Confronting God

For 11/13/2011

All Scriptures from The Message Version

This post is intended to help the reader personalize the words and thoughts in the scriptures.  It works best if shared between two or more people as a topic of discussion but there is something to be gained by just considering the questions by yourself.  Commentaries for these scriptures can be found on Textweek through this link http://www.textweek.com/pentateuch/ex32a.htm.

One of the stubbornly enduring habits of the human race is to insist on domesticating God.  We are determined to tame him.  We figure out ways to harness God to our projects.  We try to reduce God to a size that conveniently fits our plans and ambitions and tastes.

But our Scriptures are even more stubborn in telling us that we can’t do it.  God cannot be fit into our plans, we must fit into his.  We can’t use god – God is not a tool or appliance or credit card.

Eugene H. Peterson – Translator/Interpreter of The Message Version

During the Israelite’s exodus through the desert God had been a visual presence with them, leading them in a pillar of fire and smoke.  But then the breaking of the very first commandment and casting and worship of the Golden Calf in Moses’ absence – God is upset and changes his mind telling Moses:

From Exodus 33:1-3  I will send an angel ahead of you and I'll drive out the Canaanites…  But I won't be with you in person—you're such a stubborn, hard-headed people!—lest I destroy you on the journey."

God changes His mind – he delegates his presence to an angel as he has lost patience with them.  With this Moses turns to God to argue – he pleads a case for God’s continued presence.  Prayer is communication with God, regardless of the nature of that conversation – as you read this read it as Moses being in prayer with God:

Exodus 33:12-13 Moses said to God, "Look, you tell me, 'Lead this people,' but you don't let me know whom you're going to send with me. You tell me, 'I know you well and you are special to me.' If I am so special to you, let me in on your plans. That way, I will continue being special to you. Don't forget, this is your people, your responsibility."

¹⁴ God said, "My presence will go with you. I'll see the journey to the end."

^15-16 Moses said, "If your presence doesn't take the lead here, call this trip off right now. How else will it be known that you're with me in this, with me and your people? Are you traveling with us or not? How else will we know that we're special, I and your people, among all other people on this planet Earth?"

¹⁷ God said to Moses: "All right. Just as you say; this also I will do, for I know you well and you are special to me. I know you by name."

·       What arguments does Moses confront God with in verses 12-13 as he strains to get God to change His decision?  What does Moses say worries him?  Who does he claim is responsible for the fate of the people?  What tone of voice and demeanor do you think he presented in this request/demand?

·       After all of the conversations (prayers?) Moses has had with God something big is missing, what does he want revealed?  What is Moses dealing with as he struggles to lead the people?  Is it surprising that he wants more information about the specifics of what is going to happen in the future?

·       Can you relate to any of this frustration as you travel along your own faith journey?  What is Moses asking for that we might all wish for?  How do we deal with the uncertainty of our immediate and long term personal future and all of the ups and downs it might hold?  Would you consider having a conversation with God like this?  What has your faith brought to your life during times of uncertainty?

·       Have you ever begun something, big or small, that you felt your faith called you to do?  Would you like to have had this conversation and the assurance Moses asks for?

·       What is God’s response in versed 14 – what does he affirm?  What does He mean by presence – is it only in the form of the previously mentioned angel?  How does Moses react to God’s response?

·       Think about Moses’ demand to God as you read verses 15-16 – what is he demanding  – what must be going through Moses’ mind as he speaks – what do you imagine is his tone of voice – what must he think that his relationship with God must be to speak in this way?

·       Should we be striving for a relationship in which all of our emotions can be expressed in our conversations with God?  How do we do that?  Do you know anyone with whom you can imagine having this kind of conversation?  What is your relationship with that person, why are you comfortable to speak to them in this way?  What does it say about the relationship with God we should be seeking?

·       Moses speaks about him and his people being special, do you think that people of faith are special in God’s eyes?  In what ways?

·       What is the bottom line we see in verse 17, why does God accede to Moses’ wishes?  How has your faith blessed you?

Moses is still not satisfied and makes more requests of God:

¹⁸ Moses said, "Please. Let me see your Glory."

¹⁹ God said, "I will make my Goodness pass right in front of you; I'll call out the name, God, right before you. I'll treat well whomever I want to treat well and I'll be kind to whomever I want to be kind."

²⁰ God continued, "But you may not see my face. No one can see me and live."

^21-23 God said, "Look, here is a place right beside me. Put yourself on this rock. When my Glory passes by, I'll put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I've passed by. Then I'll take my hand away and you'll see my back. But you won't see my face."

·       What is Moses asking for, what does he want God to do?  Is looking someone in the face the ultimate step in really knowing who and what they are?  Is that something you would like to do with God?

·       How amazing is it that the omnipotent, omnipresent creator of the infinite universe will choose to seek a relationship with us mere humans?  Does it make any sense to you?  How do you fit this into your personal faith life?

·       But in the end God puts a condition on any presence made with Moses and by extension all of us – what is it?  Do you believe that God is knowable, that we can find human equivalents of our values, emotions, physical appearance, logic, understanding of good and evil, justice, etc.?  Does this scripture in some ways express that impossibility?

·       God promises that Moses will experience God’s presence but that he will not see his face (in other words really come to know God).  How do we experience God’s presence?  Are there any particular experiences that have been high points in your faith journey?  Is it possible to experience God’s presence in creation or get a glimpse from the actions and relationships we have with other people of faith?

