I suppose the situation with my wife’s toe surgery may have prompted this subject. She has pretty much been bare footed for a couple of weeks. Her feet have required a lot of attention. So I want to give some attention to your feet today.
When most folks get home after work, the first thing they do is take their shoes off and let their feet breath and get the blood flow going again. Your feet are the longest journey your blood has to go to and from your heart, which is why the feet are subject to problems if not taken care of. I recently heard that one of the top things that puts soldiers out of commission is foot problems. If you can’t walk, you are greatly hindered in doing a whole lot of things…
When Moses was forced to flee out of Egypt into the desert with his name on a wanted poster in the place where he grew up, stripped of his princely status, and everything that marked him as Egyptian royalty. He spends 40 years in the wilderness and just when he thought he had left his Jewishness behind, God meets him at a burning bush and commands him to take his shoes off. Egypt had already stripped him and now God is stripping him to equip him. This represented a new direction, at a new level for a new season and a new reason .
Let’s look at the account beginning in….Exodus 3:1 “Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. v2 And the angel (or person) of the LORD (Moses saw the physical form of Jesus) appearing 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. v3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not consumed. v4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. v5 And he said, Do not come close until you have put off the shoes from your feet, for the place whereon you stand is holy ground”.
Here’s some historical background connected to this event…..
From creation until this God-encounter, the mountain referred to here was called Horeb, but after Moses’ encounter with the burning bush it was called Sinai.
In the Hebrew, the word for the burning bush is Se’ne’h which is pronounced as Sinai, so that the encounter with God, changed that place forever.
When we have a Sinai type of encounter with God, nothing is ever the same again and that encounter becomes a “Holy Ground” launching pad which we move forth from.
It was at Sinai, that the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night began to go before Israel as they journeyed to the promised land.
The power of this burning bush experience was such, that just before his death, Moses blessed the 12 Tribes of Israel with the words… Deuteronomy 33:1 “And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel (the twelve tribes) before his death. v2 And he said, The LORD came from Sinai (the burning bush), and rose up from Seir (light that shines in darkness) unto them, he shined forth from mount Paran (God’s judgment on His enemies) , and He came with ten thousands of His saints and from His right hand went the fiery law for them.”
So the blessing contained a supernatural sending, a light in every dark place, and God’s judgment upon those who were fighting against God, in their behalf….
Someone has said that God went to the
Jewish people and said, 'I have Commandments that will make your lives so much better than they have been.'
'Commandments?' They said, 'How much are they?'
God said 'They're free.' They said… “Then we'll take 10 of them.”
Until the burning bush, Moses has tried to help his people in his own strength and influence, and he had failed miserably. Behind him he had left the esteemed position of son of Pharaoh, in line for the most powerful throne in the then known world, now he is in a place where there are no risks and no challenges and he has convinced himself, that he likes it that way. He is a broken person who has given up on his dreams, and he would rather just leave the deliverance stuff to someone else rather than risk failure, rejection and abandonment ever again. Moses would rather just survive out in the desert tending his father-in-law’s herds, than take a stand and get knocked down again.
Moses was full of questions, but he really didn’t want to hear the answers. He was so busy with why and how this had ever happened to him that he wasn’t listening….
God is about to get your attention….(May I have your attention please)….The burning bush is God getting Moses’ attention, whether he wants it or not! You see, Moses needs to get re-introduced to God and God needed to clear up a lot of misconceptions before Moses could be used of God for the most important mission of his life.
It’s like this…..When God wants to drill a man, And thrill a man,And skill a man. When God wants to mold a man, To play the noblest part.
When He yearns with all His heart, To create so great and bold a man,
That all the world shall be amazed, Watch His methods, watch His ways!
How He ruthlessly perfects, Whom He royally elects! How He hammers him and hurts him, And with mighty blows converts him, Into the shapes and forms of clay which, Only God understands, and While his tortured heart is crying, And he lifts beseeching hands! How He bends but never breaks, When his good He undertakes, How He uses whom He chooses, And with every purpose fuses him, By every act induces him, To try His splendor out- God knows what He’s all about.
You see when God told Moses to take his shoes off, Moses was taking off his preconceived ideas that had hindered and disqualified him for the walk that he must walk.
