Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of
all good things: Graft in our hearts the
love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness;
and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The story of the call of Moses is a rich one. It occurs at Mt. Horeb (which is also called
Mt. Sinai—see 19:11), which may well have been a sacred site for the
Midianites. Many have tried to explain the nature of the burning bush, but that
is unimportant to the story. It is a
theophany, a manifestation of God. God’s
message is that he has heard the cry of his people and intends to rescue
them. Moses will be his messenger. Moses asks why he is to be the one. God’s answer is not an answer but a
directive: you will go and bring them here.
Moses then asks just who this God who is directing them, and so we are
given the divine Name. In Hebrew it is
four letters “yhwh,” probably pronounced “Yahweh,” but Jewish tradition has
always held it to be unpronounceable, therefore wherever it appears in the text
it is rendered in Hebrew “Adonai,” translated “lord” in English, and rendered
in capital letters to signify that it is actually the divine Name. It’s meaning is something like “I am who I
am,” or, perhaps, “I will be who I will be.”
3:1
Moses
was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led
his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire
out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look
at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When the Lord
saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses,
Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then
he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on
which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He
said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look
at God. 7 Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery
of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their
taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and
I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out
of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to
the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the
Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 The
cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians
oppress them. 10 So come, I will
send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I
should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “I will be with you; and this
shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the
people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.” 13 But Moses said to God, “If I come to the
Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and
they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the
Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to
you.’” 15 God also said to Moses,
“Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord,
the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name
forever, and this my title for all generations.
Psalm
105:1-6, 23-26, 45c (Track 1)
Psalm
105 is one of the “historical psalms” which tells the story of Israel in lines
of poetry (the others are 78, 106, 135, and 136). In Psalm 105, the first six
verses are a general introduction, encouraging the people to give thanks and
praise as they “remember the marvels he has done.” We then have the verses that
apply to the call of Moses, with the concluding “Hallelujah” (which in Hebrew
literally means “Praise the Lord”).
1 Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name; *
make known his
deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises
to him, *
and speak of all
his marvelous works.
3 Glory in his holy Name; *
let the hearts
of those who seek the Lord
rejoice.
4 Search for the Lord and his strength *
continually seek
his face.
5 Remember the marvels he
has done, *
his wonders and
the judgments of his mouth,
6 O offspring of Abraham his
servant, *
O children of
Jacob his chosen.
23 Israel came into Egypt, *
and Jacob became
a sojourner in the land of Ham.
24 The Lord made his people exceedingly fruitful; *
he made them
stronger than their enemies;
25 Whose heart he turned, so
that they hated his people, *
and dealt unjustly
with his servants.
26 He sent Moses his servant, *
and Aaron whom he
had chosen. [45c] Hallelujah!
This passage is a poem of lament, not unlike many of the psalms
(including today’s). The background is
the reluctance of the prophet, particularly given the message he knows will be
received with hostility. It begins with something of a retort, a kind of
“listen up!” The prophet then proclaims his innocence and his desire to do
God’s work. The metaphor of eating the
words of God are also found in Ezekiel, chapter 3. Verse 18 is pivotal: the prophet goes so far
as to accuse God of deceit. Unlike the
psalms of lament, however, God does not reply with reassurance and the promise
of faithfulness. He tells Jeremiah to do
the work he has given him to do. This is not a time for reassurance, neither
for Jeremiah, nor Israel. This is a time
of adhering to the rigorous demands of God.
15:15 O Lord, you know; remember me and visit me, and bring down
retribution for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance do not take me away;
know that on your account I suffer insult. 16 Your
words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the
delight of my heart; for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. 17 I
did not sit in the company of merrymakers, nor did I rejoice; under the weight
of your hand I sat alone, for you had filled me with indignation. 18 Why is my pain unceasing, my wound
incurable, refusing to be healed? Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook,
like waters that fail. 19 Therefore
thus says the Lord: If you turn
back, I will take you back, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is
precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth. It is they
who will turn to you, not you who will turn to them. 20 And I will make you to this people a
fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not
prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the Lord. 21 I
will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp
of the ruthless.
Psalm 26:1-8 (Track 2)
Psalm
26 is typical of many of the psalms in that there is a triangle of relationships: the speaker, his or her enemies, and Israel’s
God. The plea on the part of the speaker
is for judgment. In verses 1-3, the
speaker gives his initial petition and reminds God of his or her
faithfulness. Verses 4-5 make clear the
two sides being presented. Verses 6-8
are a testimony to the power and safety of the Temple sanctuary. The psalm goes on to reiterate the case
against the enemies, and repeats the plea for justice.
1 Give judgment for me, O Lord,
for I have lived with
integrity; *
I have trusted
in the Lord and have not faltered.
2 Test me, O Lord, and try me; *
examine my heart
and my mind.
3 For your love is before my
eyes; *
I have walked
faithfully with you.
4 I have not sat with the
worthless, *
nor do I consort
with the deceitful.
5 I have hated the company
of evildoers; *
I will not sit
down with the wicked.
6 I will wash my hands in
innocence, O Lord, *
that I may go in
procession round your altar,
7 Singing aloud a song of
thanksgiving *
and recounting
all your wonderful deeds.
8 Lord, I love the house in which you dwell *
and the place
where your glory abides.
Paul
continues in chapter 12 his encouragement to Christian living. He begins with
“genuine love” which produces “mutual affection,” shown primarily in
generosity, hospitality, compassion (in its literal meaning, “to suffer with”),
and humility. He ends this passage with
a warning not to seek revenge when wronged, but instead to respond with
kindness which will bring shame on one’s enemies. The quote in verse 19 is from Deuteronomy 32:35,
and in verse 20, Proverbs 25:21-22.
12:9 Let
love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo
one another in showing honor. 11 Do
not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering,
persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute
to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do
not curse them. 15 Rejoice with
those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live
in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly;
do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do
not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight
of all. 18 If it is possible, so
far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the
wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the
Lord.” 20 No, “if your enemies are
hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by
doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome
evil with good.
Peter has just confessed that Jesus is
the Messiah, but immediately this produces a misunderstanding. Jesus tells how he must suffer, die, and be
raised. This does not jive with Peter’s
understanding of “Messiah.” He expects
triumph, not suffering. Jesus’ rebuke is
strong, using the word “Satan” (“adversary” or “tempter”), and he goes further
in that not only he will suffer, but it will be the cost of discipleship as
well. The last verse raises the
expectation of a swift return, and perhaps that was Jesus’ expectation, but he
also confesses in other places that the timing is in God’s hands, and so it has
been.
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