March 18: Of sin and consequence, relationship and conversation

Numbers 26:52-28:15

Luke 3:1-22

Pslam 61:1-8

Proverbs 11:16-17

Today, we read that God is visiting the consequences of Moses's sinful choices on him.  After all Moses has gone through - from narrowly avoiding death as an infant, to facing down the despot of the day, to forty years of sojourn in the desert, fearful for food and water, fearful of rebellion...after all that, as they stand at the border of the land of milk and honey God had told Moses was awaiting the Chosen People, as Moses is probably chafing at the bit hoping to get in, God says "No".  Can you imagine that conversation?

"Ready to go, God.  Bags packed.  Hey, can we leave early?"

"No."

"Why not?  We're ready.  We could leave right now."

"No, Moses."

"Ok, then.  We'll wait.  Tell us when to get moving."

"Moses, you're not going."

"I get it, Lord.  Tell me when to start out."

"You're not listening, Moses.  You aren't going."

"Wait, what?"

Two things that struck me about this.  For all that Moses had done, he was still a sinner.  And sins have consequences, however good one might have been otherwise.  Moses showed the same doubt of God that most all the other Israelites had shown after Joshua and Caleb had first come back from the promised land.  Moses's doubt had come differently, though - he'd felt the need to strike the rock twice to get the water God said he would.  And at the end of the 40 years in the desert, during which time God winnowed the doubting and the faithless, God had one more person to winnow (two, really - Aaron wasn't getting in either).  So the first thing that struck me is that sin has consequences.

The second thing that struck me was this: despite Moses's sin, God was pleased to speak with him. Directly.  Not via the urim, not in visions and dreams.  No - despite Moses's sinfulness, God spoke to Moses directly, pretty much his entire life, beginning with the encounter with the burning bush all those decades before.  And despite his sinfulness, his doubt, even his unwillingness to do God's well (remember how God ended up sending Aaron along?), Moses still kept speaking right back to God, and helped keep the conversation going.

This is REALLY important.  Why?  Because if you are like me, you can get discouraged by your sins.  I know I do.  You know the sins that particularly discourage me?  The ones that I'd mistakenly thought I'd finally defeated completely, the ones I thought I'd never commit again.  They frustrate me, they lead me to think I am just never going to be good enough to be in relationship with God.  The story of God and Moses's relationship reminds me that just isn't true.  If God was willing and wanting to converse with a murderer who doubted God despite all he'd seen firsthand, surely He would be willing and wanting to speak with the rest of us sinners.  I think I just have to keep speaking back, to help keep the conversation going.