The burning bush and Moses’ call is the commissioning encounter at Horeb in which the Angel of the LORD appears in fire within a bush that is not consumed, and God sends Moses to bring the Children of Israel out of Egypt. The scene turns Moses’ life in Midian toward Israel’s deliverance, grounding his mission in divine remembrance of the covenant and providing both signs and a speaking partner to meet his doubts.

Setting and Encounter

After the Children of Israel cry out under Egyptian bondage, God hears them and remembers the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses, meanwhile, is keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He leads it to the farthest end of the wilderness and reaches Horeb, the mountain of God.

The Angel of the LORD appears to Moses in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. Moses turns aside to examine the sight because the bush burns without being consumed. God calls him by name from within it; Moses answers, and is told not to approach and to remove his shoes because the ground is holy. Identifying himself as the God of Moses’ father and of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God prompts Moses to hide his face.

The Commission and Its Promise

God declares that he has seen the affliction of his people in Egypt, heard their cry under their taskmasters, and knows their suffering. He says he will deliver them from the Egyptians and bring them to a good and spacious land, described as flowing with milk and honey. Moses is sent to Pharaoh to bring the Children of Israel out of Egypt.

Moses questions his ability to carry out the task. God promises to be with him and gives a future sign: after Moses has brought the people out, they will serve God on this mountain. When Moses asks what name he should give if the people ask who sent him, God answers, "I AM THAT I AM" and instructs him to identify the sender as the God of their ancestors, whose name and remembrance endure through the generations.

A Public Mission and Resistance Foretold

Moses is instructed to gather the Elders of Israel and tell them that God has remembered them and will bring them out of Egypt to the promised land. He and the elders are then to approach the king of Egypt and request a three-day journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to God. The message is presented as one the elders will heed.

The commission anticipates resistance: God tells Moses that Pharaoh will not permit the people to leave except under a mighty hand. God will strike Egypt with wonders, after which Pharaoh will let them go. The departure is also to include silver and gold jewelry and clothing requested from Egyptian neighbors and householders, so the people will not leave empty-handed.

Moses’ Doubts and the Means of His Mission

Moses doubts that the people will believe or listen to him, so God gives him signs. His rod becomes a serpent when cast down and returns to a rod when he takes hold of it. His hand becomes leprous when placed in his bosom, then is restored when he puts it back. God also names a further sign: water from the river poured on dry land will become blood.

Moses then protests that he is slow of speech. God answers that he made the human mouth and promises to be with Moses’ mouth and teach him what to say. When Moses asks that someone else be sent, God becomes angry but appoints his brother Aaron, who can speak well. Moses is to give Aaron the words; Aaron will serve as his spokesman, while Moses carries the rod used for the signs.

Narrative Significance

The encounter binds Israel’s immediate cry for help to the earlier covenant with the patriarchs: deliverance is presented not as an isolated response but as the fulfillment of remembered promises. The revelation of the divine name and the assurance of divine presence answer Moses’ questions about the identity and authority behind his mission.

The scene also makes reluctance part of the commission’s structure. Moses raises doubts about belief and speech, and the response is practical as well as declarative: signs address the first concern, while Aaron addresses the second. The call at Horeb thus establishes both the purpose of the confrontation with Pharaoh and the means by which Moses is to undertake it.