February 16, 2005
February 16, 2005 Deuteronomy 9:13-17
Deuteronomy 9:16-17 “Then I saw that you had indeed sinned against the LORD your God, by casting for yourselves an image of a calf; you had been quick to turn from the way that the LORD had commanded you. So I took hold of the two tablets and flung them from my two hands, smashing them before your eyes.”
When I was a teenager, big budget Bible movies were all the rage. Movies like “Ben Hur,” “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” and “The Ten Commandments” were very popular. I will never forget the sight of Moses – Charlton Heston – standing on Mt. Sinai holding the tablets containing the Ten Commandments high above his head. He was about to smash them against the idol of the golden calf. Moses was enraged. He had a right to be. His people had lost faith in God. They did not trust. They had reverted to idols.
It did, however, upset me to see those precious tablets thrown to the ground. These laws had been given to Moses directly from God. In the movie the special effects had been great – lightning bolts and everything. I could not help but wonder if the commandments were lost forever. What kind ever forgive his people?
You cannot help but feel sorry for those ancient Hebrews. They were frightened and bewildered – stuck in the middle of nowhere. Their leader had disappeared leaving them with the second in command. They wanted something familiar, something comfortable, something real. They wanted something they could see and touch. They built an idol.
I think we reject much the same today. Things in our lives go wrong. We get upset; we get sad, frightened, or confused. So what do we do – we go shopping. We buy more stuff. We turn to things to satisfy ourselves. We build our idols.
God through Moses was very angry with his people. Yet in the end he forgave them and eventually they were allowed to enter the Promised Land. So it is with us, god through Jesus Christ produces us and we two are promised entrance into the Promised Land.
Dear God, forgive us our idols. Direct us on the path we should be taking. The our guide in the wilderness. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Deuteronomy 9:16-17 “Then I saw that you had indeed sinned against the LORD your God, by casting for yourselves an image of a calf; you had been quick to turn from the way that the LORD had commanded you. So I took hold of the two tablets and flung them from my two hands, smashing them before your eyes.”
When I was a teenager, big budget Bible movies were all the rage. Movies like “Ben Hur,” “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” and “The Ten Commandments” were very popular. I will never forget the sight of Moses – Charlton Heston – standing on Mt. Sinai holding the tablets containing the Ten Commandments high above his head. He was about to smash them against the idol of the golden calf. Moses was enraged. He had a right to be. His people had lost faith in God. They did not trust. They had reverted to idols.
It did, however, upset me to see those precious tablets thrown to the ground. These laws had been given to Moses directly from God. In the movie the special effects had been great – lightning bolts and everything. I could not help but wonder if the commandments were lost forever. What kind ever forgive his people?
You cannot help but feel sorry for those ancient Hebrews. They were frightened and bewildered – stuck in the middle of nowhere. Their leader had disappeared leaving them with the second in command. They wanted something familiar, something comfortable, something real. They wanted something they could see and touch. They built an idol.
I think we reject much the same today. Things in our lives go wrong. We get upset; we get sad, frightened, or confused. So what do we do – we go shopping. We buy more stuff. We turn to things to satisfy ourselves. We build our idols.
God through Moses was very angry with his people. Yet in the end he forgave them and eventually they were allowed to enter the Promised Land. So it is with us, god through Jesus Christ produces us and we two are promised entrance into the Promised Land.
Dear God, forgive us our idols. Direct us on the path we should be taking. The our guide in the wilderness. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Contributed by Nancy Conlan
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