Exodus 3:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

God instructed him not to approach any closer and told him to remove his sandals, for the ground he stood on was holy. He declared, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Moses hid his face in fear of looking at God (Exodus 3:1-6).

God provided the law as a guide, as the prophet indicated, revealing that it was a ‘tutor’ until the truth would be fully revealed (Galatians 3:24). This tutor pointed to the mystery of Christ, which was clearly presented in the vision. The bush, a spiny plant that bears no fruit, was engulfed in a glorious flame. The holy angel appeared in fiery form; although the fire blazed high, it did not harm the bush. This extraordinary sight astonished Moses, for the fire enveloped the thorns, merely warming them without destroying them, as if the fire had forgotten its destructive nature and tenderly embraced what it could consume. This vision profoundly impacted Moses.

Scripture often associates the Divine essence with fire due to its omnipotent nature that can conquer all. In contrast, humanity, formed from the earth, is likened to the grass and trees of the field. Our God is described as a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29; cf. Deuteronomy 4:24), and humanity’s days are compared to grass, which flourishes like a flower of the field (Psalm 102:15). Just as fire is intolerable to thorns, so too is the divine nature to mankind. Yet, in Christ, God made Himself accessible: in Him, the fullness of the divine nature dwells in bodily form, as the wise Paul testified (Colossians 2:9). He exists in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16), and God chose to dwell in the temple of the Virgin, humbling Himself to make His awesomely powerful nature approachable, just as fire is to thorns.

The flesh, which is inherently corruptible, He revealed as reflecting mortality, demonstrated by the fire in the bush, which left the plant unharmed. The Word, coming from God, made the body alive, rendering it incorruptible and supreme over death, as He is, by nature, Life (John 14:6). No one can doubt this reality—though the bush was engulfed in flames, it was not consumed, signifying that punishment for our sins was not meted out upon us. Instead, Christ brings illumination through the Holy Spirit, dwelling within us, enabling us to call out, Abba Father (Romans 8:15).

Moses, captivated by the vision, expressed his intent to investigate the phenomenon, asking why the bush was not being consumed (Exodus 3:3). However, he was promptly halted by the angel, who, speaking on behalf of God, instructed him, Do not come any closer; remove your sandals, for this is holy ground (Exodus 3:5). Here, in the wilderness, represented as the Church of the Gentiles, where thorns grew and only a bush was found, is where holiness dwelled. This wilderness symbolizes the uninhabited places rejoicing and blooming, as prophesied: the wilderness and the dry land shall be glad (Isaiah 35:1). God promised to transform the wilderness into a lake and the dry land into springs of water (Isaiah 41:18), reflecting the outpouring grace of the Savior upon those called from the Gentiles, likened to a river overflowing with abundance.

David also remarked how God turns rivers into deserts and springs of water into dry ground because of the wickedness of those who inhabit them (Psalm 106:33-34). Thus, the bush represents that which is holy in the wilderness, and when Moses approached it, he was commanded to remove his shoes, a symbol of death and decay, as shoes signify the remains of dead animals. Christ is therefore inaccessible to those under the law and the ministry of children, necessitating cleansing from the defilement of sin. However, the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins (Hebrews 10:4); thus, no one can be justified by the law (Galatians 3:11). Since sin remains unaddressed, corruption will hold sway, and death will continue to reign over the unclean.

Those desiring to comprehend the mystery of Christ must first abandon the ministry of types and shadows that corruption and sin induce. Once this is done, they may enter into the holy land, which signifies the Church. Those who cling to the law remain bound by corruption, as Christ Himself clarified: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you (John 6:53). This sacrament pertains not to those under the law but to those with faith, who are justified in Christ, receiving a higher teaching through the gospel. Hence, those still under the influence of corruption or the law have not shed the burden of sin, which is the true death: they remain distant from Christ.

However, when they set aside their shoes—representing corruption, which cannot justify—and accept the life-giving grace, they will approach Him who justifies the ungodly, Christ, to whom be glory with God the Father and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.

Therefore, remain steadfast in your heart, ensuring that no one can displace you from your position or unsettle you. The apostle clarifies what it means to stand firm, as was said to Moses, "The place on which you stand is holy ground." For no one remains standing except through faith; only he who is resolute in the conviction of his heart can truly stand.

Through this divine illumination, we gain insight into the requirements for stepping into the light of truth. It becomes evident that one cannot ascend to the heights of truth while shackled by the dead nature clinging to us since the time of our disobedience to God's will; instead, these earthly coverings must be cast off from the soul in order to ascend toward enlightenment.

