Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet, for the place where thou standest is holy ground. Acts 7:33
Canadians and Americans are generally very different in the matter of removing shoes when entering into someone else’s house. Most Canadian homes have nice, well kept floors, and it is usually accepted in Canada that visitors will remove their shoes in respect to their host’s floor. This is considered good manners and is typical of the Canadian attitude of being considerate to others. However, many Americans are offended when asked to remove their shoes when entering a Canadian home. This is not something that is expected in most American homes, apparently, and they are unaccustomed to doing it. Americans are also generally less considerate of others than Canadians are. But their reluctance to remove their shoes may have something to do with the significance of this act as identified in today’s text. Removing our shoes signifies submission to another, something that Americans dislike and can sometimes be irrational about.
Our text is describing Moses’ encounter with the burning bush in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. As God speaks to Moses from the burning bush, He points out that the ground Moses is standing on is holy. It was holy not just because God was there; it was also holy because God was in charge. Until this point in his life, Moses has been following his own agenda. That is about to change. From now on, the expression ‘thus saith the Lord’ was going to be his reason for everything that he did. So he removed his shoes, to show submission to the will of God. Joshua did the same thing when he was approaching the conquest of Jericho. The captain of the Lord’s host instructed Joshua to remove his shoe (Joshua 5:15) to indicate that it was the Lord Who was in command of the Jericho campaign. Spiritually speaking, we must also remove our shoes, if we wish to see the success that Moses and Joshua experienced. If we bow in submission to God’s will in all things in our life, our obedience will be to our benefit and to God’s glory.
Consider another reason for Moses to remove his shoes: doing so would bring his feet in direct contact with holy ground. For all His august majesty and holiness, our God desires that we would draw near to Him. Although we can never diminish the reverence that God is owed, we can still experience His nearness. In our meditations in His Word, in our worship at His table, we have an avenue into Heaven’s very throne room. Our feet, as it were, come into contact with holy ground, as God Himself desires. And we appreciate His presence and His delight in our presence.
If we stand with unshod feet on God’s holy ground, we do so in total submission to His will and in deepest reverence for His presence. -Jim MacIntosh