Rules
They say that following God is just about a bunch of rules. I've tried—Lord knows I've tried—to tell them otherwise over the last forty years, but I fear that, especially when they settle in the land, they'll only focus on the rules.
It started when we got out of Egypt. That was terrifying, to say the least. Pharaoh changed his mind once we had gone and came after us with an army. We were trapped, up against the water: between the devil and the deep blue sea, you might say. I didn't know what else to do, so I stretched out my arm, the arm that held my staff, and watched as the water parted. There was dry land for us to walk on. So we didn't hesitate. We didn't ask why or how or anything like that. We just went. And as soon as the last of us stepped on the other shore, the water came rushing back. It hurt my heart to see all those Egyptians swept away, but we were safe. For now.
I led them back to the mountain where I had first heard God's call. And it was there where God first gave us a list of commandments. Ten, to be exact. Basically, it was a covenant, the establishment of a relationship. This was the way we were supposed to live if we were going to be in relationship with him. I mean, that's true of any relationship, though most don't carve the "rules" on stone. My wife and I, for instance, we have an understanding of the way we're going to live together. Friends do the same thing; some behaviors are okay, some are not. But since we can't see God, he put the "rules," the understandings, in stone for us.
Ten words: No other gods. No idols. No misusing God's name. Keep the Sabbath. Honor your parents. No murder. No adultery. No stealing. No false witness against your neighbor. No coveting. Only ten. I often thought that, had we been able to keep those words, the rest of the rules wouldn't have been necessary.
But of course we couldn't. No sooner had God given me these words than the whole camp was worshipping an idol. Rules number 1 and 2 already broken! It made me so angry I broke the stones God had given me. (Which meant I had to go all the way back up the mountain to get a new set! And I'm no spring chicken, you know!) So God began to explain the ten words in more detail. I spent a lot of time writing all that down. Sure wish he would have just e-mailed it to me.
But when I took these to the people, they accused God of just being concerned about rules. That isn't it, I told them. God wants a relationship with you. He's simply giving us the boundaries, the limits of that relationship. If we want to be in relationship with him—and it's our choice—then we have to do these things. Besides, I reminded them, God created the world. He knows how life is best lived in it. He knows how it works, better than we do! Why can't they understand that? Why do they insist on going their own way? Why do they think they know better than God?
I hope things are better for Joshua, when they get settled in the promised land. I have to let that go, and trust that God will keep working with his people. Me? I won't be going with them. I'm here on this mountain to die, to go be with God. I've done all I can. God, please don't give up on them. One day, they'll get it, that all you want is to have a relationship with them. Won't they? Please tell me they'll understand one day. They must get it. They must.
It started when we got out of Egypt. That was terrifying, to say the least. Pharaoh changed his mind once we had gone and came after us with an army. We were trapped, up against the water: between the devil and the deep blue sea, you might say. I didn't know what else to do, so I stretched out my arm, the arm that held my staff, and watched as the water parted. There was dry land for us to walk on. So we didn't hesitate. We didn't ask why or how or anything like that. We just went. And as soon as the last of us stepped on the other shore, the water came rushing back. It hurt my heart to see all those Egyptians swept away, but we were safe. For now.
I led them back to the mountain where I had first heard God's call. And it was there where God first gave us a list of commandments. Ten, to be exact. Basically, it was a covenant, the establishment of a relationship. This was the way we were supposed to live if we were going to be in relationship with him. I mean, that's true of any relationship, though most don't carve the "rules" on stone. My wife and I, for instance, we have an understanding of the way we're going to live together. Friends do the same thing; some behaviors are okay, some are not. But since we can't see God, he put the "rules," the understandings, in stone for us.
Ten words: No other gods. No idols. No misusing God's name. Keep the Sabbath. Honor your parents. No murder. No adultery. No stealing. No false witness against your neighbor. No coveting. Only ten. I often thought that, had we been able to keep those words, the rest of the rules wouldn't have been necessary.
But of course we couldn't. No sooner had God given me these words than the whole camp was worshipping an idol. Rules number 1 and 2 already broken! It made me so angry I broke the stones God had given me. (Which meant I had to go all the way back up the mountain to get a new set! And I'm no spring chicken, you know!) So God began to explain the ten words in more detail. I spent a lot of time writing all that down. Sure wish he would have just e-mailed it to me.
But when I took these to the people, they accused God of just being concerned about rules. That isn't it, I told them. God wants a relationship with you. He's simply giving us the boundaries, the limits of that relationship. If we want to be in relationship with him—and it's our choice—then we have to do these things. Besides, I reminded them, God created the world. He knows how life is best lived in it. He knows how it works, better than we do! Why can't they understand that? Why do they insist on going their own way? Why do they think they know better than God?
I hope things are better for Joshua, when they get settled in the promised land. I have to let that go, and trust that God will keep working with his people. Me? I won't be going with them. I'm here on this mountain to die, to go be with God. I've done all I can. God, please don't give up on them. One day, they'll get it, that all you want is to have a relationship with them. Won't they? Please tell me they'll understand one day. They must get it. They must.
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| Mount Sinai near sunset, Egypt, 2012 |
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