August 2–In Our Own

Happy Friday to you. Braden called me from Hawaii his first day there and said “It’s 5:00 AM here and I’m waiting for everyone to wake up. I don’t report in for four more days so I need to call my boss and ask him what I’m supposed to do. Since I got on the van at the recruiting station a year and a half ago, there has been someone telling me what to do!” 

That must have been how the children of Israel felt. They had been in Egyptian captivity for 400 years, then when Moses led them out, they still didn’t have to make decisions on their own and they knew exactly who God was. God fed them, clothed them, planned their daily itinerary, and fought their battles. No Hebrew questioned the existence of God because He was right there in a cloud, a pillar of fire. 

Soon, however, God wouldn’t be so visible and such a “parent” to them. They were going to have to grow up. As soon as they ate fruit in the promised land, the manna stopped. Now, they must cultivate their own food, plan cities, build roads. They would fight wars and appoint a king. They would grow fat and prosperous—and fall into the trap of trusting the horses and chariots more than God. Forgetting the past, they would discriminate against the poor and the foreigners, completely forgetting they a just a couple of generations away from that. In short, they forgot God when they were in their own. And apparently, nothing irritates God more than simply being forgotten.  

Before Moses left them leaderless, he tried to tell them. 

“Remember the days of long ago; think about the generations past. Ask your father, and he will inform you. Inquire of your elders, and they will tell you.

“For the people of Israel belong to the Lord; Jacob is his special possession. He found them in a desert land, in an empty, howling wasteland. He surrounded them and watched over them; he guarded them as he would guard his own eyes....he added: “Take to heart all the words of warning I have given you today. Pass them on as a command to your children so they will obey every word of these instructions. These instructions are not empty words—they are your life! By obeying them you will enjoy a long life in the land you will occupy when you cross the Jordan River.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭32:7, 9-10, 46-47‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 

Success, not failure is our greatest danger to a follower of God, and even Moses knew this well. The worst things in his life were because he had taken over—killing an Egyptian, striking the rock for water—rather than relying on God. I can point to (obviously less dramatic, but every bit as real) places in my life where I thought I was big and tough enough to make my own choices. 

It would be so much simpler if God would still just lead us around with a cloud just tell us what to do and where to go and what to say. But alas, we wake up every day and must to make choices for ourselves and decide who to follow and where to go every day. And if we don’t want to make a mess of things and strike a rock or something, we probably should consult with our “boss”, our God and King, first thing every morning.  

Father God, thank you for leading us and yet for the times when you don’t, and we have to grow up a little. Thank for for loving us so much that we have a sure hope for the promised land. Surround our family and friends who are suffering today and let them know you are near and that you care about their situation. We love you Lord and we offer you praise and glory and honor and blessings. You are a great God who loves us so, how can we help but worship you. Thank you Lord for this day and this life. We owe it all to you. Amen and amen. 

Love you dear friend,

Pam