Exodus 3: “The Burning Bush and the Call of Moses”
A Fully Catholic, Patristic, and Theological Commentary on Divine Revelation and Mission
1. “Now Moses Was Keeping the Flock of His Father-in-Law Jethro, the Priest of Midian”
(Ex 3:1)
The scene begins in simplicity: a shepherd in the wilderness.
Before he can lead God’s flock, Moses must learn gentleness and patience among sheep.
God prepares great leaders through humble labour.
St Gregory of Nyssa writes:
“He who would shepherd men must first shepherd beasts; discipline over the irrational prepares rule over the rational.”
(Life of Moses, II.11)
The desert is also the place of silence and purification — a symbol of the contemplative life where God speaks to the heart.
2. “He Led His Flock to the West Side of the Wilderness and Came to Horeb, the Mountain of God”
(v. 1b)
“Horeb” (later called Sinai) already bears the title “mountain of God” because it will become the place of covenant.
In Scripture, mountains represent revelation — the meeting of heaven and earth.
Moses ascends not yet physically but spiritually; he is being drawn upward by grace.
St Bede the Venerable:
“The mountain of God is contemplation; whoever withdraws from the noise of the world ascends toward the vision of God.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.46)
3. “The Angel of the LORD Appeared to Him in a Flame of Fire out of the Midst of a Bush”
(v. 2)
This is one of the great theophanies of the Old Testament.
“The Angel of the LORD” (mal’ak YHWH) is not a created angel but a visible manifestation of God Himself — traditionally interpreted by the Fathers as the pre-incarnate Word, the Second Person of the Trinity.
St Gregory of Nyssa:
“The bush burned with fire yet was not consumed, signifying the mystery of the Virgin, who bore the divine fire without being consumed.”
(Life of Moses, II.12)
St Augustine confirms:
“The Angel is the Lord Himself; for He says, ‘I am the God of Abraham.’ This Angel is the Mediator — Christ.”
(City of God IX.12)
Explanation: The Burning Bush as Symbol
Divine Presence: Fire symbolises holiness — purifying yet not destroying.
Incarnation: The bush that burns but is not consumed prefigures the Virgin Mary, bearing the divine Word without loss of virginity.
Church and Saints: The Church, surrounded by persecution (fire), yet not destroyed.
Personal Holiness: The soul inflamed by divine love yet preserved by grace.
St John Chrysostom:
“The bush is the soul inflamed by the love of God and unconsumed by passion.”
(Homilies on Exodus, frag.)
4. “Moses Said, ‘I Will Turn Aside to See This Great Sight’”
(v. 3)
The initiative of faith: Moses turns aside — an image of conversion.
He leaves the ordinary path to approach mystery.
True revelation always requires detachment and wonder.
St Augustine:
“He turned aside, and thus turned within; for whoever seeks to see God must first leave himself.”
(Sermon 113)
5. “When the LORD Saw That He Turned Aside to See, God Called to Him out of the Bush”
“Moses, Moses!” And he said, ‘Here I am.’” (v. 4)
The double call expresses affection and urgency.
God’s calling always begins with personal address — name and relationship.
“Here I am” (hinneni) is the response of readiness, the same word spoken by Abraham (Gen 22:1) and Samuel (1 Sam 3:4).
St Bede:
“God calls by name those He already knows by love.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.46)
6. “Do Not Come Near; Put Off Your Sandals from Your Feet, for the Place on Which You Are Standing Is Holy Ground”
(v. 5)
The command teaches reverence before holiness.
Removing sandals symbolises humility and the stripping away of earthly attachments.
Only the barefoot soul can tread on holy ground.
St Ambrose explains:
“Cast off the covering of sin, that you may feel the sacred earth — for where Christ is, there is holy ground.”
(On the Mysteries II.5)
The Fathers also interpret sandals as the dead skin of habit — the old self that must be removed in conversion.
7. “And He Said, ‘I Am the God of Your Father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’”
(v. 6)
This self-identification links Moses with the patriarchal covenant.
The God who now speaks is not new, but the same faithful Lord who bound Himself to the ancestors.
Continuity is the mark of true revelation.
Christ Himself quotes this verse in Matthew 22:32 to prove the resurrection of the dead: “He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”
St Augustine:
“God’s name is bound to the living; therefore those who die in Him live still.”
(City of God XXII.11)
8. “Moses Hid His Face, for He Was Afraid to Look at God.”
