Jojo and I are reading in Genesis now.
We recently read the story of Abraham buying a piece of land as a family burial plot. The formalities between Abraham and the children of Heth were quite amusing to our western mindset.
When I read the well-known story that I want to focus on today I wonder if some of the intriguing aspects of this story are also formalities that I, living in a western culture, just can't quite grasp.
Yet, here I am, making a meager attempt to share this story with you.
Moses had risked his life to go back to Egypt. He had grown so much since he had stopped to see a burning bush. The sheep were being cared for by someone else and now he was herding a huge crowd of people through the wilderness.
Now, here he was, back on the mountain!
Alone in God's presence.
Hearing directly from heaven.
God handed Moses the stone tablets. The laws were written with the hand of God himself. How precious these words were.
Moses had been communicating with God as you or I, might visit with a very good friend who we haven't seen in a long time.
"You better get going now." God said. "Those people of yours, that you brought out of Egypt have defiled themselves. They made idols and they are worshipping them and claiming those are images of the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt."
God said he had noticed that these people were quite stubborn and didn't listen very well. He had an idea. "Moses, you stand aside for a bit and I will destroy them all and start over with you!"
This threat sounds horrific, but, I think it is a little bit like the children of Heth telling Abraham that he was such a great guy he could just have the land as a gift. Abraham knew the correct response was, "It is agreed. I will pay you 400 shekels of silver."
Moses, the one who could talk to God like we talk to another human, didn't skip a beat. "Lord! Please don't! You brought these people out of Egypt with great power and might! Remember the promises you made to Abraham, Isaac and Israel! Please, don't destroy your people!"
That was the right response.
Now Moses was ready to see what was at the bottom of the mountain.
Joshua met him on his way down the mountain. "Something is going on down there. I thought it was war at first, but it doesn't really sound like someone winning or losing. It almost sound like... music?!"
We're having a "Feast to the Lord", Aaron said. "The people gave me their gold, I threw it in the fire, and out came this calf!"
The calf, the dancing, the music, people running around naked. These people who were supposed to be Holy people of God, civilized, were having a rave party.
Now it was Moses's turn to get angry. He ground the golden calf to powder and made the people drink it!
God sent a plague to punish the people. But, Moses pleaded with God for the lives of the people. The people repented and God sent an angel to guide them and deliver them from their enemies.
"Yes, building and worshipping idols was a great sin." Moses agreed "But, if you are going to blot their names out of the book of life, blot mine out also."
Oh to have the kind of love that Moses had for his fellowman. The kind of love we should all have. But, sadly, far too often we are quick to condemn. "That's sad they are going through that, but, honestly, they kind of did bring it on themselves," we say as we sadly hear the bad news.
What if, instead, we acted like Moses and pleaded for their lives? What if we cried out for God to save them and heal them. What if our response to bad news wasn't to try to figure out who to blame, but, instead, to fall on our faces before the Throne of Mercy and ask Our All Powerful God to show Himself Strong on behalf of His people.
Somehow, I think amazing things would happen in our world, spiritually and physically, if we all had the meekness of Moses.
