The Eternal Being

Welcome to the Daily Bible Chapter. My name is James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as we discover new insights and new perspectives from a very old book.

Exodus 3

I'm reading Young's Literal Translation (YLT) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

God appears to Moses in a burning bush, an event which we would call "paranormal." The YLT has Moses removing "shoes" and the NRSV has him removing "sandals;" I hope the latter is more accurate and that the translators aren't just making cultural assumptions. 

Keep in mind from Genesis that Egyptians are the descendants of Ham, as are the tribes in Canaan. The Israelites are the descendants of Shem, and throughout my Genesis commentary I take the view that Shem symbolizes spirit or consciousness whereas Ham symbolizes the flesh. 

Near the end of Genesis, the Israelites (Jacob, his sons, and their families) descended to Egypt. One could say they fell to Egypts "level" and became enslaved there. Leaving Egypt would be an act of liberation of the flesh; perhaps the conquest of Canaan is the mastery of the flesh. 

Moses was conscious of his Egyptian upbringing, was conscious of the suffering of his blood kin, the Israelites, and was conscious that a better life for them was possible outside of Egypt.

Thus, the message from the burning bush probably didn't say anything Moses didn't already know, but the burning fire (passion, enlightenment) seemed to present a calling for Moses.

The great mystery is what God means by saying `I Am That Which I Am;' (YLT) or "I am Who I Am" (NRSV). The NRSV footnote says "I will be what I will be" is also a possible translation.

It must have been an eternal being that called on Moses.This eternal being manifested itself here in the burning bush; previously in Genesis it appeared in human form and/or other forms called messengers, and in dreams, and in a (seemingly) inner voice that conversed with Abraham among others.

The eternal or timeless being, this "I AM," is anywhere and everywhere. It is existence itself. And it doesn't want to be shackled by the Egyptian taskmaster.

Perhaps your spirit or consciousness is that same "I AM" and doesn't want to be shackled by external worries, stresses, and fears of the flesh.

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support!

(Photo credit: TyshkunVictor)