Moses and the Burning Bush

There are many important religious stories that became significant symbols for both the Jewish and Christian faiths. One of these is the tale of the Burning Bush, as described in the book of Exodus. This is the second book of the New Testament and the Torah. The passage relates how the Hebrew prophet Moses had fled from Egypt and was living with Jethro, acting as shepherd for Jethro's flocks of sheep.

The alleged miracle takes place at the time of the enslavement of the Israelites by the Pharaoh. Whilst performing his duties as shepherd, Moses sees a bush on fire, which does not appear to damage the bush. After closer inspection, Moses is astonished to hear God addressing him from within the flames. God tells him that Moses has a calling and that he should take off his sandals because the land he is standing on is holy. God then says that Moses should speak to the Pharaoh about the Israelites because he has heard the people's cries. If Moses does this, God will take the freed Israelites to a land flowing with milk and honey.

After God has spoken to him, Moses is still bewildered about what has happened. To convince him, God shows him signs that it is truly God that speaks to him from the Burning Bush. He turns the staff that Moses carries into a snake. He then gives leprosy to his hand and cures it. Moses is then reassured and clear about what he has to do. He must insist that the Pharaoh liberates the Israelites.

This story is one of the most famous of the reported miracles and one of the most overtly political ones. It resonates today, as a comment on faith and the struggle for freedom in the Holy Land. During the Byzantine period, a monastery named St. Katherine's was built in Sinai on the site of the biblical location for the story. The original Burning Bush is said to have perished but many pilgrims visit what is said to be the modern descendent of the bush.

Every Jewish and Christian child is told of this tale as well as other stories involving Moses. It has great significance for the Church of Scotland who adopted the Burning Bush as its symbol and took its motto from the biblical passage in Exodus. The political symbolism is still very relevant today, whether people interpret the story in a literal way or not.