The Apostle has illuminated the meaning behind this directive given to Moses, highlighting that ‘the place on which you stand is holy ground.’ No one stands firm except through faith, and it is only those who possess steadfast conviction in their hearts who are truly able to stand. Strive to walk as Moses did, so that you may behold the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and witness His glorious manifestation. Yet, to see this, you must remove your sandals, shedding all worldly chains and leaving behind the burdens of earthly attachments. In this spirit, Jesus sent the apostles to proclaim the Gospel uncluttered by earthly possessions like shoes, gold, silver, or coins, ensuring they carried nothing material with them. The Scriptures commend those who seek righteousness not in worldly footwear but in the grace and beauty of their actions, declaring, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace!’ (Rom 10:15). Therefore, remove your sandals so that your feet may be adorned for the purpose of spreading the Gospel.

As for evading worldly distractions, the Lord Jesus desires that we renounce worldly desires. Hence, He told Moses to ‘Take off your sandals from your feet, for the ground on which you stand is sacred.’ In commissioning Moses to free the Israelites, God commanded him to discard his earthly sandals. When undertaking a significant mission, fear should not hinder your resolve! Even the threat of death should not dissuade a servant from his duty. However, when Moses decided to advocate for his fellow Israelites, the dread of false accusations caused him to flee from Egypt, halting his mission. Thus, the Lord, having gauged his intent and finding him hesitant, instructed him to cast aside his worldly encumbrances, liberating both his mind and spirit.

Therefore, I believe this act signifies two things: first, that God's command instilled in Moses a sense of reverence, prompting him to attentively follow what was commanded; and secondly, that it served as a foundational instruction about how the priests were to conduct themselves in the tabernacle, as they too performed their sacred duties and offered sacrifices while barefoot.

The mystery of the Divine Household transcends human understanding and can only be grasped through faith, requiring a pure heart cultivated through reverence for God and love. Purity of soul is attainable solely through these virtues; without first cleansing the soul’s vision, one cannot attain Divine illumination. The Divine presence is inaccessible to those who are impure; only “the pure in heart... God will be seen” (Matthew 5:8), as Christ affirms, this is the ultimate truth. Thus, when Moses encountered the divine vision in the bush, he was first instructed to remove his sandals before approaching the revelation; this act symbolizes the need to shed lifeless and burdensome thoughts.

Similarly, when Mount Sinai was engulfed in smoke during the giving of the Law, not everyone was permitted to ascend, and those who did could only approach after undergoing purification. If the law required the removal of all impurities concerning the prototypes, how much greater is the necessity for those who desire to encounter the ultimate truth and these prototypes to become holy and God-like! Therefore, let us purify ourselves, beloved, from every earthly distraction, confusion, and vanity, so that we may fully embrace the radiant light of the Divine word, nourish our souls with spiritual sustenance—angelic nourishment—and, within the sanctuary, clearly perceive the divine and universally life-giving Passion of the One who is without suffering.

The Jewish tradition maintains that the unnamed God spoke to Moses. Consequently, the prophetic Spirit admonished them through the prophet Isaiah, stating, "The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master's manger; but Israel does not know Me, and My people do not understand." Similarly, Jesus Christ, rebuking the Jews for their lack of understanding about the Father and the Son, declared, "No one knows the Father except the Son, and no one knows the Son except the Father and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him." The Word of God is identified as the Son of God, as previously mentioned. He is referred to both as angel and apostle, for He announces all that should be known and is sent to disclose what has been revealed, just as the Lord has affirmed: "He who hears Me hears Him who sent Me." This can be clearly supported by the writings of Moses, where the angel of God spoke to him in the fire from the thorn bush, proclaiming, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of your fathers. Go to Egypt and bring out My people." The subsequent events can be learned from these texts, although it is not feasible to recount them all here.

These phrases demonstrate that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God and the Apostle, who was previously the Word, and who sometimes appeared in the form of fire or as an incorporeal entity. Now, according to the will of God, He became human for the salvation of all who believe in Him, enduring humiliation and suffering, so that through His death and resurrection He may triumph over death. The declaration to Moses—"I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and the God of your fathers"—indicates that they exist even after death and belong to the same Christ. They were the first to seek God; Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac was the father of Jacob, as Moses also recorded.

