|
We can almost imagine the scene. Moses
was having a normal day tending his sheep,
when suddenly he noticed a bush burning,
but it was not consumed. He got up to
look, maybe racing over to see it. When
just as suddenly, God called him by name,
and he responded, "Here am I."
At that point, God told him to stop, not
to come closer, and to take off his sandals
because the very ground was holy.
It's impossible to know what Moses was
feeling or thinking at that moment, but
up to this point, there is no indication
that he attached any religious significance
to the moment. He ran over to see what
was happening without any hesitation or
compunction about doing so. God established
the boundary: Don't come any closer. Moses
was prevented from thoughtlessly intruding
into the presence of God. God told him
to remove his sandals, which was considered
to be a sign of respect (much like a modern
day person might take off a hat). God
declared the place to be holy ground because
of His presence. It was not intrinsically
holy, nor did it remain holy past its
purpose (for God to reveal Himself to
Moses). Scholars don't have a clue where
this place was. There are no ancient markers
or pilgrimages to this spot, but then
they can't identify Mount Horeb (site
of the Ten Commandments) either, and the
Israelites stayed there for months.
This situation is much like the one recorded
in Joshua 5:15. Suddenly, Joshua was approached
by "the captain of the Lord's host"
(whoever that might have been) and told:
"Remove your sandals from your feet,
for the place where you stand is holy."
Both times, the holiness is derived from
the presence of the Lord and it does not
outlast the experience. The parallel event
in Joshua was key to his authorization
and authentication as Moses' successor.
Joshua led the people into the land of
promise; Moses stayed behind. Entering
the Promised Land had more to do with
the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham
than to the issue of holiness. But there
is no reason to believe that Moses was
being "punished" by not having
this experience. His commission was to
bring the people out of Israel and he
surely fulfilled that. (Read
the previous Q&A on this issue.)
Having said that, however, the insight
behind the question is inspiring. It hints
again at the completeness of Moses' experience,
and his unique relation to God. He was
spared the challenges of settling in the
land of promise thereby making it possible
for him to spend his time with God. He
needed no other reward.
|