So God starts at the beginning and says “I am, that I am”….. The Aramaic says it this way…. (I am He who spoke the world and all things into existence, and I am the one who is sending you)
Moses says, but Lord, “I don’t have a plan” ….God says, “But I do, tell Pharaoh the people want to take a three day stroll out into the desert to offer sacrifices”… (sometimes you have to get away, in order to get your perspective right)
Then Moses says, “But what if they don’t believe me”… God says, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve, like turning your staff into a snake, turning your hand leprous then cleansing it, and oh yeah, turning water to blood. Someone has said, that “I’m responsible for what I say, but not what you understood that I said”.
Then Moses says, “But I’m a stutterer” God says, “I made your mouth, I can fix it”… But if you can’t get your head around that, I’ll give you a person who will speak for you….
When God shows up, leave your shoes and your worries at the door…
God is letting us know that it is not about our ability, but our availability!
We will never be all we need to be, but at the end of ourselves we find the beginning of “I Am”…. None of us are worthy or adequate, but He enables those whom He calls, and He equips those that He uses.
God could do it without us, but we have the amazing privilege of being chosen by Him to be part of what He is doing.
He calls us heirs and joint heirs…. Workers together with Him… fellow citizens of the household of faith… His body in the earth….
A man got the news that he’s not got much time left on this earth. He tells his pastor that he’s concerned about whether or not he’ll get into heaven. The pastor says I understand that you need 100 points. He says “I’ve been a good person and I’ve done a lot of good things. I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart." "That's wonderful," says the pastor, "that should be worth three points!" "Three points?" he says. "Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service." "Terrific!" says the pastor, "that's certainly worth 2 points." "2 points, is that all? How about this: I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for the homeless." "Fantastic, that's good for 4 more points," he says. "4POINTS!!" the man is desperate, "At this rate the only way I get into heaven is by the grace of God!" "In that case, you will make it in!"
One of our greatest problems as Christians is not knowing when to take our shoes off, in the presence of “I am, that I am”… and understanding that it is not I but Christ in me, the hope of glory!
So when Moses took off his shoes, it was a sign of surrender to God. It was a declaration that he was laying aside all excuses, and all arguments so that he could be clay that was ready to be shaped by the master potter Moses knew there was no need to argue, the one that was before him knew him better than he knew himself.
He SURRENDERED THE PAST! In order to fully join with God in the
present moment.
In taking off his shoes he was saying Lord, You know me. You know my faults; you know my warts, my quirks, my peculiarities. You know my uncertainties, you know my weaknesses, you know where I hurt, you know where I am troubled, and where I struggle… this is who I am.
I must stand unshod before you…. Nothing hidden, nothing held back….
Moses SURRENDERED HIS PLANS in order to be part of something much bigger that God was planning.
When you get up tomorrow, and you get ready to head into your day, take a moment and think….. All this day, I will be in the presence of God, all I do will be before an all seeing eye, and an all hearing ear.
Moses SURRENDERED HIS WALK in order to walk with the Master… God was changing his perspective which changed his perception of why he was where he was. His surrender gave him direction and purpose. He had gotten bogged down in his desert experience, and now God was about to show him the way out, and many would follow when he did….
God knows us enough to know what it takes to wake us up….
Picture if you will, an elderly woman seated on a train, quietly looking out the window, noticing everything that passes by: the lines of houses, the power-line poles, the rolling clouds, the children at play. A stranger is seated next to her. Smiling, the woman points to something in the distance. "See there," (she giggles, as she says it) "the rows of corn in the field. Isn't it wonderful?" The man’s response is "What's so wonderful about a common row of corn?" The woman just smiles,"You think it strange that a little field of corn has any kind of special meaning. But, you see, I just beat cancer, and in the time I have remaining in this wonderful world everything has looked so beautiful – and I realize I have missed so much. I feel like I’ve been asleep and someone just woke me up"
Friend, listen to me, It’s those moments when your vision has been renewed, hope has been rekindled, and your faith has been recharged, that cause you to take your shoes off…. You’re on holy ground!
We need to really get ahold of this statement made by God as He speaks to Moses… He says, “I have seen the misery of my people . . . I have heard them crying out . . . I am concerned about their suffering . . . so I have come down to rescue them” Now if you wonder sometimes if God sees your situation, your adversity, your challenges and your valleys .. just read that scripture and know that He sees, hears and cares!
