In Exodus chapter 3 what does the bush represent, and what does it represent when it says it doesn’t burn?
E____

Hi E____,

Thank you for your question about the spiritual significance of the burning bush mentioned in Exo 3.

Exo 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
Exo 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

In order to give you the answer to your question I first must correct your statement “… when it says it doesn’t burn”. It actually says ” the bush burned with fire…” but it does go on to state “and the bush was not consumed.”
Now this is an easy question to answer for this one reason:

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

The narrative there in Exodus goes on to tell us that:

Exo 3:3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
Exo 3:4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

So that bush that burns but is not consumed is our Lord, and since we must “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” that bush that burns but is not consumed is also “Christ in us the hope of glory.”

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Here is another verse which reveals that we are Jesus:

Act 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

These words are our Lord speaking to the apostle Paul and to you and me. So it is He who says we are “Jesus of Nazareth” if we are being persecuted for His name’s sake.

Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

The ‘fire’ is the spiritual symbol of the Word of God, which burns up all the “wood, hay and stubble” in our lives, and cleanses and purifies us all.

Jer 5:14 Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1Co 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. [ By “the Word of God”, which is Christ]

Since we all “live by every Word”, we all first build with “wood, hay and stubble” before we are brought to the point of wanting to build with “gold, silver and precious stones”.
Here is the spiritual significance of how this bush, as a type of you and me, does indeed burn, but it is not consumed:

2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure [“Christ in us”] in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
2Co 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; [‘Burn up but not consumed’]
2Co 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
2Co 4:11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh

“We which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake…” so “the life of Jesus can be manifest in our mortal flesh”.
So our “dying” is really a daily process of giving up the things of this life, the “wood, hay and stubble” of this life, in order to please and obey our Lord, and thereby love our brothers and sisters in Christ.

1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

So this bush is the perfect type of our lives when Christ is living His life in us. It is our life which is always burning up, and yet it is not consumed.
Our flesh does not want to “keep His commandments”, and that is what is always burning within us causing us to “die daily” even as we are living, just as the bush is burning but is not consumed.

1Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Being “crucified with Christ” is the things of this world within us being burned up as “the bush burned”, and “nevertheless I live” is “the bush was not consumed”.
I hope these verses of God’s Word have served to help you to see the spiritual significance of the burning bush, which burned but was not consumed”. If not please get back to me.
Yours in Christ,
Mike