Reflections of Exodus
As I sit in the morning dew, I feel the rain drop on my face; I realize I am given grace. It is the most beautiful opportunity to see God shine the sun on the poor and the rich. It is a beautiful opportunity to taste the rich drop of rain that falls in the backyard of the wealthy, and the streets of the poor. I notice that the Lord saves all who came to him asking for the free drops of eternal life.
As I examine the book of Exodus, I notice that the secret in this book was not the leader of Moses who traveled through the wilderness for almost eighty years, but his obedience to God. He was not able to master his attitude because his love fell short to loving people who would not listen. He warned the people of the diseases that would come and the death that would fall on them and their children, yet they would not heed to the warning. Sometimes on the bottles of poison the sign warning do not drink. Sometimes we often want to test our body to see what our body can survive the outcome. It is in my heart that Moses was a character of attitude. Most of the time I am reminded of my attitude of passion that comes across as a chip on my shoulder and angry that is my attitude. In the character of Moses, his attitude was much like my own attitude. He was angry in the sight of God’s people, and in God’s eyes he was an uncontrolled passionate and meek man. He felt the suffering and pain of the body. He knew that the burden would be heavy if he had to carry weak people. What happened to God’s people that disease would cripple them in the wilderness. The journey was challenging enough then to have to watch God’s people to make poor choices with their bodies. Moses knew he would have to carry them, aid them, and nourish them with what? He was in the wilderness.
Moses was a leader that could not rely on his country’s wealth, Egypt. He knew that he could not rely on his country’s power. He knew he was fed by the hands of God, and that was stricter then his own adopted family, Egypt. He knew that the hard teachings of God were worst then Egypt. Though, the yoke was lighter, the laws were heavier. Moses could not carry the people. He barely could carry himself. His chip on the shoulder was validated when Jesus said that none was more meek then Moses, yet according to Moses family, God’s angels and God’s people Moses showed fury and wrath. Uncontrolled anger that made him seem unconcern and with a chip on the shoulder. I think in many times in our lives people can perceive righteous people as harsh, heartless and senseless and sometimes soul-less to the work of liberation and love. It is obvious that within my lifetime, if I am not careful with my words I can be perceived as very harsh. Though I am the gentlest person that I know, I am still seen as harsh or strict. I would not even hurt a fly. I love life, value life, and adore the laws of life. Yet in my own life examining the perils of the world I see the world test and tempt our bodies, God, and the earth. We push ourselves to the “poison” zones that not even God would do in their own lifestyles.
Is this called bold? Is this called courageous? Moses was seen as a coward, and many of the people wanted a stronger leader and bolder leader than Moses yet they found themselves dead at the end. Within the journey the people of God fell short to their prize, the entrance into paradise, the promise land. How many times do people miss out living in the entrance of the promise life for their lives? It is evidence we make rash decisions based on testing our limits of our bodies. We push ourselves beyond our abilities without taking the time to grow, mature, and developing ourselves to higher consciousness before we leap. Sometimes, God is not saying we cannot do the impossible, but God is saying, grow up first. It is an insult to some of us to wait on timing. In every event, even employment we have careless employers who would work their employers into the ground, and expect new employees to take their place not realizing that one day all that will be lost from squandering excellent assets, people, earth, and resources of the universe by the wastefulness of our heart desires to not to learn to do good with what we have. In order for Moses to be the leader of the wilderness, he had to teach the people how to be resourcefulness. During that time, they could not understand that Moses had their best interest in mind, but their needy lives demanding more than their slave life. In their slavery they had luxuries that they could not afford in the wilderness. The wilderness was definitely worst then slavery. The opportunity to be liberated was worthless, and the people found themselves desiring slavery due to the devastation of the wilderness.
