Scripture: verse 5
Moshe said to the community, “This is what Adonai has ordered to be done.”
Observation: Moses had to jump through plenty of hoops to get worship started. He had to get the materials assembled, get the people together, and then spend what was probably several hours anointing and dressing and sacrificing and whatever else had to happen.
And he told the community, “This is what God said should happen.” No attempt to justify or defend the ritual. No attempt to compromise and brainstorm and incorporate other ideas.
Too often we wonder what to say when people question our actions. And we shouldn’t. If God told us to do it, that’s all the explanation we need to give. (Of course, knowing that God told us to do it is an entirely different issue – but not one that I’m addressing at the moment.)
Sometimes I have to make decisions for my daughters, and I usually try to give good explanations for my choices, out of respect for them and to model good decision-making skills, but sometimes all the explanation I can give is “because Mommy said so.” And that has to be enough. One of the ways I keep them safe is by making decisions for them, by taking the burden of analysis that they aren’t old enough to perform.
And here Moses is using the same answer, and probably for similar reasons. God is far bigger and higher and wiser than we are. He keeps us safe by making certain decisions for us. I don’t know what the consequences would have been if Moses had incorporated other ideas into worship. But God did. So He decided.
Application: Trust God in all your ways (Proverbs 3:5). Allow Him to make decisions – and allow Him to defend those decisions. God is the one who vindicates us.
Prayer: Father, thank you for guiding me through situations too complex for me to understand. Thank you for lighting my path. Thank you for judging me righteous. Amen.
Truth By Bits 