（出03）荆棘火焰中的“使者” (Exodus 3)The “Messenger” in the Burning Thornbush

(Chat GPT translation from Chinese, edited by Mijiale, 中文在后面）

Exodus 3:2 says: The angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in flames of fire from within a thorn bush. Moses looked and saw that though the thorn bush was on fire, it did not burn up. This messenger of the Lord represents the Creator Himself, as later in Exodus 3:4, it mentions that the Lord Himself called out to Moses from the thorn bush. This passage reveals some characteristics of the Lord Himself. Let’s ponder these questions guided by the Holy Spirit:

What does the fire symbolize? When fire is associated with the Creator, the Bible uses it to represent the Lord’s righteousness or judgment (Psalm 89:46), the Lord’s glory (Exodus 24:17), the Lord’s word (Deuteronomy 33:2), or the Lord Himself (Deuteronomy 4:24, Isaiah 10:17).
What does the thorn bush symbolize? Thorns are inedible plants that can be prickly and cause pains. These plants did not appear after creation until in Genesis 3:18 after humans sin, where the Lord said, “Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you.” Thorns symbolize suffering, a consequence of human sin.
Why did the Lord appear in the thorn bush? Rashi’s commentary [https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Exodus.3.2?lang=bi] quotes Psalm 91:15: “… I will be with him in trouble. …” Though the Lord is greater than all, having created everything, He chose to manifest in the small thorn bush due to the contemporary context. At that time, the Israelites suffered as slaves in Egypt. The Lord appearing in the thorn bush signifies His presence with the suffering Israelites, indicating His shared suffering and His desire to change their situation.
Why didn’t the fire consume the thorn bush? The immediate purpose is to get Moses’ attention, so that he will listen to the Lord’s calling to serve and rescue the Israelites. The fact that the fire didn’t consume the bush also can indicate that the Lord did not immediately eradicate suffering but intended to select His people through His presence in their suffering, helping them to overcome it.
Are there symbolic references to thorns in the New Testament? Yes, when Jesus was arrested and before He was crucified, He was crowned with a crown of thorns (John 19:5). Christians believe Jesus corresponds to the messenger of the Lord who appeared in the thorn bush. Before His arrest, Jesus told His disciples in John 16:33, “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” The suffering represented by the thorns was not immediately eliminated but preserved for future glory and crowns won through faith in the Lord.

In other words: the fire did not consume the thorns, because with the help of the Lord, the thorns will be transformed into crowns.

（出03）荆棘火焰中的“使者”

出埃及记3:2说: 主的使者从荆棘里火焰中向摩西显现。摩西观看，不料，荆棘被火烧着，却没有烧毁。

这个主的使者代表造物主自己，因为后来出埃及记3:4说到造物主自己从荆棘里呼叫摩西。于是这段经文对我们启示了一些关于造物主自己的特性。让我们顺着圣灵的指引，思考以下问题：

一，火象征什么？当火与造物主联系在一起时，圣经里曾用火来表示造物主的公义或审判（诗89:46），造物主的荣耀（出24:17），造物主的话语（申33:2），或造物主自己（申4:24，赛10:17）。

二，荆棘象征什么？荆棘是不能食用的植物，而且可以有很多刺，可以刺痛人。这一类植物创世的时候还没从地里长出来，它们首次出现于圣经的创世纪3:18，是在人类犯罪以后，造物主说“地必给你长出荆棘和蒺藜来”。荆棘象征苦难，是人类犯罪带来的一个后果。

三，为什么造物主自己要在荆棘里？Rashi解经https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Exodus.3.2?lang=bi

在此引用了诗篇91:15: “…他在急难中，我要与他同在…” 。造物主本来比万有都大，因为祂创造了宇宙万有；但祂选择在小小的荆棘中显现，这是与当时的时代背景有关的。当时以色列人在埃及做奴隶受苦。主在荆棘中显现，表示祂与苦难中的以色列人同在，正在一起与他们受苦，祂自己也渴望改变这个苦难的现状。

四，为什么火没有烧毁荆棘？在此处经文的直接作用是引起了摩西的注意，让摩西走近，让他听从造物主的呼召，侍奉主，拯救以色列人。火没有烧毁荆棘，这背后隐含的意思，很可能是造物主没有决定直接从此就消灭了苦难，而是通过祂苦难中的同在，拣选属于祂的子民，让他们依靠祂，胜过苦难。

五，新约里有关于荆棘的富有象征意义的经文吗？有，耶稣被捕后，上十字架前，曾被带上了荆棘的冠冕（约19:5）。基督徒们认为耶稣对应于当年在荆棘中显现的主的使者。他在被捕之前对门徒们说过（约16:33）：“我将这些事告诉你们，是要叫你们在我里面有平安。在世上你们有苦难。但你们可以放心，我已经胜了世界。” 这些被荆棘所代表的苦难，主没有直接毁灭，而是留作将来靠主得胜的荣耀和冠冕。

换句话说：火没有烧毁荆棘，因为靠着主，荆棘将化作冠冕。