Were the people in a better place? Of course, they were free, but luxury was not on top of God’s list at that very moment, but not far off he had more for them then the people had ever dreamed off. In a few more moments their sands would turn into waterfalls. It would have been entering into another country as equals rather conquerors. But, because of the extinction, the children of God’s people had to fight for their liberation. If the people elders had lived, they would have made negotiations with the people of the promise land, Canaan, would have invited them into their wealth for they were a people that feared God. But, the children could not use their family’s wisdom, because they were all dead. Their leader had died, and all the wisdom that came with that, was dead. Therefore, war was the first option for the children. The attitude of Moses was harsh because he knew it was life or death, not a walk in the park. Moses knew if he could not persuade the people to listen he would lose them to death and Moses lost the greatest goal of his heart and that was to safely arrive in the promise land with God’s people. In all his humility and lack of confidence, he mirrored his fears of losing the battle to communicate a message to save God’s people from unbelief. In Moses unbelief he lost his most pride possession his Egypt family and God’s family. This was Moses worst day to lose two families in one life. It was not a victory for Moses.
Moses was a meek man not because he was a cheery man. He was a meek man because he had two countries on his shoulders carrying them when they would not listen because his communication skills were not his gifts or talents. He was practically a mute man, but God used him to bring a remnant of God’s people, their children into a new day though they went about it wrong, God was faithful to bringing them as his covenant promised, into the promise land to prove to the world that God is faithful and true to his word, promise that he will never leave you or forsake you. It is obvious that death cannot separate us from the love of God, but it can separate us from the luxuries of God. In the end, the attitude of Moses did not matter. What matters in life is the success of your story? What matters whether or not you fail? What matters is whether or not God fails. Overall, what matters is the journey. It was not that the people of God had a dream to be free for when they became liberated they died in their starvation for luxury. Moses had a dream to be a leader, but he died as a hated leader. It was not that his attitude was displaced, but the timing was displaced. He could not time it right that God called him, but he was not ready. He was not ready from the beginning to the end. He could not get himself ready because he made poor decisions, yet God blessed him with family, wealth, and safe journey through the wilderness. His attitude was the pain and passion to carry a burden that was too great for him to carry. It is not said that we are to carry burdens heavier than what we can bare, but in this story you see God asking Moses to do something that God usually do not ask of no one. God was asking Moses to carry a burden to great for him. He begged Moses to trust him. Moses did, and in the end, Jesus honored Moses called him the greatest leader ever chosen. He will always be remembered. In this reflection I question that Moses had the opportunity to reach his own personal goals in his own life because he gave his life for the calling of God. Moses was willing to lose his life for the sake of Christ to hope that one day, maybe, he will gain his life back in the resurrection of his body, and his families, to continue where he could not continue, and that is to be a man that loved his people, and family.
Moses did not ask for much in life, yet God had asked eternity from Moses, a mere man who knew he would fail. He failed because he was not able to produce the resources the people needed. He did not have power to overthrow death, disease and destruction in the hearts of men. He could not forgive sins of wickedness, corruption and disturbances. And finally, he was not able to save people from the hatred in their hearts against God. He was just a man. Yet he was asked to play a role of God that only Jesus was able to do successful. But, he obeyed God. Within Exodus we find that journey unfolding in levels of greatness and depth that one man could not save the world, and this man was the best man for the job, and he still failed. Is this a sad ending, no because as a Christian, we believe, that hope gave Moses the opportunity to overcome his weakness and failure. The day he died, he was brought into the throne room of God to be judged, and in that hope, he was saved. It is in his best performance, he obeyed God, and in the end, his best was enough. Jesus was his true leader, role model, and Moses was willing to be like Christ for the sake of God to demonstrate one of the biggest feats in all history, the forty year journey through a wilderness with a country that came from slavery. We are not talking about bringing wealthy people out of luxury into the wilderness, but we are talking about bringing slaves in the wilderness. People who never had the basics in life and taking them to a harder place then what they were even use to, it was not an award to giving them luxury to lay their heads on, but rocks for beds.
Sometimes we are lead to places we never dreamed of to journey to the place we have always dreamed of.
Safe journey…
