And I Was Just Minding My Own Business

Deuteronomy 1:26-46

Moses continues his impersonation of an eight-year-old trying to talk his way out of trouble with his parents. Lots of finger pointing, not much blame acceptance.

He picks up his retelling after the spies come back and report on the worth of the land.  He says, remember how you grumbled?  You claimed that God hated you and that this proposed invasion was some elaborate set-up to get you all killed, which makes so much sense since He rescued you from Egyptian slavery and all. You thought the enemy was too strong and their cities were impenetrable.  You whined like someone had stolen your pacifier.

Once again, I had to serve as the voice of reason.  Don't be a-feared, I said.  You won't be going alone- God is on your side.  Remember how He fought for you in Egypt?

But you would have none of it.  When God caught wind of it, He was none too pleased.  He said of this whole group- only Caleb and Joshua will enter this land I have prepared for you to receive... and your kids who are too little to know right from wrong.

And I said...and Moses too, right?  But because of YOU God was angry at me as well.  God said, nope- you won't get there, Moses.  Turn this group around and head to the Red Sea.  So, thanks a lot Israelites. You pretty much ruined my life. 

Suddenly you got all "oh no we have sinned" annoyingly repentant.  We'll fight them, God, you moaned. Once you realized all that you had lost and what your future would be you decided to risk the war.  So you suited up for battle but God let me know that wasn't the smartest move.

Tell them not to go because I will not be with them... and without Me, it will not be pretty.  But you thought He was bluffing.  So you went up, and got smacked around like Michael Spinx fighting Mike Tyson.  91 seconds later you were running back to camp crying to God, wondering why He had forsaken you.

Moses removes himself from any blame here.  No mention of his ego getting too big, no mention of his feelings of self-importance, no mention of anything other than guilt by association.  I think we cope this way too, I'll let myself off the hook, I may be serving the time, but I didn't really do the crime.

I'm also interested in how the Christian world seems to take away this "With God on Our Side" message and apply it in strange ways.  Yes, all can be accomplished with God, but the assumption (particularly with war scenarios) that God has chosen you over your enemies is a bit egocentric and short-sighted.  Unlike with the Israelites, we are all God's children.  God is not a chip to be used to manipulate world events.  ...and I'm thinking that despite the implied bloodshed here, killing is not something that God wants on His side.

And without that direct voice of God thing going on like the Israelites have, we may be much better off not assuming that war is something God is advocating.  And certainly not assume that we are invincible because we think we are right.

Perhaps the most troubling part of this story is God's utter disowning of His people.  You don't trust Me?  Fine, I'm done.  Good luck- but actually even good luck won't help you much.  Thankfully this is a pre-Jesus tale, and consequently things work a little differently on the retribution side of things.