Moses and the Burning Book (Part 1)

One day, while home alone, Moses Hon read the chapter in scripture for which his mother named him.  (But she called him by Hon, his middle name.)  His life’s purpose was talking face to face with God.  The beginning of intimacy between God and the biblical Moses was the burning bush incident.

Hon studied this passage vigorously in seminary.  He understood the linguistic and cultural dynamics so well that his professor marveled at his skill.  But something unexplainable happened that day, something his training couldn’t take into account.

When he read these words, “Take off your shoes, for you are standing on holy ground,” Hon could not move on.  His hands felt electrocuted by the Bible in his hands.   The words burned his mind and consciousness like an internal fire searing his chest.  He felt God speaking these words directly to him.

But he didn’t have on any shoes!  Yet he knew he was to “take off” something.

“What would I take off?”  Hon thought.

“My connection to the earth.”

“What connection to the earth is God talking about?”

“My attachment to temporal success, which, to God, is dust.”

That was it!  That’s what God wanted him to “take off,” to separate from himself.

“God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I give up my goal of temporal success, the goal I have of being number one in my class.”

After saying this, Hon understood something, without understanding how he understood.