Exodus 3:3 says - "And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight..."
Acts 7:31 says - "When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him."
Both of the above Scriptures found in Exodus and Acts refer to Moses' experience at the "Burning Bush." But please take note how he reacted upon seeing this "bush" that was on fire - yet was not consumed.
First of all, he "saw" it. It caught his eye. It excited his curiosity. Recognizing it to be a "great sight" - an extraordinary or "out of the ordinary" sight - it attracted his attention. It caused him to become inquisitive and bold in his enquiry - in finding out the reason for this strange and amazing phenomenon.
The Scripture tells us that after he "saw" it, and "wondered" at it, he then "drew near to behold it" - so as to take a more exact view or to discover the "truth" of it. The more he "drew near to behold it," the more he was struck with amazement.
It was then that the "voice of the Lord came unto him." Yahweh spoke to him from the midst of the "bush."
This is how Moses responded to the "wondrous works of God."
Then we go over to Job 37 where we find Elihu rehearsing before God's servant the countless "works of God" - His thunder, lightning, snow, rain, whirlwind, cold, and frost.
In verse 14, he turned to Job and said - "Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God."
Here Elihu was addressing himself closely to Job - begging him to listen to what he had to say concerning the lessons which such events were fitted to convey respecting God.
"Listen," Job. Now that I have your attention, "stand still." In other words, "pause awhile." Allow yourself to enter into a deep contemplation on the subject at hand.
"And consider the wondrous works of God." Weigh everything about them. Examine them separately and collectively. Draw right conclusions from the whole of them.
This is how Elihu suggested that - not only Job - but we as well - respond to the "wondrous works of God."
Moses exhorted us to - "see" them..."wonder" at them..."draw near to behold them"...and hear the "voice of the Lord" speaking through them. Elihu exhorted us to "listen closely"..."pause awhile" and deeply contemplate the "works of God" - examining and drawing right conclusions from them.
In response to all of this, Matthew Henry offered this comment - "What we hear is not likely to profit us unless we consider it, and we are not likely to consider things fully unless we stand still and compose ourselves to the consideration of them."
At this point, let me stop and ask you a pointed question - What would you consider to be the "greatest" of "God's wondrous works"?
Moses thought it was the "bush" that burned - yet was not consumed. Elihu felt it was God's display of "power" in nature.
I think that you would have to agree that it is that which the Apostle Paul depicted in 1 Timothy 3:16 - "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..."
Paul was talking about God appearing in human form with a human nature. He was talking about the Incarnation - the union of two (2) natures (the divine and the human) - the virgin birth of Jesus.
He described it in this way - "And without controversy..." - meaning undoubtedly... certainly...undeniably ...and without dispute - "great is the mystery of godliness." That which had been hidden or concealed is now revealed. The divine scheme embodied in Christ that was once hidden from ages and generations is now "manifested." The doctrine respecting the Incarnation and work of the Messiah has now become a subject of the deepest importance and of utmost consequence. It has become the pillar and ground of truth for all of Christianity.
In Psalm 111:2, David said of "God's wondrous works" - "The works of the LORD are great..." They are "great" like Himself. They are magnificent. Nothing in them is mean or trifling. They are the products of His infinite wisdom and power. In each of them, there is something so surprising that strikes awe.
Oh, and how much more can this be said of the - Incarnation - "the mystery of godliness" - "God was manifest in the flesh..."?
But David did not stop there in speaking of the "greatness" of "God's works." He went on to say - "...sought out of all them that have pleasure therein." Those who truly love the Lord delight in His handiworks. They understand that there is more in them than what appears on the surface. So they carefully study them so as to find all they can - respecting His power, wisdom, majesty, and goodness.
Charles Spurgeon had this to say in comment - "Because the works are great they cannot be seen all at once, but must be looked into with care..."
Yet, at this time of Christmas, we find that there are so many distractions from the world and the devil to keep us from "looking with care" at the greatest of "God's wondrous works" - the Incarnation - "the mystery of godliness" - "God was manifest in the flesh."
We have the world telling us that we cannot say - "Merry Christmas" - lest we offend the unbeliever. Then we have those who want to quench any type of celebration of Christ's birth with all of the beautiful festivities, lights, ornaments, carols, decorations, etc. Or we have the "merchants" who want to turn this "glorious event" into nothing more than an opportunity for them to make money.
Perhaps, as Christians, we need to learn from Moses and Elihu on how to "respond" to "God's glorious work."
The Scriptures tell us - first of all - that Moses "turned aside." It was then that he "saw" the "burning bush" and "wondered at the sight." "As he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him."
God wants us to do the same for the "greatest" of all "works" that we celebrate at this time - and that is, that He became a man.
It is going to take "turning aside" from any and all distractions. When we do, we will "see" this "mystery of godliness" like we have never seen it before. It will cause us to "wonder" at its "sight."
It is when we "draw near to behold" the true meaning of Christmas - "God manifested in the flesh" - that we will hear "the voice of the Lord" - opening up this "mystery" to us in ways that we have never seen before.
We need to also heed the instruction of Elihu in dealing with this "greatest" of all God's "works." We need to not allow the hustle and bustle of shopping, cooking, preparing, etc. to hinder us from "pausing awhile" and allowing ourselves to enter into a deep contemplation of this grand subject.
God is calling His people to "consider His wondrous works" in the Incarnation.
With that in mind, allow yourself to enter into a deep contemplation on this subject.
"And consider the wondrous works of God." Weigh everything about the Incarnation. Examine it separately and collectively. Draw right conclusions from it.
Stop and take the time to look at Christmas with care. Study it. Reflect much on it.
Just as Moses was filled with "wonder at the sight" of the "bush that burned, yet was not consumed," even so be filled with "wonder" at the "sight" of the "child born" and "son given" - Who is none other than - "Immanuel" - "God with us."
God has a message for you in this grand and glorious event.
Remember, we are talking about His most "wondrous" of "works."
So, "turn aside" from all that would distract you..."stand still" ..."see this great sight"..."wonder" at it... "consider" it..."draw near to behold it"...and "hearken" to "the voice of the Lord" speaking through it.
What do you hear?
May God Bless His Word,
Connie
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. (Isaiah 54:17)
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