most intimate, subtle, refined, joyous, spiritual experiences, we confront irrational fears, demons, and traumas...I resemble those remarks. They often surface to the conscious in the least expected moments.
On the most personal level, the story of the burning bush, which would not consume the thorns, embodies the dual conflict in our hearts. On one hand, we experience a desire to be good and moral. But then, at other times, we are mundane and careless, overtaken by beastly tendencies, selfish impulses, and ugly emotions. What is ironically worse, these polar opposites are often experienced in such close proximities with each other. Are you tracking with me?
I start my early morning with a sense of awe, wonder, splendor, and amazement at the potential of the day. I am inspired, motivated to serve God, to pray, to learn Torah, to engage in mitzvos, good and holy deeds. Barely several hours—sometimes minutes—pass, and boom! The sublime ecstasy withers away. At this time, 'my super spiritual powers' suddenly have a hard time refusing a slice of pepperoni pizza, a particular website, or a terrible angry impulse.
When my heart is idealistic, I say to myself, "I really love this. It’s great. Life is beautiful. I wouldn’t give this up for anything in the world." And then, it’s all gone. The whole spiritual high is reduced to ashes. I am reduced to a small, petty, ridiculous, fearful, depressed, and angry creature. Ugh! It makes us, speaking of me, myself and I, like a giant hypocrite.
Moses, the first and greatest teacher for God's people. I can imagine as he approaches the thorn bush and asks, "Why doesn't it get consumed?" If the fire is real, why does it not consume the thorns?! How is it possible, Moses wonders, that if a person’s spirituality is authentic, it has no bearings on his or her thorns? Unless of course, the fire was a delusion; only my imagination from spending too much time in the sun.
God responds: "Remove your shoes from your feet because the place upon which you stand is holy ground." For me, these words revolutionize my approach to the enduring struggle. Holiness lies in the very place upon which you stand. Don’t wait till you reach your own spiritual utopia; rather, the very place where you stand is holy; You're where you're supposed to be; a relationship with God does not mean that you are a darkness-free, thorn-free, struggle-free environment. We, speaking of me, myself and I, must encounter the holiness in your present situation.
God continues to tell him: "I am the God of your father." I am present in the midst of this thorny bush. I am in this flame, even though the thorns have not been eliminated.
We each operate with the "monkey brain," an insecure and self-centered consciousness, focusing on survival and fast comfort (aka the yetzer hara), and a Divine, transcendental soul, aligned with the infinite depth and purpose of existence (aka the yetzer hatov); both are essential for survival and daily living. But, both create the constant struggle between these two perceptions of ourselves and the world.
When we 'take off our shoes' we are holding onto the potential truth and never dying spark of inner holiness (Jn. 1:9), in spite of ugly thoughts still lingering within our minds. I need to remember, to never allow my external animal self to dictate and take control of the narrative of my life. The toxic voices are here to help us crystallize who we really are; each of them coming to make us grow and become the person that we are capable of becoming (Rom. 8:29; Matt. 5:48; Heb.6:1-3).
The type of individual who struggles and overcomes is known as a banuni; someone who continues to keep building from where they are in order to become who they are designed to be. The banuni is not the individual who always wins, but he is also not the human being who is defeated. He is the individual who fights daily to uncover the truth of his own infinite depth; He is you (Prov. 24:16)!
Like Moses, it was a starting point to become who he was destined to be. It's a good place to start in 2025 and/or a good mindset as you continue into your 2025 :-)!
Happy preparation day!
Shalom
We, speaking of me, myself and I, often leave the stories from the Torah in Sunday School form: nice stories about historical figures from long, long ago vs peeling the layers off the proverbial onion to glean 21st century truths to conform our lives to (Rom. 15:4).
In our Torah portion, this week, we are introduced to Moses and his encounter at the burning bush (Ex. 3). This morning, I want to personalize this for us :-)
We know the story version where Moses, shepherding his father-in-law's sheep in the Sinai wilderness, suddenly sees a blazing thornbush. The Angel of the Lord, which I believe is Yeshua/mem tet, appeared to Moses in a blaze of fire from amid a thorny-bush. Moses saw and behold the bush was burning in the fire but was not consumed. Moses said to himself, 'I must go over there and gaze at this great sight—why isn't the bush burning up from the flames? When Moses approaches the scene, God reveals Himself to him, saying: "Don’t approach here. Stop! Hold the phone. Remove your shoes from your feet, for the place upon which you stand is holy ground." He then speaks to Moses, identifying Himself as the God of your fathers," and charging him with the mission of leading the Israelite people to redemption (Ex. 3:1-10).
