February 11- When The Cat Is Away, The Mice Will Play!

February 11, 2011

Scripture Readings:
Exodus 32:1-33:23; Matthew 26:69-27:14;
Psalm 33:1-11; Proverbs 8:33-36

It's better to feed one cat than many mice. ~Norwegian Proverb

Exodus 32:1-33:23

My husband and I were married about three years when we decided to build a home.  It was a brutal winter that year and our house was built during the coldest part of that winter.  After we moved in, we began hearing strange noises in the walls. I would hear scurrying and little bumps against the walls and ceilings. Finally, one day when I had invited a friend over to see the house, she and I were in the kitchen when I opened a drawer to get a spoon.  Out ran a mouse! My friend and I screamed and my friend tried to chase the little critter down. How embarrassing!  I realized that because of the cold weather, the field mice had stayed inside during the construction of our house. As a result, they had been built into the walls!  If I had a cat, perhaps I could have avoided this fiasco.

Today, we see that the Israelites are like mice who play when the cat is away.  Moses is up on the mountain getting instructions from God on the Law and on the details of how to build the Tabernacle.  In fear that he is never coming back, the people demand to have gods that they can see and follow. Drenched in years of idolatry in Egypt, they revert to what they learned in Egypt. Because of this, they demand that Aaron create an idol for them.  Aaron takes the gold jewelry they plundered from the Egyptians and fashions a calf and an altar.  The people claim that this is the god who brought them out of Egypt!  Oh, my! What blasphemy!  They sacrifice to the idol and have an orgy to boot.  Not good. God tells Moses to go down the mountain because the people have already broken the covenant to follow the Law.

God tells Moses that He will destroy all of Israel for this disobedience and leave only Moses in order to make a great nation from him, alone.  For the average leader of a people this would be a great temptation and boost to the ego. But Moses is a different type of man. His prayer to God shows us his Christ-like nature.  Notice his honesty, selflessness, and his arguments to God on behalf of Israel:

• You brought them out of Egypt with might acts and power. Vs. 11
• If you kill them, the Egyptians will think that your intent was to use your power to wipe the Israelites off the face of the earth - Vs. 12
• Remember your covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  You swore on your own name that you would make their descendants as numerous as the stars and give them the land that you promised as an eternal inheritance.

Moses' thoughtful, self-less, persistent, honest, passionate, and persuasive prayer changes God's mind.  Do you realize that you can talk to God in this way? Do you pray passionately for other people?

Moses goes down the mountain, sees the idol and the orgy, and gets so angry that he throws down the stone tablets of the Law in a fit of anger, smashing the tablets to pieces.  He then melts the calf, grinds it to dust, and makes the whole group drink the gold powder.  Aaron lies and says that the calf just came out of the fire when he was melting the jewelry.  The Levites are told by Moses to strap on their swords and kill the guilty.  They obey and the camp is cleared of the cancer of the disobedient leaders of this activity.  Notice that sin is like a cancer that must be cut out.

Moses goes back up to the mountain and has incredibly honest conversations with God.  He requests to actually see God as he contemplates taking this rebellious group to the Promised Land.  God puts Moses in the cleft of the mountain and places His hand over the cleft.  He allows Moses to see only His back side, but not His face.  God is so Holy that Moses would be overwhelmed and die if he saw God face to face.

Do you realize that one day we will see God face to face?  The blood of Christ shed for us will put us in a position to be able to stand before God without dying.  When things get tough are you tempted to rely on things you can see and touch to get through your problems, rather than relying on God who is unseen?
What do you learn about God and how He is willing to communicate with us through Moses' example?
Do you honestly talk to God about His promises and the needs of those you love?

Matthew 26:69-27:14

Matthew continues to prove that Christ's life is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.  Today, Jesus' prophecy that Peter would deny him three times comes true.  The priests and religious leaders discuss how to get the Roman government to sentence Jesus to death. They bind him and take him to Pilate.  Judas Iscariot is remorseful over causing the demise of an innocent man (Jesus) and hangs himself.  He had given back the thirty pieces of silver to the priests, and the priests bought a potter's field with it.  This fulfills a prophecy from Jeremiah 32:6-9 and Zechariah 11:12-13. 

Finally, Jesus is standing before Pilate, who is the Roman govenor.  Pilate asks Jesus if he is the King of the Jews.  Jesus says, "Yes.  It is as you say."  As the Jewish religious leaders make false accusations about Christ in front of Pilate, Jesus remains silent. Remember, Jesus is prepared after the Garden of Gethsemane for all suffering that is to come. He suffers in silence like a lamb being led to slaughter.

How do you handle suffering in your life?  Do you complain about every little thing that goes wrong each day?  Or do you have an eternal perspective on life and your trials?  This is only accomplished through knowing God's Word and prayer.

Psalm 33:1-11

Notice the end of this portion of our reading: "The Lord shatters the plans of the nations and thwarts all their schemes.  But the Lord's plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken."  Today, we see this truth in both the Old and New Testament readings.

Proverbs 8:33-36

If you find wisdom you will be happy, have life, and win approval from the Lord.  Moses and Jesus were wise. They are examples to us.

What did you notice in today's reading.  Please share.

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton