“A double-edged sword”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Thursday, May 12, 2022
Exodus 34:1-17 (Forward, p. 14) CEV p. 89
It can certainly be said of many things, that while they have attributes that are incredibly beneficial, they also have attributes that can be quite dangerous and destructive if not handled properly. In this category are fire, wind and cold, and many of the household, agricultural and industrial implements and chemicals that we use on a daily basis. Handled correctly, they can be a great boon, but watch out, there can be unhealthy, even dangerous site-effects if misused, or not watched out for and properly appreciated.
In some ways, God is a bit like that. We see something of this in today’s passage. When God passed in front of Moses, He exclaimed, “I am the Lord God. I am merciful and very patient with my people. I show great love, and I can be trusted. I keep my promises to my people forever…” (verses 6-7a).
But in the second half of that last verse, He also says “but I also punish anyone who sins. When people sin, I punish them and their children, and also their grandchildren and great grandchildren” (verse 7bc). Whoa! That is pretty heady stuff. This is a God who is greatly to be reckoned with. He does not take sin lightly.
But Moses doesn’t end the conversation there. “Moses quickly bowed down to the ground and worshipped the Lord. He prayed, ‘Lord, if you really are pleased with me, I pray that you will go with us. It is true that these people are sinful and rebellious, but forgive our sin and let us be your people’” (verses 8-9).
The story, however, continues on. God does indeed promise to be with them and perform great and wonderful signs and miracles. He will force out the nations, six of them, that presently dwell in that land, but even here, there is a catch. Obviously, some of those original inhabitants will still be around, and so Israel needs to be very wise, and careful, in its dealings with them, or else it will fall into a trap and fall away from worshipping the Lord. God gives them some very explicit instructions concerning these people, the people that live in this land:
-the people of Israel is not to make treaties with any of them;
-they are to destroy their altars & sacred poles;
-they are not to take part in their worship or their sacrificial meals
-they are not to marry any of them;
-they are not to make metal images of the gods of the people round about them.
In fact, God says to them in verse 14, “I demand your complete loyalty—you must not worship any other god!”
So, while God is loving and merciful and forgiving, He is also demanding. At the same time, He also demands our full worship, our full loyalty, our full obedience. In a very real way, this is akin to any serious, committed relationship, for in such relationships there is an unsullied, undiluted loyalty to each other. As such, it brooks no rivals. And basically, that is exactly what God is saying about us and Himself. He wants to be our God but don’t want any other god horning in and spoiling it. He loves us and cares for us and knows fully well that any interference in that relationship would only to be to our ultimate detriment. And so, He tries to keep that relationship intact and whole, and expects us to do so as well. It is only appropriate, given how much He loves us. So, His love is indeed like a two-edged sword: while giving and expansive, it is also demanding, demanding because that is exactly what we need. Amen.
Forward notes: “The LORD passed before him, and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation’” (verses 6-7a).
“I am always blown away when I find someone who embraces God’s steadfast love and does not repeat the selfish sins and ways of their parents. My friend Peter is such a man. We met in college and shared classes and a common faith. As our friendship grew, he shared some of his personal story. His parents had been selfish in profound and destructive ways that affected his self-esteem.
“Since then, Peter’s finances have been a roller coaster. He has literally taken hard knocks with an accident that resulted in a brain injury. His health has been incredibly challenged, including a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Nevertheless, when I think of examples of people with generous and caring lives, I include Peter. He understood what his parents had done, and with God’s grace, he has consciously and successfully given his son a different heritage.”
Moving Forward: “How can you help break cycles of abuse and neglect?”