Angels Not From Anaheim

Exodus 23: 20-33

After giving the Israelites this list of laws to remember and carry out- God tells them that He will protect them. I'm going to send you an angel to protect you and guide you to your destination. Pay attention, listen, and don't rebel. He won't forgive rebellion for My name is in him.

That's an odd phrase- is God saying- since he is acting for Me, he has no authority to forgive rebellion? Is there something special about this angel- there's a little piece of God in him somehow?

He goes on to say that if you listen to him, and obey Me- I've got your back. Your enemies are my enemies- people won't want to mess with you, because if they do, they'll have to mess with Me- which wouldn't be too smart.

He tells them that He will wipe out the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites as He takes them through their lands. But don't be influenced by their religious practices. Demolish their sacred stones. Don't worship their gods or adopt their religious rites and rituals. Instead, worship Me and I'll bless your food and water (so He'll provide it? Make sure it's healthy? Tasty? Fat free?). I'll keep you healthy and prevent miscarriages and barrenness. You'll live long lives.

He repeats his promise to smite their enemies- saying He will send His hornet ahead of them. I'm guessing this is metaphoric but it paints a pretty cool picture. An epic B-film (literally) starring Charlton Heston as the stoic beekeeper Shaz-Belthan.

God says I'll take care of them- but it won't be all at once, if I just rubbed them all out, the land would become desolate and there would be too many wild animals for you to deal with. Once you've increased in number more, I'll make it all happen.

This seems like a pretty good example of the balance between God's care for His individual children and His control of the big picture. Why don't things work out when I pray? Why do problems still exist for those that love God? Why do I have to suffer? Surely, for many reasons- but maybe at times God is working to alleviate the problems in our lives, but the solution that we seek could cause even greater problems for ourselves and others. So, God in His wisdom, watches and waits- and when the time is right- when it doesn't put a kink in His plans or in the lives of others- He works to make things better for all involved.

Obbiously there's more to it than that. Suffering builds character- makes us long for our true home, gives us opportunity to help others and more and better reasons that you may be able to think of. My point is simply that at times our requests are more complicated than we may realize. If God gives us exactly what we ask for it may complicate a million other things.

Finally God says that He will give them land that spans from the Red Sea, to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the river. I'll drive out your enemies (I'm sensing a theme) but don't make a covnenat with them or their gods (another theme). Don't let them live in your lands- they'll cause you to sin- the worship of their gods will be a snare to you.

Advice they won't always heed.

But how does this message apply to us- our circumstance is certainly much different- but do I isolate myself from those of demoninations different than mine? protestant from catholic? Chrsitian from Muslim? Christian from atheist?

Or with Jesus, have the rules all changed? Stay on guard but first and foremost...love. Don't kick them out of your lands- let your light shine...and love.

It's a hard question- but an important one.