As with all narratives in Scripture, there are many layers, which leads us to many questions. Why a thorn bush/seneh? God has made numerous appearances in the Torah till this point. Yet never was it in a burning bush not being consumed.
Second, why did God tell Moses not to approach the bush? What would be wrong with him coming closer? Isn't that we all want? Isn't that what He wants? Closeness? Intimacy?
Third, what does God mean when He says, "The place upon which you stand is holy ground?" Why was the actual earth upon which he was standing holy? The burning bush was holy, for God was present in the flame, thus Moses was standing in a holy place. But why the emphasis on the actual sand and earth?
Enquiring minds want to know :-)
I think this vision captures one of the common dilemmas in the life of every believer and indeed of every searching human being.
One of the great challenges of every sincere person striving to grow spiritually is that even when he or she manages to fan the fire in their soul, the fire never consumes the thorns present in the depths of our soul. The passion is aglow, the heart is aflame, the ecstasy is ablaze, but the thorns refuse to be consumed in the flame. Toxicity and anxiety take over. E.g. Have you ever been in the midst of sincere prayer to God, but suddenly a most ugly thought or craving will flare up in your mind? Or, you may be experiencing a most happy moment in life, but suddenly the most obnoxious emotion surfaces in your heart. Even in our most potent fires, the thorns abound. Even in our most intimate, subtle, refined, joyous, spiritual experiences, we confront irrational fears, demons, and traumas...I resemble those remarks. They often surface to the conscious in the least expected moments.
On the most personal level, the story of the burning bush, which would not consume the thorns, embodies the dual conflict in our hearts. On one hand, we experience a desire to be good and moral. But then, at other times, we are mundane and careless, overtaken by beastly tendencies, selfish impulses, and ugly emotions. What is ironically worse, these polar opposites are often experienced in such close proximities with each other. Are you tracking with me?
I start my early morning with a sense of awe, wonder, splendor, and amazement at the potential of the day. I am inspired, motivated to serve God, to pray, to learn Torah, to engage in mitzvos, good and holy deeds. Barely several hours—sometimes minutes—pass, and boom! The sublime ecstasy withers away. At this time, 'my super spiritual powers' suddenly have a hard time refusing a slice of pepperoni pizza, a particular website, or a terrible angry impulse.
When my heart is idealistic, I say to myself, "I really love this. It’s great. Life is beautiful. I wouldn’t give this up for anything in the world." And then, it’s all gone. The whole spiritual high is reduced to ashes. I am reduced to a small, petty, ridiculous, fearful, depressed, and angry creature. Ugh! It makes us, speaking of me, myself and I, like a giant hypocrite.
Moses, the first and greatest teacher for God's people. I can imagine as he approaches the thorn bush and asks, "Why doesn't it get consumed?" If the fire is real, why does it not consume the thorns?! How is it possible, Moses wonders, that if a person’s spirituality is authentic, it has no bearings on his or her thorns? Unless of course, the fire was a delusion; only my imagination from spending too much time in the sun.
God responds: "Remove your shoes from your feet because the place upon which you stand is holy ground." For me, these words revolutionize my approach to the enduring struggle. Holiness lies in the very place upon which you stand. Don’t wait till you reach your own spiritual utopia; rather, the very place where you stand is holy; You're where you're supposed to be; a relationship with God does not mean that you are a darkness-free, thorn-free, struggle-free environment. We, speaking of me, myself and I, must encounter the holiness in your present situation.
God continues to tell him: "I am the God of your father." I am present in the midst of this thorny bush. I am in this flame, even though the thorns have not been eliminated.
We each operate with the "monkey brain," an insecure and self-centered consciousness, focusing on survival and fast comfort (aka the yetzer hara), and a Divine, transcendental soul, aligned with the infinite depth and purpose of existence (aka the yetzer hatov); both are essential for survival and daily living. But, both create the constant struggle between these two perceptions of ourselves and the world.
When we 'take off our shoes' we are holding onto the potential truth and never dying spark of inner holiness (Jn. 1:9), in spite of ugly thoughts still lingering within our minds. I need to remember, to never allow my external animal self to dictate and take control of the narrative of my life. The toxic voices are here to help us crystallize who we really are; each of them coming to make us grow and become the person that we are capable of becoming (Rom. 8:29; Matt. 5:48; Heb.6:1-3).
The type of individual who struggles and overcomes is known as a banuni; someone who continues to keep building from where they are in order to become who they are designed to be. The banuni is not the individual who always wins, but he is also not the human being who is defeated. He is the individual who fights daily to uncover the truth of his own infinite depth; He is you (Prov. 24:16)!
Like Moses, it was a starting point to become who he was destined to be. It's a good place to start in 2025 and/or a good mindset as you continue into your 2025 :-)!
Happy preparation day!
Shalom
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