Holy Curiosity - February 16
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 26, 28; PM Psalm 36, 39 ; Deut. 6:16-25; Heb 2:1-10; John 1:19-28
Today’s Reflection
Deuteronomy is a book about the law. Under the leadership of Moses, God led the people of Israel out of their years of slavery in Egypt, taking them through forty years in the wilderness to the promised land. But then it wasn’t just as simple as taking possession of the land, they first needed to defeat the kings there, Sihon and Og, and then the land needed to be divided up to the different families or tribes who had been traveling together as they followed Moses, who himself was forbidden to enter the land.
Besides leading God’s people out of Egypt to the promised land, the other major thing that we associate with Moses is the giving of the law to God’s people. Now, the people already received laws from the LORD, but at this point (Deuteronomy 5-6), God has a new articulation of the law that he gives to his people through his spokesperson, Moses. Not only does Moses communicate the ten commandments to the people of God, but he also interprets the law and teaches them about the significance of it. Before he declares the ten commandments, Moses prepares their hearts and minds for what they will receive, sharing with them this wisdom: “Only take care and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children” (Deut. 4:9).
So, when we hear today’s appointed passage from Deuteronomy 6, we hear Moses acknowledging a dynamic that all parents know very well: children like to ask questions, especially when they are being told to follow a rule or do a task. I remember that “Why?” was one of the words our oldest daughter (now 17) repeated all the time, as a very young toddler and into preschool age. At the time it was sweet and I felt proud that I was raising a child who wanted to know why things are as they are. Asking questions and engaging in conversations and investigations that allow them to find out answers is one of the ways that children—and adults, too—learn about themselves and their world. Of course, as parents, we don’t always feel like stopping to explain why we want our children to do something—we just want them to clean up their toys, put their dirty clothes in the hamper, or get ready for school, no questions asked, because we are in a hurry, or tired, or just don’t feel like explaining the reason why again. As authority figures, sometimes it seems like it would be easier if those under our charge would not ask so many questions and would just follow the rules as they have already been explained before.
So, with all that in mind, what stood out to me in today’s reading from Deuteronomy 6 is when Moses acknowledges this dynamic, realizing that it is not a matter of if but a matter of when the children of Israel will ask, “What is the meaning of the decrees and the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?” The answer Moses gives them is maybe not what they—or we—are expecting. Moses reminds them of how God brought them out of Egypt, and that he did so with a purpose in mind: “He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land that he promised on oath to our ancestors. Then the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our lasting good, so as to keep us alive, as is now the case.”
The LORD (YHWH) “brought us out from there in order to bring us in.” On first reading, this statement seems so obvious as to beg the question why was it necessary for Moses to even say this. But as we ponder this question, why does Moses need to say this, it becomes more clear. Moses saw that the people of Israel needed a reminder of their story—of all that they had lived through in the trials of being enslaved to the Egyptians, followed by the trials of the forty years wandering in the wilderness—to impress upon the meaning and importance of the laws God had given to them to follow in their life in the promised land. They needed to be reminded that God had brought them out from those challenging times in their history in order to appreciate the goodness and freedom in their present and future—and to appreciate that their present and future freedom were made more secure by the structure and stability to be found through living in a covenant relationship with the LORD.
As we continue in this time of writing and reading Daily Reflections, diligently reading the scriptures together and praying together as we go through this time of wandering in the wilderness of this ongoing pandemic, I pray these words from earlier in Deuteronomy 6 will encourage you to continue in these daily spiritual disciplines:
Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deut. 6: 3-9)
—Becky+
Questions for Self-Reflection
Recall a time you questioned why you were being required to do something or follow a new set of rules. What did you learn from asking questions? Did it make you feel better or worse about being expected to follow these laws?
Daily Challenge
Think of a creative way to remind yourself of a favorite piece of scripture this week, inspired by Moses’ instruction to bind them on your hand, fix them on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts and the gates of your house.