Sunday, July 27, 2008

Sulking in Midian

It occured to me this evening that the typical interpretation of Moses's story is incorrect.

Moses flees Egypt after murdering an Egyptian overlord who is abusing Hebrew slaves, which I get. More to the point he flees once he is outed by his fellow Hebrews who even ask him, 'who has made you ruler and judge over us'.

The theory is assumed (in movies as well as sermons) that Moses was just a good guy who happened to be standing up for the downtrodden. At best he's angry at the treatment of his enslaved kinsmen and just has one of those moments. Oops.

At worst, he's a hot head in need of a 40 year coolin' off period.

Jewish Rabbis have speculated that Moses was as young as 20 when he did this. Stephen however in his sermon to the Sanhedrin tells us that Moses was 40 years of age (Acts 7:23). And at age 80 is when the Lord calls him from the burning bush (vs.30).

But Stephen tells us more. Giving insight to the purpose of Moses.

Acts 7:23 "When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. 25 He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand.

Holy Moses! I once pulled a guy, who was smakin' his women around outside a bar, off of her and we scuffled. Part way into it I was hit from behind by the women and subsequently lost the fight. They both took to kickin me. Probably made out quite passionately in some trailer not far from where I was picking myself up. But enough of that.

My point here is that Moses, nursed and raised by his mother, would have been full of the knowledge of His Hebrew God. Raised in Pharoah's court, full of the known wisdom of the world.

Unlike so many interpretations, Moses knows who he is and what his purpose should be. At age 40 it comes to his heart to present himself to his people as their salvation. This is more than the salvation of two men dookin' it out. It is the salvation of them all. He is ready to lead them out and since he's been taught about God's plans, fully expects God to show up with a high five. Theres the oops.

27 But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?' 29 At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

I no longer think Moses was running 'from the law' so to speak but running from his God. He was running away from the place were he expected God to show up and back him. The retort of the men shock him not because they will turn him in but because they don't understand. If the Lord is telling him in his heart to present himself as a leader than surely the Lord will see to it that the average knucklehead will follow him.

Here he was doing the Lord's work and the Lord ain't helping. Here he is in his prime. Strong, handsome, full of zeal but the Lord won't use him.

It's only after another 40 years passes. When the zeal has faded and the legs no longer can support a full on sprint. His arms have long since seen the day of striking other men down. He is old, tired and very much I think miffed at his sense of place in the world. His arguments in Exodux 3 and 4 with the Lord strike me as a man wanting some reassurance that the people will follow him this time round.

Even while in exile in the land of Midian, he continues to stand up for the weak. He can't help himself. It's who he is.

My belabored point is that it's not his warroir spirit that gets him into trouble. That was God-given. It is his pride. Only when he is humbled does the Lord call him to bring salvation to his people but it won't be by his (Moses's hand) in the earlier sense. Fist-a-cuffs. No, no, it will be by the hand of the Almighty, in a way the world will speak of for thousands of years.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Twitter

So, I'm learning about twitter, which is just a quick way to update people to what I'm up to using cell text mainly that is posted to my blog. Yea, I'm cool and hip and super savy (yawn).

So now, when I'm scratching myself, wondering what, if anything, profound I could say, I'll just say, "I'm scratching myself", and you dear reader will be in the know and cool like me. Not to mention hugely edified.

Yea, I'm also feeling sarcastic of late. : )