(v. 6b)
Reverent fear, not terror: the recognition of divine majesty.
To see God is to be overwhelmed by holiness; humility is the first fruit of revelation.
St John Chrysostom:
“The beginning of wisdom is not knowledge but awe; the humble see more than the curious.”
(Homilies on Genesis LIV)
9. “Then the LORD Said, ‘I Have Surely Seen the Affliction of My People Who Are in Egypt’”
“And have heard their cry because of their taskmasters; I know their sufferings.” (v. 7)
The four verbs — seen, heard, know, come down (next verse) — reveal the divine compassion in action.
God is not distant; He is personally involved in human pain.
St Bede:
“He who sees, hears, and knows, already comes to heal; His knowledge is mercy.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.46)
10. “And I Have Come Down to Deliver Them”
“And to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land.” (v. 8)
“Come down” is the language of Incarnation.
God descends to lift His people.
The Exodus is the Gospel in shadow: redemption by divine condescension.
St Gregory of Nyssa:
“He descends in compassion that we may ascend in glory.”
(Life of Moses, II.15)
The “good and broad land” prefigures heaven — the spaciousness of divine life contrasted with the narrow bondage of sin.
11. “Come, I Will Send You to Pharaoh That You May Bring My People Out of Egypt.”
(v. 10)
Here begins Moses’ mission — God’s call and commission.
The shepherd becomes liberator.
But this is not self-appointment; the authority comes from God’s sending.
The Church sees in this the pattern of vocation: divine initiative, human hesitation, and grace-sustained mission.
12. “Who Am I That I Should Go to Pharaoh?”
(v. 11)
Moses’ humility borders on self-doubt.
He has learned the weakness of human effort.
True mission begins with this awareness: deliverance is God’s work, not man’s.
St Augustine:
“When man says, ‘Who am I?’ God says, ‘I am.’”
(Sermon 113)
13. “He Said, ‘But I Will Be with You.’”
(v. 12)
The divine answer to all inadequacy: I will be with you.
This is the heart of covenantal assurance — echoed later to Joshua (Josh 1:5), Jeremiah (Jer 1:8), and fulfilled perfectly in Emmanuel, “God with us” (Matt 1:23).
St Bede:
“The promise ‘I will be with you’ is grace itself: God’s presence is the power of every saint.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.46)
14. “This Shall Be the Sign for You… When You Have Brought the People Out of Egypt, You Shall Serve God on This Mountain.”
(v. 12b)
The sign comes after obedience — faith must walk before sight.
Worship (serve God) is the goal of liberation; freedom is given not for self-rule but for divine service.
St Ambrose:
“He is truly free who serves God.”
(On the Duties of the Clergy II.26)
15. “Then Moses Said to God, ‘If I Come to the People and Say, “The God of Your Fathers Has Sent Me,” and They Ask Me, “What Is His Name?” What Shall I Say?’”
(v. 13)
Moses anticipates doubt.
The request for a name means: “By what authority or power?”
In Scripture, a name reveals essence and presence.
16. “God Said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’”
“Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (v. 14)
This is the central revelation: the Divine Name, YHWH (usually rendered “the LORD”).
It expresses absolute existence — He Who Is.
God is not one being among others but Being itself, eternal, unchanging, self-sufficient.
St Augustine explains:
“He is called ‘I AM’ because He truly is; all other things have being only by participation.”
(City of God VIII.11)
St Thomas Aquinas later echoes:
“This name signifies God’s essence as existence itself — ipsum esse subsistens.”
(Summa Theologiae I, q.13, a.11)
Christ reveals the same mystery when He says, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” (Jn 8:58)
Explanation: The Divine Name
“I AM WHO I AM” (Ehyeh asher ehyeh) = absolute, faithful, self-existent Being.
It denotes both transcendence and covenant presence: “I AM with you.”
The name later becomes YHWH — reverently unspoken by the Jews, replaced in reading with Adonai (“Lord”).
The Church, following the Septuagint, renders it as Kyrios (“Lord”) — the same title given to Christ.
17. “Say This to the People of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of Your Fathers, Has Sent Me to You.’”
“This is My name for ever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” (v. 15)
Revelation is covenantal: the eternal God binds Himself to human history.
“Remembered” here means invoked and worshipped.
The knowledge of God’s name is the beginning of true religion.
