Through The Bible in a Year - February 13, 2026

“The bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.” – Exodus 3:2

Other texts tell us that our God is a consuming fire. When His holiness is revealed, it refines the taint, the sin, the iniquity from us. Like Moses, when we hear God call our names from his burning glory, our first reaction is to hide: “Oh God, don’t come close. Don’t look at me. I don’t want You to see this. I don’t want You to know what I have done.”

But here’s the miracle of the burning bush: It burned, but was not consumed.

This is the mark of God’s great compassion alongside His great purity. The image of the burning bush has been used throughout history:

- Israel sees itself as burned through persecution but surviving—burned but not consumed

- The early church: persecuted but not destroyed.
- Believers: deserving God’s wrath for our sin, yet not consumed.

God in His compassion preserves those who ought to be consumed.

And who is speaking from that burning bush? God is speaking. At other times he would speak from the thorns of a bush—just like He did when He provided a ram in a thorn bush for Abraham. Just like He would when He wore a crown of thorns on the cross and said, “It is finished.”

When we want to hide our faces and run from His holiness, God shows us His provision. His purity and His provision are wrapped together. His compassion and care are not denied by his holiness.

Respond: What sin makes you want to hide from God? What failure makes you think you deserve to be consumed? Today, look at the burning bush that is Christ’s cross. There we see the holiness of God on display, but we also see the heart that calls you close. In light of the guilt you feel before the cross, you may feel burned up with guilt and shame, but you will not be consumed there. At the cross, Christ’s compassion is providing grace beyond the fire—not because of your worthiness, but because of His care.

Prayer: Lord, I deserve to be consumed by Your holy fire. My sin is real, my failures undeniable. But You are compassionate. You preserve those who ought to be consumed. Thank You for speaking from the burning bush—from the thorns of other bushes and from the cross—to show me Your provision alongside Your purity. In Jesus’ name, amen.