Exodus 32
Scene One: Moses on the top of the mountain. Concluding forty days of instructions from the Lord, the great I Am, and now receiving stone tablets as culmination of this intensive training to pass on to the people he has led out of Egypt. Time to pass all this on. This is what’s it’s all about.
Scene Two: The people are dissing Moses. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. Aaron, it’s up to you man. Give us something real we can follow. We’re tired of visions and promises. Aaron takes their gold and makes a calf out of it. These are the gods (yes, plural for some reason) that have brought us out of Egypt. Aaron tries to cover all the bases, making the worship of this thing have the form of worship to the Lord.
Scene Three: The Lord tips off Moses he’d better get back. Moses has seen both sides. He’s been on the mountain. He knows the people, or does he? So enraged he smashes the culmination of his mountain top experience, and the covenant with the people with it. It's broken already anyway; they abandoned the promise.
Time to start again. Who really wants to follow the Lord, rather than their own inclinations? Choice is hard; here it is ruthless, brutal. Learn the lesson. You can’t it have it both ways, and it’s not about pleasing anyone. Who will follow the Lord? You have to choose.
Meanwhile, Moses pleads for the people, on the basis of God’s goodness and on the basis of God’s own promise.
Prayer:
Lord, show us what loving the people really means. In Christ. Amen.
Friday, July 20, 2007
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