Parashat Sh'mot שְׁמוֹת: The Burning Bush and the Gospel of the Kingdom

Dr. Eugene
Jan 8
9 min read

Torah Portion: Sh'mot (Exodus) 1:1–6:1

Parashat Sh'mot (From the Greek Septuagint it is named Exodus) invites readers into the story of a G-D who knows His people by name, enters their suffering, and ignites history with the fire of His Kingdom. In the burning bush, in the divine Name, and in the calling of Moshe, this parashah unveils the Gospel of the Kingdom that Yeshua declares has now drawn near.

Names, Exile, and New Beginnings

Sh'mot—“Names”—opens not with miracles but with a list: “These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob.” In a world where Pharaoh turns lives into statistics, G-D begins redemption by remembering names and families.

This is the character of our G-D: He remembers, He draws near, and when the appointed time comes, He acts. Israel’s descent into Egypt and the later revelation of the divine Name in the midst of oppression show a G-D who is intimately present in hardship, loss, and bewilderment. HE draws near to the crushed in spirit, comforts the trusting, speaks for the hesitant, and becomes strength in weakness and hope in the pit.

Yet Sh'mot is more than an ancient liberation narrative. It is the foundational story of the Kingdom of G-D breaking into history to redeem slaves, establish His rule, and form a people who will bear His Name to the nations. When Yeshua proclaims, “The Kingdom of G-D is at hand,” He announces a new and greater Exodus—deliverance not just from Pharaoh, but from sin and death, with a Kingdom that opens the way to all peoples.

The Bush That Burns and Is Not Consumed

Moshe, exiled and tending sheep in Midian, encounters G-D in the most unlikely of places: a sneh (סְנֶה) a lowly thornbush aflame yet not consumed. The rabbis saw the thornbush as a powerful symbol: Israel is lowly, trampled, surrounded by thorns of affliction, yet burning with divine presence and not destroyed. G-D appears “in the bush” to teach that there is no place devoid of His presence—especially in the midst of suffering. We also note that placed upon the head of the King of glory while upon the cross, is a lowly crown of thorns, perhaps made from the same species of thornbush- sneh (סְנֶה ). Yet, while death in the natural should consume Him it does not!!!

One midrash imagines that many shepherds passed by the strange sight, but only Moshe turned aside. That choice—to interrupt his routine and “see this great sight”—becomes the hinge of his calling. Moshe embodies what might be called a theology of noticing: a will to wonder, a willingness to stop, look, and listen. The text makes a striking connection: only when G-D sees that Moshe turns aside does He call to him from the bush.

Yeshua later teaches that the Kingdom of G-D does not arrive with spectacle or predictable signs but is “in your midst”—often hidden in plain sight, burning on the margins of life while many rush past. The burning bush confronts every generation with the same question: will we turn aside, or will we pass by the Kingdom because we are too busy to notice?

Holy Ground and Bare Feet

The first command Moshe receives is not “Go to Pharaoh,” but “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground.” Shoes represent human preparation, control, and the ability to choose where and how we walk. To take them off is to relinquish self-sufficiency and to acknowledge that holiness is not something we bring to G-D; it is a reality created by His presence.

Moshe hides his face, afraid to gaze upon G-D, and this humility prepares him later to behold G-D’s glory more fully. The posture of bare feet on holy ground becomes a picture of Kingdom spirituality: we do not build the Kingdom by our own strength; the Kingdom comes to us. Our calling is to recognize the holy ground already beneath us, to lay down self-reliance, and to step into G-D’s presence with reverent vulnerability.

“I AM”: The Name of the Kingdom

When Moshe asks G-D for His Name, the answer is both simple and unsearchable: “Ehyeh asher ehyeh”—“I AM WHO I AM” or “I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE.” This Name proclaims G-D as the self-existent One, the uncreated and faithful G-D of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, yet it is given in a context of mission and presence. Before Moshe ever hears the phrase “I AM,” he hears G-D’s promise, “I will be with you”—ehyeh imach.