The Jews, despite the clear assertion in Moses' writings that "the angel of God spoke to Moses from the burning bush," maintain that the Creator of all things was the one who spoke. Thus, the prophetic Spirit reproached them, saying, "But Israel does not know Me, nor does My people understand Me." Additionally, Jesus, as previously noted, while among them stated, "No one knows the Father, only the Son; nor the Son, except the Father and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Himself." The Jews, who have always believed that it is the Father who spoke to Moses, fail to recognize that it was the Son of God, who is referred to both as angel and apostle. They are rightly admonished by the prophetic Spirit and by Christ Himself for failing to understand either the Father or the Son. Those who equate the Son with the Father reveal their ignorance of the Father’s true nature and of the existence of His Son, the only begotten Word of God, who is also God. He previously appeared in the form of fire and as an incorporeal being to Moses and the prophets, and now, in your present age, He took on human form from a virgin, as the Father willed, for the salvation of the faithful, enduring humiliation and suffering, so that by His death and resurrection He might secure victory over death.

Instead, allow the life and reasoning of the flesh, along with the law in your members— which stands in opposition to the law of the Spirit and holds captive the law of sin—to be abolished and put to death, for they are contrary to God; let them cease to exist, rendered powerless by divine vision. Is this not the essence of the Cross? For the Cross, as the Apostle Paul explains, signifies 'Crucifying the flesh along with its passions and desires' (Galatians 5:24). Therefore, 'Remove your sandals from your feet, for the ground you are on is holy.' These words also indicated the future consecration that would come upon the earth through the Cross, following the manifestation of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Thus, Mount Sinai is deemed holy not for its physical attributes but due to the unique and undeniable revelation of God's presence there, who appeared in the theophany. Does Mount Sinai, when examined simply in terms of its physical properties, differ from other towering mountains? Certainly not. However, because God chose to reveal Himself there, He graced it with a sanctity that set it apart, so much so that even animals were forbidden to approach it under penalty of death. This sanctity was such that creatures that dared to touch the mountain met their demise, as recorded in Exodus 19:12 and reiterated in Hebrews 12:20.

God commanded Moses, in his approach to Mount Sinai, to take off his sandals. He instructed, "Cast off thy shoes from thy feet." The intention behind this direction, as Blessed Theodoret remarks, was to prepare Moses with profound reverence to receive the commandments God was to deliver, allowing him to ready his heart and mind for complete obedience owed to his Creator and Lord. Thus, God required Moses to display the signs of humble submission traditionally expected in the presence of one’s lord. Captives or servants, when brought before their masters, did so only with bare feet as an expression of their utmost submission. This practice was upheld by ancient peoples as a symbol of fidelity to their sovereigns. God sought such submission from Moses, demanding a tangible expression of the servant’s reverence to the Creator.

From this reasoning, we can conclude that the holiness attributed to Mount Sinai, along with the honor demanded by God Himself of Moses, is intrinsically linked to the presence of the Most High. Throughout the Scriptures, honor is ascribed to inanimate objects not due to their physical composition but because they are connected to God. Neither the Tabernacle, nor the ark, nor even the gold that adorned it, nor the items within—Aaron’s rod, the manna, the tablets of stone—were revered by the Israelites for their inherent substance. Rather, they were honored due to their representation and association with divine mysteries. Even King David, when dancing before the Lord’s Ark, recognized that his joyous acts were ultimately directed toward God Himself, as stated in 2 Samuel 6:14. He understood that the Ark was not God, yet he allowed the veneration directed at the Ark to reflect back to God.

The ancient Tabernacle, referred to as the Holy of Holies, was named so in relation to this divine mystery. Its sanctity did not stem from its physical material but from its foreshadowing of the true Tabernacle established by God, not by man, as described in Hebrews 8:2. Likewise, when Paul the Apostle refers to Scripture as holy (2 Tim. 3:15), it is not the pages or the letters themselves that confer this holiness. Rather, it is the sacred truths revealed within, the ineffable mysteries of the Divine that it encapsulates. This same perspective applies to the location where God chose to reveal His indescribable majesty to Moses through a tangible sign.

Although it is not explicitly mentioned in the Scriptures whether the priests in the tabernacle or the temple in Jerusalem followed this custom, it may be inferred from the requirement to wash their feet prior to entering the sanctuary to offer sacrifices (Exodus 30:19). Additionally, travelers have noted that some African rulers stipulate that not only their subjects but also visitors must approach them without shoes. If such respect is expected for mere mortals, how much more should it be accorded to the Lord God?