Graduate 85: Advent, Day 8
Moses’ Call
Exodus 2-4:20
Again we see God working through a particular person to accomplish His will; but very important to remember on this point: it is God’s will and not the will of any man or woman that is being carried out. This comes across in interesting ways in this story, as when Moses asks for God’s name. “Names in the ancient world were believed to be intimately connected to the essence of the individual. Knowledge of a person’s name gave knowledge of their nature and, potentially, power over them.” (IVP Bible Background Commentary, 80) One way of reading Moses’ inquiry is as an attempt to control God; he’s being called into a dangerous situation and wants to be able to invoke God if he ever finds himself in a tight spot. (Compare Genesis 32:24-32.)
But what does God reveal His name to be? “I AM WHO I AM.” Another way to translate that: “I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE.” [In effect, “I will not be manipulated or controlled.”] God is not a genie that comes whenever Moses rubs the lamp to do whatever he needs. He will not be conjured by magic spells, nor bound by any physical instrument. (The one time that Moses does use his staff—the symbol of God’s presence and power among the people—as a kind of ‘magic wand’, the consequences are severe. See Numbers 20.) Does this mean that God cannot be trusted or relied on? Certainly not! God has revealed Himself, over and over, to be faithful in keeping His promises; and He follows through for Moses as well.
Trusting God is often hard. We want assurances; we want guarantees. We want to know that God will get us out of the tight spots that we get ourselves into and can’t get out of ourselves just when we want to get out of them. (Did you catch all that?) But God refuses to be that “Get-out-of-jail-free” card for us; refuses to be the cosmic butler, or the celestial vending machine. Is that because He doesn’t love us or because He doesn’t have our best interest at heart or because He can’t be trusted? No—just the opposite; he desires so much more for us—the very best for us. He desires to be in relationship with us, and you can’t be in relationship with a genie, a card, a mere servant, or a vending machine; and His faithfulness and goodness are manifested over and over and over again in Scripture and in the lives of those who do commit to following Him.
It’s so easy to get locked into our own plans and projects and expect God to help us accomplish what we want to accomplish; and we lose sight of the fact that Heaven itself is available to us. Moses caught a small glimpse of it. “Earth’s crammed with Heaven, and every common bush afire with God; but only he who sees takes off his shoes.” (Elizabeth Barrett Browning) What would it mean to really see the whole world as full of the presence of God? But that is impossible as long as we are looking just to our own projects and trying to strong-arm God into doing just what we want Him to do.
Jesus came to earth to open to the way for us to be in genuine relationship with God. Only by allowing God to be God in our lives can we experience the full richness of that relationship. Only then can God use us to accomplish the remarkable things He desires for us. We must first take off our shoes.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
Exodus 2-4:20
Again we see God working through a particular person to accomplish His will; but very important to remember on this point: it is God’s will and not the will of any man or woman that is being carried out. This comes across in interesting ways in this story, as when Moses asks for God’s name. “Names in the ancient world were believed to be intimately connected to the essence of the individual. Knowledge of a person’s name gave knowledge of their nature and, potentially, power over them.” (IVP Bible Background Commentary, 80) One way of reading Moses’ inquiry is as an attempt to control God; he’s being called into a dangerous situation and wants to be able to invoke God if he ever finds himself in a tight spot. (Compare Genesis 32:24-32.)
But what does God reveal His name to be? “I AM WHO I AM.” Another way to translate that: “I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE.” [In effect, “I will not be manipulated or controlled.”] God is not a genie that comes whenever Moses rubs the lamp to do whatever he needs. He will not be conjured by magic spells, nor bound by any physical instrument. (The one time that Moses does use his staff—the symbol of God’s presence and power among the people—as a kind of ‘magic wand’, the consequences are severe. See Numbers 20.) Does this mean that God cannot be trusted or relied on? Certainly not! God has revealed Himself, over and over, to be faithful in keeping His promises; and He follows through for Moses as well.
Trusting God is often hard. We want assurances; we want guarantees. We want to know that God will get us out of the tight spots that we get ourselves into and can’t get out of ourselves just when we want to get out of them. (Did you catch all that?) But God refuses to be that “Get-out-of-jail-free” card for us; refuses to be the cosmic butler, or the celestial vending machine. Is that because He doesn’t love us or because He doesn’t have our best interest at heart or because He can’t be trusted? No—just the opposite; he desires so much more for us—the very best for us. He desires to be in relationship with us, and you can’t be in relationship with a genie, a card, a mere servant, or a vending machine; and His faithfulness and goodness are manifested over and over and over again in Scripture and in the lives of those who do commit to following Him.
It’s so easy to get locked into our own plans and projects and expect God to help us accomplish what we want to accomplish; and we lose sight of the fact that Heaven itself is available to us. Moses caught a small glimpse of it. “Earth’s crammed with Heaven, and every common bush afire with God; but only he who sees takes off his shoes.” (Elizabeth Barrett Browning) What would it mean to really see the whole world as full of the presence of God? But that is impossible as long as we are looking just to our own projects and trying to strong-arm God into doing just what we want Him to do.
Jesus came to earth to open to the way for us to be in genuine relationship with God. Only by allowing God to be God in our lives can we experience the full richness of that relationship. Only then can God use us to accomplish the remarkable things He desires for us. We must first take off our shoes.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
posted by Metaphysician_delta | 1:35 PM
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