The Name, then, is not abstract philosophy but covenant faithfulness: the G-D who is, who was, and who will be with His people in every exile and every redemption. Rabbinic tradition hears in this Name the assurance that G-D is with Israel not only in Egypt, but in all future captivities, remaining present in every season of distress until the final deliverance.

In the Gospel of John, Yeshua steps into this revelation when He declares, “Before Abraham was, I AM,” and when He repeatedly uses the “I am” formula—“I am the bread of life,” “I am the light of the world,” “I am the resurrection and the life.” His hearers recognize the claim and attempt to stone Him, because He is not merely speaking in metaphors; He is identifying Himself as the I AM who spoke from the bush. In Yeshua, the eternal Name takes on flesh so that through Him we might know the Father and enter His Kingdom.

Let My People Go: Liberation for Worship

Pharaoh’s defiant question—“Who is YHWH, that I should obey His voice and let Israel go?”—exposes the core conflict of history: will earthly powers submit to the reign of G-D? G-D’s repeated demand, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me,” reveals that Exodus is not only about political liberation but about worship and covenant. Israel is freed from slavery to Pharaoh in order to become bound to G-D, and in this paradox, slavery to G-D becomes true freedom.

In the first century, many in Israel hoped for a political Kingdom that would overthrow pagan oppressors and restore national sovereignty. Yeshua affirmed the hope of the Kingdom but redefined its timing and means: the deeper bondage is to sin and death, and the greater Exodus is accomplished through His own death and resurrection. Paul describes Messiah’s Passover sacrifice as the decisive act of liberation, with immersion as our Red Sea crossing into newness of life. The Kingdom that began in Exodus now expands to all nations through the Gospel.

The Already and Not Yet Kingdom

Scholars like George Eldon Ladd describe this dynamic as “inaugurated eschatology”—the Kingdom is already present in power through Yeshua’s mission, yet not fully consummated until His return. In Exodus, G-D’s Kingdom rule is inaugurated at the burning bush, manifested through plagues and deliverance, and formally established at Sinai, yet the story presses forward toward the Promised Land.

Likewise, in the New Covenant, the Kingdom is already here: sins are forgiven, captives are set free, and the Ruach HaKodesh empowers a people who confess Yeshua as King. But the Kingdom is also not yet: creation still groans, injustice persists, and we await the day when Messiah will return, rule from Jerusalem, and the knowledge of G-D will cover the earth. This tension—already and not yet—calls believers to live as citizens of the coming world while still walking through the wilderness of this one.

Moshe and the Greater Deliverer

The parallels between Moshe and Yeshua are numerous and profound. Both are marked for death in infancy by fearful rulers, both are rescued through faithful obedience, both go down into Egypt and are brought out again, both are initially rejected by their own, both mediate a covenant, both intercede for their people, and both are associated with radiant glory. These patterns are not accidents; they are prophetic shadows pointing forward.

Yet Yeshua is greater than Moshe. Moshe is the faithful servant in G-D’s house; Messiah is the Son over the house. Moshe delivers Israel to the threshold of the Land; Yeshua brings His people into the very life of the Kingdom. Moshe’s ministry inscribes Torah on tablets of stone; Yeshua pours out the Spirit so that Torah may be written on hearts. The continuity is real and rich, but the escalation is unmistakable.

Kingdom Leadership: Barefoot Shepherds

Moshe’s qualification for leadership is not his princely upbringing or his passion for justice—though both matter—but his willingness to turn aside, to answer “Here I am,” (הִנֵּנִי hineni) and to lead from humility and compassion. Midrash portrays him as a shepherd who chases after one thirsty lamb, carrying it back in his arms; this simple scene of tenderness becomes the reason G-D entrusts him with Israel.