He’s already come down and He’s got a plan for you…
Now remember, when God says to Moses at that burning bush in the wilderness, “Now, go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people out of Egypt”… The man is 80 years old at this time. GET REAL! Most folks are just looking to settle into a comfortable niche, get a good fishing spot, and a nice lounge chair, but definitely not preparing to oversee the evacuation of 2.5 million people out of Egypt’s bondage!
You’re not finished yet! Anyone who thinks they’re over the hill, or beyond the point of making much of a difference in God’s kingdom, look at Moses. He started out as a basket case and ended up in God’s show case!
I suppose we all need to just relax and take a deep breath, when God hands us these burning bush challenges that we don’t feel capable or at all prepared for….. I mean, if God spoke through a jackass, then He can surely use us as well.
Let it be said, that God is their God. The great I Am is sustainingthem, God blesses them, Holy Spirit guides them, Christ empowers them, and Grace and Favor is with them. In Him they live and move and have their being!
The same God who said to Moses, “I AM THAT I AM, Go, and I will be with you” …NOW SPEAKS TO US!
God sends us into a broken world, to bring hope in the midst of tragedy, faith in the midst of perilous times, love and compassion when folks are wounded and betrayed, and a purpose when the rug has been pulled out!
When you’re jobless He says “I am” … when you’re lonely He says “I am”.. when you’ve lost your way He says “I am”… when you’ve given up, He says “Here I am.”
It is to the unshod who have begun to see with new vision that He says… Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”.
Too many folks are drinking out of the toilet, when there is so much better available. We were not created for heaven, we were made for earth and heaven is the outcome of that. We can so focus on heaven that we miss the very thing that is our mission… to bring the transforming power of redemption here to this earth.
This was the call to Moses and it is our call as well.
Perhaps, as we experience our own burning bush moments, the Lord would not only say, “Take off your shoes” but He doesn’t stop there, He goes on to say “Now, walk in my shoes”….
Your walk talks and your talk talks but your walk talks louder than your talk talks. (shall I say that again)
In the Old Testament, the feet symbolize power, possession and domination. Moses removes his shoes at the burning bush and he is recognizing that God has all the power and what lies ahead requires bigger shoes than his.
According to ancient middle eastern texts, shoes symbolized ownership in property transactions. The old owner of a property would remove his shoe as he stood on the property and the new owner would place his foot on the property. To set foot on land was associated with ownership.
In the story of Ruth and Boaz, the kinsman redeemer relinquished his right to Naomi’s inheritance, by taking off his shoe and giving it to Boaz. So that now through Boaz, who is now the legal kinsman redeemer, and Ruth, all that Naomi had lost when her sons died, is regained.
In the same way, God was giving ownership to His people through Moses as Moses was willing to remove his shoes and let God do the choosing….
Daniel 4:17 “This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He wills…”
It is at this moment, when Moses removes his shoes, before he even returns to Egypt to confront Pharaoh, that God gives the land of promise to the Hebrew people through Moses, their newly appointed kinsman redeemer. And when they left Egypt, they took the spoils.. and that word is only used when a nation has been defeated….
From this point onward, God speaks of the land as being already theirs, they just needed to put their feet on it…. To seal the deal.
Joshua 1:3 “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon,I have given unto you, even as I said unto Moses”.
What is the dream God has put in your heart… What is the deepest desire that you’re holding on to….Understand that God is all about you receiving your inheritance that He’s always intended would be yours!
Perhaps it’s time to take your shoes off, and let Him give you what He desires… and He will declare you as the owner, long before you ever get there to set your foot upon it…..
An investigator estimates there is about 40 billion dollars in inheritances lying unclaimed in the US alone. It’s theirs but they have never claimed it because they were not aware it was theirs.
As the heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ, we can fail to receive the gifts that are ours by our covenant with God.
Listen friend, God sent someone who was willing to come and take His shoes off for you. Those unshod feet, walked up Calvary’s hill, carrying the cross that should have been mine. Then those beautiful feet were pierced by nails. But those feet marched into hell and took the keys from Satan, and marched out victorious as our kinsman redeemer. All this, so that we might receive the inheritance that Satan had stolen, but the nail scarred feet of Jesus, are our guarantee that it has been redeemed.
Exodus 6:8 “And I will bring you there, concerning all which I did swear to give you, and I will give it you for an heritage, I am the LORD”.
Claim your inheritance today, step into the shoes that will get you where God wants to take you, and nothing will ever be the same again