·       What one thing will you take away from considering these scriptures today?  What questions have gone unanswered?  How might you pursue coming closer to getting answers.  

Closing Litany (I Corinthians 13:12-13)

We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist.

But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright!

We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation:

Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Amen

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures:  Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24, Psalm 100 or Psalm 95:1-7a, Ephesians 1:15-23, Matthew 25:31-46

Please comment by clicking on the word comments in the sentence Posted by John at XXXX at the bottom of the page

Preparing for God's Presence

For October 2, 2011
All Scriptures are from The Message Version

The Book of Exodus is a mixture of very early oral material which has come from different Jewish traditions and joined together. Just as we have four gospels telling us in somewhat different ways about Jesus Christ so the Jews have different memories of the root of their faith. Christians recorded them in four different gospels, but in the first five books of the Old Testament the traditions are all mixed together which can result in varying repetitions of the same event.  This is true for the transmission of the 10 commandments by God to the people of Israel.  The first is recorded beginning in Exodus 19 and the second Exodus 31-34 which tells of the construction of the golden calf and smashing of the stone tablets.  We will look at the first telling today:

Exodus 19:10-13 God said to Moses, “Go to the people. For the next two days get these people ready to meet the Holy God. Have them scrub their clothes so that on the third day they'll be fully prepared, because on the third day God will come down on Mount Sinai and make his presence known to all the people. Post boundaries for the people all around, telling them, 'Warning! Don't climb the mountain. Don't even touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain dies—a certain death. And no one is to touch that person, he's to be stoned. That's right—stoned. Or shot with arrows, shot to death. Animal or man, whichever—put to death.' "A long blast from the horn will signal that it's safe to climb the mountain."

 ^14-15 Moses went down the mountain to the people and prepared them for the holy meeting. They gave their clothes a good scrubbing. Then he addressed the people: "Be ready in three days. Don't sleep with a woman."

·       God orders Moses to get the people ready to meet God – what are the specific preparations they are to make for this event?  How were they to behave and what were they to do?  What do these preparations tell us about the Israelites picture or understanding of who and what God was? 

·       What would the people know in three days, what did God promise God would do?  Is knowing God is present something that is an eternal and universal desire?  In what ways has God made God’s presence known to you – was it something you experienced, saw, or some other way?

·       What does God caution Moses to be sure to do to protect the people from God’s presence?  What is he to do to enforce these boundaries?  What does this tell us about the Israelites understanding of God, is God not to be approached, is God’s power enough to kill one who approaches too closely or something else?   Is God a constant presence or does God come and go while keeping an eye on them?   

·       How do you picture God; is it like the Israelites or in some other way?  What would your behavior be in the actual presence, the physical proximity of God?  Do you see God as being remote or in a more personal way?  John 14:23-24 records one of the last of Jesus’ teachings which speaks of God’s presence:

Because a loveless world," said Jesus, "is a sightless world. If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him—we'll move right into the neighborhood! Not loving me means not keeping my words. The message you are hearing isn't mine. It's the message of the Father who sent me.

Read it and compare it to the picture of God in Exodus scripture.  Are there any similarities/differences and what preparation might be made for God based on the scripture from John?  What are the ramifications of having God in your neighborhood?

·       Are there any parallels in the practices of individuals and congregations at worship today which reflect a conscious or unconscious preparation for the presence of God?

Exodus 19 continues:

 ¹⁶ On the third day at daybreak, there were loud claps of thunder, flashes of lightning, a thick cloud covering the mountain, and an ear-piercing trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp shuddered in fear.

 ¹⁷ Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God. They stood at attention at the base of the mountain.

 ^18-20 Mount Sinai was all smoke because God had come down on it as fire. Smoke poured from it like smoke from a furnace. The whole mountain shuddered in huge spasms. The trumpet blasts grew louder and louder. Moses spoke and God answered in thunder. God descended to the peak of Mount Sinai. God called Moses up to the peak and Moses climbed up.

 ^21-22 God said to Moses, "Go down. Warn the people not to break through the barricades to get a look at God lest many of them die. And the priests also, warn them to prepare themselves for the holy meeting, lest God break out against them."

·       What would be the understanding of God for those who were present at Mount Sinai that day?  What would be the basis for their relationship with God, i.e., fear, love, discomfort, concern, welcoming? 

·       What is the basis for your relationship with God, where does it come from?  If you were asked to describe God what would you say?  Should any healthy relationship with God include an sense of either fear or awe?  What should we fear?  Where should the awe come from?

Exodus 20:18-20 records the Israelites reaction to this experience:

All the people, experiencing the thunder and lightning, the trumpet blast and the smoking mountain, were afraid—they pulled back and stood at a distance. They said to Moses, "You speak to us and we'll listen, but don't have God speak to us or we'll die."  Moses spoke to the people: "Don't be afraid. God has come to test you and instill a deep and reverent awe within you so that you won't sin."

·       Is the Israelites reaction surprising, what would yours have been.  What reasons does Moses give for God choosing to appear in this way?  Do you think that a dose of fear as a reason to not sin is a good thing?   

·       What is the best way to prepare ourselves for the presence of God and when should we expect God to be present with us?

Closing Litany - Reflections on God’s presence from Psalm 19

The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together.

   The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road.

   The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy.

   The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes.

   God's reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee.

   Amen

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Matthew 22:1-14, Philippians 4:1-9, Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23, Exodus 32:1-14