Don’t Turn Aside (Exodus 3)
“…The angel of YHWH appeared to Moses in a flame blazing from the middle of a bush. Moses looked; there was the bush blazing, but the bush was not being burnt up…..” And the voice of caution whispered into Moses’ ear:

“Moses, if you are going to save your life, don’t turn aside, don’t take that chance, don’t go see that burning bush that isn’t burned up. Don’t Moses, because as soon as you do you’ll find yourself standing on different ground. You’ll be grounded on something other than self preservation. This is dangerous, Moses. Ignore it, go about your business; business as usual, Moses, remember the sheep? And you owe it to your father in law to watch them well, not lose a one. After all, he took you in, gave you his daughter in marriage, and she bore you a son and here you are with a life. You had no life, no future back in Egypt, remember? You were a fugitive from the law, a hunted man, chief enemy of the State, as good as dead. You fled. And now you’ve got all this.

“So now is no time for risks. Play it safe, don’t turn aside, don’t go see it. Save your own life, Moses. It could be a rick, a ploy, someone could be standing behind that burning bush ready to leap out and put the cuffs on you and take you back to Egypt for the reward money. Bounty hunters, Moses. Or worse, you might catch fire too. Forever burning, never consumed. You don’t know, Moses, you just don’t know. Don’t go.”

Save your life. Don’t lose it. A proper diet, a bit of exercise, 8 hours of sleep and 8 glasses of water a day; don’t talk to strangers, stay away from burning bushes. Save your life, hold it tight. Try to live a balanced life, and don’t worry too much, and diversify your portfolio, and have a little fun but don’t go overboard, don’t lose control. Maintain a strong work ethic, climb the corporate ladder but don’t seem pushy about it; save for retirement, give a little when you can but don’t get taken advantage of, never lend to family or friends, and don’t give to those who aren’t willing to better
themselves…. like you have. All things in moderation, watch your back, be careful out there, weigh your options, don’t jump to conclusions, in fact don’t jump at all. Stay on the straight and narrow, don’t turn aside. Don’t do anything that might jeopardize your reputation, guard it well. A little religion’s a fine thing, but don’t get sucked in or carried away with it. Keep your defenses up. Don’t trust anyone, it’s safest to be your own best friend. Stay grounded, keep focused, early to bed and early to rise…. success comes to those who seek it. So stay away from burning bushes, keep your feet firmly planted on solid ground.

A self saved life resembles a perfectly embalmed body, hands folded neatly across the stomach, hair colored, combed, brushed, permed; and lipstick red lips, a touch of blush on the cheeks, darkened eye brows, a touch of mascara on those closed eye lids. The self saved life, so beautifully preserved for all eternity, only dead.