God Shows and Tells; We Listen

 

Exodus 3:1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

We have seen before that God often calls by name, and that in this passage He waited until Moses saw before He spoke to him.  Moses' immediate response was reverence.  He listened rather than looked.  It is from the hearing-impaired that we can learn much here.  Not being able to see makes us listen better, more intensely, more deliberately.  Hearing comes naturally; listening does not.  We need to develop it more.  That is especially the case when it comes to listening to God.