I Saw the Sign

Deuteronomy 4:32-40

Moses makes a case for refraining from worshiping other gods, idols, celestial bodies, rock stars, etc.  He tells them-  Dudes.  You've seen the real thing.  Voices from fire.  Plagues. Deliverance.  Mighty world powers falling at your feet.  A beautiful inheritance.  You have seen the power of God- why would you look anywhere else?

So since you've seen it- worship Him.

Simple and straightforward and seemingly encouraging.  We too have seen signs.  We too serve a mighty God.  We too have seen our foes vanquished.  Except sometimes we don't.

Moses talks to God's chosen people.  A literally, genetically favored group of people who God shined on for a specific time and a specific purpose.  The problem is, when we signs and wonders we view ourselves as God's chosen people (chosen over others who do not see themselves as passed over).  When our foes smite us, when we are victims of the plagues and not the victors, when the tsunami hits us- and not a foreign country- we don't in turn assume that God is against us.

I'm a bit wary of people who have heard the voice of God and have gotten a unique directive from their own "burning bush".  Perhaps things work this way, and I don't mean to belittle anyone's spiritual experience, but more often we interpret God's power in hindsight in ways that affirm our already formed world views. And when others hear those voices in ways we don't understand, we tend to think they're on the far side of crazy.

That's not to say God isn't mighty. Isn't able to see us through.  Doesn't care about our pain.  It just means that if your view of God involves Him choosing you at the expense of someone else, it's important to remember that He made that person too.

Praise God.  He has done great things.  Remember, though, you don't have a monopoly on His blessings.

Idol Hands

Idol Hands

Deuteronomy 4:15-31

Moses continues his pity party.  I won't be going with you to the promised land.  I'll be stuck here while you get all the Honey Nut cheerios and lactose you can tolerate.

In this section, Moses harps on the need to remember to stop graven-ing those images.  First off, when the burning bush appeared, no image.  So don't try to create one of God that looks like a man, or a woman, or a calf, or a beaver.  Also, you should really avoid the whole worshiping the sun, or moon, or satellite.  God's not much of a fan of that.  

And once you've settled in, you've made some children, you're thinking, this is a great time to start some idol worship. It isn't.  God is jealous.  It will not go well.

For me, the heart of this passage seems to come in the middle.  Moses says- if it wasn't for you, I could be enjoying the prosperity of the land.  But no, you had to go and build that calf. As you get ready to enjoy the greatest reward of your life, let me throw some guilt on it for you.  I can't go and it's your fault.

This feels a lot like Moses saving face.  Saying that the idol building is why Moses gets left behind is a bit of a stretch.  I've always felt like Moses got a raw deal in this whole process, but passages like this one seem to suggest that this account is pretty biased.  I was up on the mountain minding my own business when they built this calf.  I didn't strike the rock, someone threw it at my staff.  I was slipping, it's gravity's fault, not mine.

Even Moses strives to save face when things don't go his way.  It's not pretty for him.  It's not pretty for us either.