Don't you hate when you are given specific instructions, you try to do it your own way, then it fails? Yeah, it's even worse than having no instructions at all and failing because there is typically someone who gave you the instructions. Well, I was reading about Moses and his trip down from Mount Sinai with the 10 Commandments. While he was gone, he left Aaron in charge [this is the same Aaron that will also be the High Priest]. Upon his return with an amazing encounter with God, he came home to an idol made of gold. Moses had just spent the latter part of his visit with God, pleading for the people. In his anger (which was probably justified), he threw the 10 Commandments and broke them.
Now once he chastised the people for their incredibly stupid actions, he had to walk all the way up the mountain to go ask God to give him a second copy. Now, think about how Moses must have felt. He just had an encounter, was given instructions, returned to the people put under his care, and then preceded to break the law that God had given him. Yeah, imagine Moses playing out the conversation he was about to have with God... "Uh, Lord, I know I begged and pleaded for your mercy for the people...but when I went down the mountain they had built an idol to another God and I got kinda angry and threw the commandments you gave me...and broke them---you think you could make a second copy?" This was the father of all "I broke it" stories. Moses must have felt like a horrible leader, feared for his life, and felt liek there was no hope as he climbed that mountain.
Doesn't that happen to us though? God has a will for our life, instructions. And while we are waiting for him to reveal the specifics of His will, we go astray. Now most of us don't melt gold into the shape of a cow and worship it, but we probably replace the time we should be focusing on God to focus on other things in our life. Others of us are like Moses, we have an amazing encounter with God away from the world (sometimes pleading for mercy). It's often at a conference, retreat, or maybe just each Sunday... Then we travel back down the mountain, God's word in hand, we hit the world where there is chaos, idol worshiping, unhappy people and we throw down and break the word God just gave us.
It shouldn't be like this though. God has given us his Word which is living and breathing. He has also given us the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct us. It's all to easy to worship and focus on God when we are on the mountain alone with Him, but forget and get caught up with our feelings toward the craziness in this world. I just pray that God will grant me the strength and preparation that when I reach the bottom of the mountain, I'll be able to hold on tight to the Word He gave me...
No comments:
Post a Comment