This is Kingdom leadership: servanthood, not self-promotion; compassion for the weak, not contempt; perseverance in calling, even when feeling inadequate. Yeshua perfectly embodies this pattern: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Kingdom leaders are barefoot shepherds who know they stand on holy ground and that the flock is not theirs but His.

Seeing the Burning Bush Today

The burning bush still burns in every generation. The question is not whether G-D is present, but whether we will turn aside. The Kingdom breaks in through Scripture, worship, the face of the poor, the fellowship of believers, and the quiet conviction of the Ruach (Spirit), yet many remain too hurried or distracted to notice.

Yeshua’s words about the Kingdom being “in your midst” confront modern disciples no less than ancient Pharisees. The King is present; His rule is available; His power is at work. What is needed is repentance from self-absorption, a renewed will to wonder, and a readiness to treat ordinary places—homes, workplaces, congregations—as potential holy ground where G-D is waiting to speak.

Knowing and Bearing the Name

To know G-D’s Name is to experience His character. In Exodus, Israel “knows” YHWH when they taste His salvation and see His judgments against oppression. This knowledge of HIM is so important to HaShem that He calls the nation to annually revisit this redemption as if they were there. In Yeshua, the Father’s Name is made manifest as the Son embodies faithfulness, mercy, holiness, and power. The Gospel of the Kingdom proclaims that the I AM has drawn near in the person of Messiah, Immanuel—G-D with us. This intimate connection to His people is emphasized in the Pesach service by Yeshua when he declares during the celebration “as often as you do this..” (e.g. Mark 14:22-24).

He is the unconsumed bush, the pillar of fire, the greater Moshe leading a new Exodus. To bear His Name is to live as a people marked by His presence, His holiness, and His mission. The Kingdom community becomes, in effect, a living burning bush—aflame with divine fire yet not destroyed, testifying in every age that G-D is with His people.

Entering the Kingdom Now

The call that came to Moshe now comes to all who hear the Good News of the Kingdom: remove your shoes. Recognize that you stand on holy ground wherever the King is present.

Your task is not to manufacture the Kingdom but to enter it, submit to it, and serve its purposes.

Practically, this means:

Repentance: turning from self-rule to G-D’s rule, laying down the “shoes” of self-reliance.
Recognition: cultivating Kingdom eyesight that notices G-D in the ordinary and hears His voice in unexpected places.
Relationship: knowing G-D as the faithful I AM who is with us, not merely as an idea or doctrine.
Response: embracing the mission to echo G-D’s demand to this generation—“Let My people go, that they may serve Me”—calling others out of bondage into worship.

The Ultimate Exodus and the Fire That Will Not Die

In Yeshua’s death and resurrection, Paul discerns the ultimate Exodus: liberation not from Egypt’s chains but from sin’s dominion and death’s finality. Immersion becomes our Red Sea crossing, our participation in Messiah’s death and rising; the gift of the Spirit mirrors Israel’s encounter with G-D at Sinai, forming a liberated people around a covenant written on hearts. The apostle does this consistent with his eschatological Messianic hope.

Yet, like Israel in the wilderness, the story is not finished. Creation still groans, awaiting the final Exodus when it will be delivered from bondage and decay into the glorious freedom of the children of G-D. Until then, the Jewish people remain a living burning bush in history—often aflame with persecution, yet never consumed, preserved by the Presence who promised, “I will be with you.” All who are in Messiah share in this mystery: filled with the Ruach, pressed but not crushed, persecuted but not abandoned, burning with Kingdom fire yet not destroyed.

The voice from the bush still calls: the King is at hand; the Kingdom is near. Will you turn aside? Will you remove your shoes? Will you join the ongoing Exodus from slavery to freedom, from death to life, from this age to the age to come? The bush is burning. The King is calling. Repent and believe the Good News of the Kingdom.

Sources:

Shalom

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Parashat Sh'mot שְׁמוֹת: The Burning Bush and the Gospel of the Kingdom

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