September 6, 2010 - 6th September, 2010
The Week of 9/6/10
The 16th Sunday after Pentecost, Series C
The Lord said to Moses, Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the Land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; Exodus 32:7-8a
It was the fall of 1786, three years after the treaty that officially ended the Revolutionary War. The colonies were spiraling into either a permanent sectionalism or utter anarchy. At almost every turn the Articles of Confederation were proving inadequate to the task of creating a nation state. The blood, sweat and tears of those who had toiled and sacrificed so much through eight long years in arms to birth a new nation feared that it would die in infancy. The Confederation Congress lacked the necessary powers both internally and externally to govern. Endless squabbling and potentially worse was occurring between the various colonies/states.
George Washington, especially, fretted that if something wasn’t done soon to create a more effective national government his efforts and exertions would all have been for naught. Sharing his sentiment were two young, brilliant men, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, but for the most part, they were alone in their fears, for the vast American populace was content to be left alone and to pursue its varied interests, foolishly believing that no government was better than a strong one.
How soon we forget. This was clearly the case in 1786, and it is the case in the passage from Exodus above. God and Moses had toiled and sweated to bring the Israelites out of their bondage in Egypt only to have them time and again forget the saving work that was done on their behalf. This was but the most recent. In the next few verses God’s anger toward these thankless and hardhearted/hardheaded people nearly drives him to destroy the very nation he had labored so long and hard to save. It is only because of Moses’ intervention that God is described as having second thoughts and relents from bringing disaster upon the people. Grace and forgiveness trump justice and/or revenge.
You and I also suffer from short and even faulty memories. We also quickly forget and/or
misconstrue the salvation won for us through the blood of Christ, the paschal lamb. We quickly fall prey to other gods (money, power, prestige, etc.), forgetting the one God who created us, saved us and even in our rebelliousness daily sustains us.
Prayer
Gracious God, it is so for me to forget everything that you have done for me and continue yet to do. Help me to be ever mindful of your many acts of grace towards me and sustain me now and always through your most gracious love. AMEN
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