The Bible says that what appeared to Moses was none other than "the angel
of the LORD" (Exod. 3:2). Here is a great mystery. The angel may have
been a member of the heavenly host, one of the angelic beings who serve
God in glory. But the Hebrew word for "angel" is simply the word "messenger"
(malakh). Since this angel is identified specifically as "the angel of
the LORD," there may be more here than meets the eye. Notice the wording
of verse 4: "When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called
to him from within the bush." The messenger did not simply see and speak
for God but as God. Here the angel of the Lord is so closely identified with
God that the burning bush is generally considered a theophany. In other
words, it was a God-appearance, a visible manifestation of the invisible God.
For a few brief moments in time and space, the bush was the temple of the
living God, the place of his presence on earth. Since the time of the early
church, Christians have wondered whether perhaps this was a revelation of
God's pre-incarnate Son, who brings God's saving message to humanity.
Whether or not Christ was in the bush, one thing is certain: Moses was in
the presence of God.
--Phil Ryken
exodus 3
