An appearance of the Angel of the Lord
The Burning Bush
In the desert of Midian, Moses turns aside to see a bush that burns without being consumed. The Angel of the LORD appears in the flame, then God calls to Moses from the bush, tells him to remove his shoes on holy ground, and reveals the name I AM. This is one of the strongest felt of all these appearances.
“And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.”Exodus 3:2
What happened
The Angel of the LORD appears to Moses in a flame in the midst of a bush that burns yet is not consumed. When Moses turns to look, God calls out of the bush by name and warns him to take off his shoes, for the ground is holy. He declares himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses hides his face, afraid to look at God. God announces that he has seen the affliction of his people in Egypt and has come down to deliver them, sending Moses to Pharaoh. When Moses asks his name, God answers I AM THAT I AM, the eternal name by which he is to be remembered through all generations.
Why many see the pre-incarnate Christ
This is felt as one of the strongest cases, because the passage moves seamlessly from the Angel of the LORD in the flame to God himself speaking, revealing the covenant name I AM. The one in the fire is addressed and worshiped as God. Many Christians therefore read the Angel here as a visible manifestation of the LORD, and many read him as the pre-incarnate Son, especially since Jesus later takes the words I AM upon himself. Even so, we state honestly that this is interpretation. The text may be presenting the Angel as the mode of God's appearing rather than naming a distinct person, and faithful readers differ on how sharply to press the identification.
Is this the Son before Bethlehem?
The bush that burns and is not consumed has long spoken to the church of God dwelling with the lowly without destroying them, holiness that draws near instead of keeping distance. Many have heard in the great I AM the very voice that Jesus echoes when he says before Abraham was, I am. Whether or not the Angel in the flame is the pre-incarnate Son, the God who came down to deliver his suffering people is the God who came down in Jesus to deliver a world in bondage. The fire that did not consume the bush points ahead to the God who takes on flesh and is not diminished, holy ground now made touchable in Christ.
Questions people ask
Is the Angel in the burning bush Jesus?
This is felt as one of the strongest cases, since the passage moves from the Angel of the LORD in the flame to God himself, who reveals the name I AM. Many Christians read the Angel as a visible appearance of God, and many as the pre-incarnate Son, since Jesus later claims the words I AM. Still, this is a reverent interpretation rather than a settled proof.
What does I AM THAT I AM mean?
When Moses asks God's name, God answers with a name rooted in the verb to be, revealing himself as the eternal, self existent One who simply is, dependent on nothing and faithful across all generations. It is not a label but a declaration of his unchanging presence. Christians hear its echo when Jesus applies I AM to himself in John's Gospel.