St Bede:
“He who knows God’s name knows His mercy; to call on Him is to live.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.46)
18. “Go and Gather the Elders of Israel Together”
“And say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers… has observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt.’” (vv. 16–17)
The call now becomes a mission.
Moses must announce not speculation but promise: God has seen and will bring up His people.
Salvation begins with proclamation — the Word precedes the miracle.
St Augustine:
“The preacher’s first work is not to deliver but to declare.”
(Sermon 113)
19. “They Will Listen to Your Voice, and You and the Elders Shall Go to the King of Egypt”
“And you shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us.’” (v. 18)
Faith involves obedience even before signs appear.
Moses is to begin with respectful petition — “Let us go three days’ journey” — showing that God’s demands are merciful, not arbitrary.
St John Chrysostom:
“God condescends to ask what He could command, teaching patience even in His servants.”
(Homilies on Exodus, frag.)
20. “But I Know That the King of Egypt Will Not Let You Go Unless Compelled by a Mighty Hand.”
(v. 19)
God foresees resistance; the Exodus will be a contest between divine power and human pride.
Yet this is not fatalism — it is providence working through human freedom.
St Augustine:
“God’s foreknowledge does not cause Pharaoh’s hardness, but uses it for mercy’s display.”
(Enchiridion 100)
21. “So I Will Stretch Out My Hand and Strike Egypt with All the Wonders That I Will Do in It.”
“After that he will let you go.” (v. 20)
“Stretching out the hand” is biblical imagery for divine action.
The “wonders” (the plagues) are not mere punishments but revelations — God showing His superiority over Egypt’s idols.
St Bede:
“The mighty hand signifies the Incarnation: God’s power made visible in flesh.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.46)
22. “I Will Give This People Favour in the Sight of the Egyptians.”
“When you go, you shall not go empty.” (v. 21)
God promises both deliverance and restitution — the people will carry away the riches of Egypt, symbolising grace plundering the world’s wisdom for God’s service.
St Augustine famously says:
“As the Israelites took gold from Egypt to build the Tabernacle, so the Church takes learning from the world to glorify God.”
(On Christian Doctrine II.40)
23. “Each Woman Shall Ask of Her Neighbour Articles of Silver and Gold and Clothing.”
(v. 22)
This prophetic instruction, fulfilled in Exodus 12:35–36, signifies the reversal of fortune: slaves leave as victors.
The same hands that once mixed mortar now carry treasure.
St Gregory of Nyssa:
“To strip Egypt is to take from the world whatever may serve virtue.”
(Life of Moses, II.18)
24. Theological Summary
| Theme | Explanation |
| Divine revelation | God reveals Himself personally and by name. |
| The burning bush | Symbol of God’s presence, Mary’s virginity, and the Church’s endurance. |
| Holiness | Reverence and moral purity required to approach God. |
| Vocation | God calls the humble and assures them with His presence. |
| The Divine Name | “I AM WHO I AM” — being itself, faithful and eternal. |
| Mission and deliverance | God sends Moses with word and power to redeem His people. |
25. Moral and Spiritual Application
Seek the desert of prayer. Silence prepares the heart for divine encounter.
Approach God reverently. Remove the sandals of pride and distraction.
Trust the “I AM.” God’s presence is your sufficiency.
Accept your mission. Every Christian is sent to proclaim deliverance.
Sanctify knowledge. Use the “gold of Egypt” — human wisdom — for the glory of God.
26. Christological and Ecclesial Reading
| Old Covenant Type | Fulfilment in Christ |
| Burning bush | Virgin Mary bearing the divine Word. |
| Moses’ mission | Christ sent by the Father to deliver humanity. |
| “I AM WHO I AM” | Jesus’ self-revelation in John 8:58. |
| Deliverance from Egypt | Salvation from sin through the Cross. |
| Worship on the mountain | The Church’s worship in Spirit and truth. |
St Gregory of Nyssa concludes:
“He who stands barefoot before the fire beholds the Word in mystery; for the bush is the Virgin, and the fire is the Godhead dwelling in her.”
(Life of Moses, II.13)
27. Closing Prayer
O God of the burning bush,
who revealed Your Name to Moses
and called him to lead Your people from bondage,
inflame our hearts with the fire of Your love.
Teach us to approach You in humility,
to hear Your voice in the desert,
and to trust the power of Your presence.
As You revealed Yourself as “I AM,”
be with us in every trial and mission,
that we may serve You on the mountain of eternal joy.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 