Overview of Bible in a Year — Day 28: The Burning Bush (2026)
Father Mike Schmitz (Ascension) reads and reflects on Exodus 3, Leviticus 2–3, and Psalm 45. The episode centers on Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush, the content and purpose of Israel’s sacrificial worship in Leviticus, and a royal wedding psalm that anticipates a king anointed by God. Fr. Mike highlights that God hears Israel’s suffering, commissions Moses to free them so they may worship, and connects ancient worship practices to Christian worship today.
Passages read
- Exodus 3 — Moses and the burning bush; God reveals Himself as “I AM,” commissions Moses to deliver Israel, promises to bring them to a land “flowing with milk and honey.”
- Leviticus 2–3 — Instructions for cereal (grain) offerings and peace offerings: how to present them, what priests burn as a memorial portion, the restriction against offering leaven/honey, and the rule that “all fat is the Lord’s.”
- Psalm 45 — A royal wedding/messianic song praising the king: his beauty, justice, divine anointing, bride’s procession, and the promise that his name will be celebrated in all generations.
Key takeaways
- God hears and has been attentive to Israel’s suffering in Egypt; the divine response is both compassionate and redemptive.
- The burning bush scene: God calls Moses, reveals His name (“I AM WHO I AM”), instructs Moses to gather the elders and demand a temporary departure from Pharaoh as a pretext for worship, and promises signs and a mighty hand to compel release.
- God’s primary purpose in liberating Israel is worship: freedom is given so the people can serve and worship God (emphasis on Mount Horeb as a place of worship).
- Levitical prescriptions (grain and peace offerings) show how Israel was commanded to worship; these rites point to the centrality and structure of communal, sacrificial worship.
- Psalm 45 frames kingship in terms of righteousness, divine favor, and a long-lasting dynasty—read as both royal praise and foreshadowing of the Messiah.
- Past or present unanswered petitions do not imply God’s absence; God may be blessing in other ways even amid ongoing trials.
Notable quotes / memorable lines
- “I have heard their cry… I know their sufferings.” (Exodus 3, as emphasized by Fr. Mike)
- “I am who I am.” — God’s disclosure of His name to Moses.
- Fr. Mike: “God is setting his people free so they can become a people who is free to worship him.”
- On Leviticus: these ancient worship practices inform why the Mass and Christian liturgy matter today.
Theological and pastoral points
- Liberation is ordered toward worship: freedom has a theological purpose, not merely a social/political end.
- Worship is a gift and an identity-shaping practice; ancient sacrificial forms point forward to Christ and inform Christian worship in the Church.
- Pastoral reassurance: God is present in suffering; believers are invited to trust that God is working even when specific prayers aren’t immediately answered.
- Practical humility about biblical detail: discrepancies in names (e.g., Jethro vs. Reuel/Raul) are common and can be explained by multiple names or household-head dynamics.
Practical applications / action items
- Use the free Bible in a Year reading plan from ascensionpress.com/Bibleinayear to follow along.
- Subscribe to the podcast for daily episodes.
- Reflect/pray on the idea that God hears your suffering even when deliverance is delayed.
- Re-evaluate the role of worship in your life: do you see freedom as a means to worship? Consider attending and valuing communal liturgy (the Mass) as the fulfillment of God’s worshiping design.
- Pray for others on this reading journey and request their prayers in return.
Production / reading details
- Host: Father Mike Schmitz (Ascension)
- Bible translation used: Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (RSV-CE)
- Companion text referenced: The Great Adventure Bible (Ascension)
Final pastoral note
Fr. Mike closes with a short prayer, an encouragement to keep praying for one another, and a reminder that the Exodus story’s deliverance is still being worked through a sequence of events—so patience, communal prayer, and attentive worship are necessary as the story unfolds.