After the conference, the crash
Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Bern Leckie:
What did I like about today’s passage?
Don’t you love holy conferences like Soul Survivor or Spring Harvest? Maybe I’m showing my age, but Moses did one before any of us. Up on the mountain, surrounded by God's presence, the plan looked great. Moses got it all from God in vivid detail, he loaded up on vision for how worship and life should look, and he came out of the incense-making workshop with God's special copyright formula. He had even rocked the productive life seminar, excited that God had given specifically skilled workers and a weekly rest day as part of the covenant agreement. All set! Let’s get on with it! Singing all the way home!
So imagine Moses' surprise after the conference when real life confronted him with chaos. What happened, Aaron? While Moses had the mountaintop experience, his trusted partner absorbed everyone else’s fears and doubts, bent to the people's will to craft an idol and later taking none of the responsibility. God unexpectedly brought Moses to share in his frustration with sinful people, and Moses' reaction was literally to break the covenant agreement he carried.
I’m amazed that none of this would be a surprise to God. He knew what would happen while he took time with Moses to lay out the plan anyway. In response to the people's actions, Moses and God seemed to temper each other. Anger which could have been totally destructive was still serious but measured, even purposeful. God and Moses had become closer. I love that God respected and supported Moses’ leadership and changed his plans after Moses pleaded on behalf of the people.
What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?
When God says something should and will happen, he knows what will get in the way before it does. Even though we have become corrupt and prone to wander, God works through relationship to lead leaders with a passion for his people.
What am I going to do differently as a result?
While there aren’t any perfect human leaders in Exodus, I’d rather be like Moses, close and obedient to God, than Aaron, who was far from God and much closer and responsive to people in this part of the story. When would I need to choose? That might be hard to tell. So while I can’t yet see the time when I might need to reject what people are asking for, I can commit to spend more time consciously seeking what God wants.
Who am I going to share this with?
Next time I discuss faith-related projects intended to reach an audience, like podcast ideas, this needs to come up!