Moses' Longterm Plan - May 25
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 89:1-18; PM Psalm 89:19-52Joshua 1:1-9; Eph. 3:1-13; Matt. 8:5-17
I have always felt sorry for Moses. He spends his whole life being the go-between for God and God’s people. He is not known for his communication skills. After spending his early life in Egypt, he leads his people to freedom only to end up wandering in the desert for forty years. And just before his people arrive in the promise land, he dies. He will not see what he has been promised and what he worked so hard to ensure that his people will inherit.
I remember saving for an entire year the $475 which was half of the cost for me to attend the National Scout Jamboree in Fort AP Hill, Virginia in 1993. It felt like an eternity. I can’t imagine saving for 40 years. There are so many stories of people slogging away and saving, to purchase a home, attend college, or retire debt, but always with an end in sight, and outcomes that the person will one day experience something of the magnitude of their own promise land. This is why the story in today’s reading from Joshua is so amazing: Moses never experiences what he has fought so hard for his people. I am sure he wanted to be in the promise land just as much as anyone else, and yet one of the most revered leaders in all of Scripture dies just before experiencing God’s big promise and that joy is passed to Joshua. He pays off the mortgage and yet never gets to walk through the front door.
Which leads me to the question our Old Testament challenges me with: is Moses such a faithful leader because he plays the long game and sacrifices his own fulfillment for the life of his people? It is interesting to me that what seems to be one of the pervasive threads within our societal conversations is ‘what is freedom,’ and ‘aren’t we protected to be able to do what we want to do while exercising that freedom?’ How can a government require that a church offer (or not offer) in-person worship, or require a person to wear a mask, or ask businesses to reduce the number of patrons? That seems to limit our personal and protected freedoms? People seem to be pushing back with great force.
And I am not a legal expert and cannot speak to what is right and fair in the eyes of our legal system or constitution. But as a person of faith, I do believe we look for the virtues that are embodied within Scripture, especially when held up as examples of being faithful, and learn to let those virtues inform our own praxis of Christian living. And today we read about Moses and Joshua. Could Moses, even in his death and loss of seeing what his people finally came to see, be a window into how we might sacrifice our own needs, rights, and privileges, especially if it was for the wellbeing of our people? At the very least, could we learn to say, ‘this isn’t about me, but what is best for my fellow humankind.’
—John+
Daily Questions
What are some of the things that you are working to accomplish? Do you have a 5, 10, 40-year long term plan? How will your plans benefit other people?
Daily Challenge
Pick one thing to give up this week which will directly impact other people and make other lives better? It could be a physical thing or a thought or idea that is shaping you.