I was fourteen years old. Mom and Dad were off on a trip somewhere far away. It was a few days before they were to return, and out of boredom, I decided to take one of the trucks for a spin. When I returned and parked the truck, I realized I had parked it in the wrong place. I had parked it on some deep gravel on a slope, and instead of just driving forward down the hill, I put it in reverse and got the drive tires buried in the gravel. So, I ran to the shed, grabbed two 2x6 boards and shoved them under the tires. It worked. The disaster happened when I forgot to shut the driver-side door. Heedless of the tall pine in the path of it I got the truck out of the gravel, but the door was laying on the ground! I put the truck back in the correct place. With the help of a rubber mallet, I was able to get most of the metal back in the right place and jammed the door back on the truck so that it looked like everything was fine. And it was fine, until the next Monday morning when one of Dad's workers opened the door and it fell. Dad met me in the yard as I was walking up from the bus stop that afternoon. I deflected, I lied, and for three days Dad mulled over firing his worker, who had been truthful in saying he had no idea how the door fell off. Finally, Dad cornered me and told me he was getting ready to fire someone, if I could not tell him what happened to the door. I finally 'fessed up.
He was not angry that I had taken the truck for a spin. He was not so angry that I was responsible for the truck missing a door. He was angry that I had lied and had almost made him a fool and cost one of his best workers a job.
Aaron, Moses' brother, decided to do what the people asked and made a golden calf to worship. Moses had been gone up the mountain for a long time and they did not know when he would return. When he did return, He heard the noise of the people worshipping and saw them dancing around. Moses was so angry that he threw the tablets down that God had written the law on and they were broken. Of course, Aaron deflected and said he just did what the mob of the people wanted for fear of his life. Three thousand men died by the swords of the Levites. Moses had to go back up the mountain to plead for the people and to receive another set of tablets of the God's law.
remember The people of Israel had forgotten to remember. They were bored of waiting and had chosen to forget that it was God Who heard their moaning for freedom. They had chosen to forget that it was God Who called Moses to intercede for them. They had chosen to forget that it was God Who brought them out of Egypt, the land of their slavery, and freed them from that tyrannical situation. They had forgotten God. The calf they made was not who they really worshipped when Moses came down. The calf was the idol, a representation of the false god of self. Moses reminded them of all that God had done and was still doing in their behalf. He made them consecrate themselves to God and to His law before He would carry them on to the Promised Land. They got a "whipping" for their sin, but God was merciful and fulfilled what He promised, but not without more episodes of the people forgetting to remember.
When we get bored, we forget to remember Who's we are, where He has brought us from, where He has promised to take us. Our faith is discarded because we want what we think we need, and we want it now. We tend to be stiff-necked toward waiting, acting like we should, living in a way that is pleasing to God which is always in our own best interest, because He knows what we really need.
For the sin of worshipping my golden calf, a.k.a., me, I got a whipping and was put on severe restriction. But Dad had mercy, too, because He saw that at least I was not willing to pass the recompense of my sin onto another person. He knew that experience would teach me to remember that my actions, when they are what they should be, create harmony. And when they are bad can affect people around me in ways I would not wish. When we discard the One Who's idea we are, when we forget to remember, chaos always ensues. Deuteronomy 6.4-15
You are His idea. He knew you before you were born. He saw every day of your life before you had lived even one. Whether you are religious or not, Elohim is God. He is goodness. He is mercy. And as we live our days out, if we can continually remember what He wants for us, how He expects us to live, and live in worship to Him, He will lead us to the Promised Land. Learn the inexplicable, totally amazing, audacious, and magnificent value of His Presence in your life.
No comments:
Post a Comment