Wednesday 9 February

Exodus 4:1-6:12

There is more evidence of the character of God in this passage than there are calories in a Big Mac. He does this curious little dance with Moses, telling him Pharaoh ‘may’ believe the three little party tricks that He gives him.  I don’t believe for a minute that God intended the signs to convince Pharaoh; rather they seem to have been for Israel, to show them that the God they worshipped was alive and making his presence felt among them.  It’s fascinating that God seems to shape his interaction with his people around the enhancement of their faith in him.  As we saw yesterday, God’s primary goal seems to be to wed his people to himself, even over and above freeing them from any cruel bondage that they may find themselves in.  When Moses asks why God has brought trouble upon his people, God responds by telling Moses about His character.  The message is clear - God is willing to let trouble come to us so that we can discover more about who He is.  

And then there is this bizarre ‘bridegroom of blood’ episode.  The language is very unclear as to whether it is Moses or his son who is nearly killed but I think the NIV is probably correct in assuming Moses.  So what does this tell us about God?  Well I think that it demonstrates that he is even willing to jeopardise his plans if his people do not commit themselves to holiness.  For Moses to not bother getting circumcised even after God has revealed himself so vividly is a huge act of disrespect. God has described circumcision as the sign of the covenant between Himself and his people.  If one of his people will not subject themselves to this simple (if painful) act of devotion then he will not tolerate their presence any longer.  There is no wriggle room in this thing; for God, lack of devotion to Him is a game-breaker.  It makes you wonder how many major redemptive works of God are currently suspended due to the lack of devotion of His people.

Matthew 26:31-46

I struggle to get my head around the description of Gethsemane.  The level of emotion that Jesus displays and the enormity of the situation is a little too much for my task-centered brain to process.  I tend to just look at the end result and experience a fleeting moment of sadness over the fact that my beloved saviour is being roughed around by a gang of ignorant upstarts.  But I like the fact that the editors have stopped this passage before the actual betrayal takes place - it forces me to dwell a little in this agonising garden.  And as I sit here in Costa I feel myself starting to well up at Jesus’ declaration “my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death”.  This is the very soul of God, the immortal and ever-lasting soul that created all things and is enthroned above all things.  Why would he be so overwhelmed with sorrow at the fate of this world?  How could he feel such a depth of emotion as this?  I’m completely floored by the fact that he found this such a horrendously heart-savaging experience.

Proverbs 4:10-19

I’m struck by the declaration that “Instruction...is your life”.  At a time when reading was a rare skill this is a clear call to get up close and personal with the older and wiser people of God.  I find I naturally withdraw and don’t disclose or press-in to relationships but I realise that by doing this I am missing out on life.  An openness to people and to the thoughts they offer is a crucial part of walking along the straight paths of God.