Exodus 3:2,3

Exo. 3:2, 3. "And the angel of the Lord appeared," etc. That is, Christ - who is often so called - appeared, etc. This bush represents -

(1.) The human nature of Christ, whose name is "the branch." This bush well represented the human nature of Christ, because it was the growth of the earth. Though Christ, with regard to His Divine nature, be the Lord from heaven, yet, with respect to His human nature, He was the growth of the earth; He was of earthly descent, of the race of mortal mankind. And upon the account of its low and humble stature; it was a bush or bramble, as the word in the original signifies. This well represented Christ's state of humiliation, and also His meekness and lowliness of heart. And also upon the account of its tenderness and liableness to be destroyed. What more easily crushed or consumed than a bramble-bush? This bush, upon each of these accounts, well represented what is spoken of Christ in Isaiah 53:2. This bush was "a root out of a dry ground," (see Hosea 13:5; Deuteronomy 8:15), for it was a bush that grew on Mount Horeb, as verse 1, which was so called from the remarkable dryness of the place, for the word Horeb signifies dryness. The Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, His appearing in this bush is a type of His being manifest in the flesh. Christ is said (Deuteronomy 33:16) to have dwelt in the bush; hereby was typified His dwelling in flesh. As the bush burned with fire and was not consumed, so Christ, in the human nature, suffered extremely; He endured the wrath of God, but was not overcome, perished not, was not consumed, He rose again from the dead, and did not see corruption. Though His human nature was but a bush or tender plant, in itself easily capable of being consumed, and though the fire spent all its force upon it; yet, because of the Divinity that dwelt in it, it was impossible that it should be consumed. The power of God "was made perfect in weakness." Satan could not prevail against Christ; though he cast Him into the fire, yet he could not destroy Him.

(2.) This bush represents the Church, the mystical body of Christ; as it was with Christ, so it was with the Church. It is a tender plant. It is a branch of the earth; and oftentimes is in the fire. But God will not suffer it to be consumed; but it always survives the flames; the gates of hell never prevail against it; her enemies are not suffered to swallow her up; God has promised that, when she goes through the fire, she shall not be burnt, neither shall the flames kindle upon her. But, doubtless, a special respect is herein had to the Church, now in her suffering state in Egypt, where her enemies had labored to destroy her, but were not able; the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied. God always carried them on eagle's wings out of their enemies' reach, and when they had well-nigh swallowed them up at the Red Sea, God delivered them.

Exo. 3:3