Holy Ground

May 12, 2021 (Wednesday A)

 

Lately I’ve been mulling the image of Moses, the murder, standing before the “burning bush.” The thing is this bush was on fire, but it was not being consumed. This was Moses’ first encounter with God.

 

What has been going through my mind is this, “Then the Lord said, “Don’t come any closer! Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.” [Exodus 3:5 CEB] This, at first glance, seems to be a trivial detail. It seems the kind of filler writers use to pad a story. Yet, it seems important.

 

There are all sorts of ideas associated with this detail. For instance, are the sandals dirty? Holy ground should be kept clean. But they are sandals, the feet are not going to be much cleaner.

 

Maybe God is demanding an act of obedience. God takes the initiative and Moses must respond. This is plausible, it seems to be the way God works. The removal of the sandals was a simple act, recognizing the gravity of the encounter.

 

Another suggestion is that removing the sandals was an act of humility. Moses was treading on land God claimed as “holy.” He was God’s guest for this encounter. Removing the sandals would have been an act of humility and submission.

 

I can see how others see a deeper meaning, but I wonder if there is something simpler happening. My thought is that by removing his sandals, Moses removed the only thing between him and holy ground.

 

Joshua is told something similar. Meeting the “commander of the army of the Lord,” Joshua falls flat on his face and worships. “Joshua said to him, “What is my master saying to his servant?” [Joshua 5:14c CEB] Before God speaks to him or gives him instructions we read, “The commander of the Lord’s heavenly force said to Joshua, “Take your sandals off your feet because the place where you are standing is holy.” So Joshua did this.” [Joshua 5:15 CEB]

 

Before any significant message or instruction to Moses or Joshua, God is asking them to remove anything (or the one thing) that stands between the human and the divine. In a very real sense, it is relationship before action. It is relationship that leads to hearing, obeying, and blessing.

 

As Moses and Joshua were, without sandals, they were in direct contact with holy ground. The question is, what is insulating you from holy ground? Is there anything, thin as it may be, that keeps you from directly encountering the holy God.