Tag: Digging in Deeper

Digging in Deeper: Exodus 32:17-18

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“When Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, ‘There is a sound of war in the camp.’ But Moses replied, ‘It’s not the sound of a victory cry and not the sound of a cry of defeat; I hear the sound of singing.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Many years ago, I read a book that was more transformative in my thinking about sin than anything else I’ve ever read save the Scriptures themselves. It was called The Smell of Sin and the Fresh Air of Grace by Don Everts. The basic premise is that in order to understand grace more fully, we need to understand sin more truly. To this end, Everts, in beautifully poetic prose, starts the book with an exploration of the ways the culture around us (at the Enemy’s direction) falsely portrays sin. What we see here falls right in line with one of the descriptions he gives. Let’s talk about forbidden fun and the reality of sin.

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Digging in Deeper: Ephesians 6:12-13

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“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rules, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

A few months ago, several college campuses were roiled by protest movements that were anti-Israel, pro-Palestine, and sometimes even pro-Hamas. While the subject of the protests was undoubtedly a serious matter, one of the most humorous and frustrating things about these movements was that a number of the people who got caught up in them didn’t really know what they were protesting about. Somebody just said, “We’re protesting,” and they cluelessly showed up. In not really understanding the objective of the protest, they didn’t understand who their enemy was supposed to be. This left them vulnerable to all kinds of deserved mocking from folks who didn’t support them. If we don’t know who our real enemy is, it’s easy to get all caught up in fighting and lose sight of what our reason was in the first place. For the last several months I have slowly been watching through the series, Star Wars: Clone War. The series has been immensely enjoyable. Along the way, one theme has risen to the top in terms of a Gospel connection in the story. Let’s talk about Clone Wars, the Gospel, and fighting the right enemies.

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Digging in Deeper: Exodus 32:11-14

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“But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God: ‘Lord, why does your anger burn against your people you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand? Why should the Egyptians say, “He brought them out with an evil intent to kill them in the mountains and eliminate them from the face of the earth”? Turn from your fierce anger and relent concerning this disaster planned for your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel – you swore to them by yourself and declared, “I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and will give your offspring all this land that I have promised, and they will inherit it forever.”‘ So the Lord relented concerning the disaster he had said he would bring on his people.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever prayed for someone else? I suspect you have. Nearly everyone has. That motion of spiritually looking up is hardwired into our programming. It takes real effort over time to turn it off. So, let me phrase that slightly differently. Have you ever interceded for someone else in prayer? This goes a little ways beyond merely praying for them. It’s easy to say a quick prayer for someone who is hurting and then go on about the rest of your day. Interceding is when we stand in the gap between them and God and make ourselves a passionate advocate for their interests. When God was ready to bring apocalyptic judgment against Israel because of their sin, Moses interceded for them. Let’s talk about what we see unfolding here.

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Digging in Deeper: Exodus 32:7-10

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“The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Go down at once! For your people you brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly. They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them; they have made for themselves an image of a calf. They have bowed down to it, sacrificed to it, and said, “Israel, these are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”‘ The Lord also said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone, so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever known someone who liked to play the Devil’s advocate in a debate setting? Are you that person? Some people just like taking the other side in a debate. Even if they don’t really believe in the position, they’ll stake it out simply because they like arguing. I bring that up because this next part of our story is hard to understand. All the players switch roles in ways that are confusing at best. If we are not sufficiently grounded in our understanding of their character outside of this story, we are going to struggle to make any positive sense out of it. Let’s take a look at God’s getting angry with Israel.

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Digging in Deeper: Proverbs 17:27

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“The one who has knowledge restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head is a person of understanding.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

We never know what tomorrow will bring. Sure, we have our predictions, and sometimes those predictions are fairly reliable because of a consistent pattern in the past. But we don’t really know. Sometimes things go like we expect. Sometimes we find ourselves treading through territory we could have never imagined we would have to navigate. Had you asked anyone in my town a year ago what the state of things would be today, they would probably not have guessed they would be where they are right now. Things have been a bit…unsettled of late. Let’s talk today about why as well as some things we should keep in mind when thinking about it or responding to it.

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