A Thought For The Week Of September 11, 2017

The passage that extends from Exodus 23:20-33 sounds to me like something that might have been written after the fact , with the author looking back at events and placing God into them. Which, I concede, might at times be a fair way of discerning God's presence. I think it's reasonable that, especially when things aren't very good, we have trouble seeing God and we only see God's presence after the fact. The famous "Footprints" poem illustrates that very well. However, the tendency to read God's presence into the past can also be used to justify a lot of things. In this passage, for example, the author describes God as "a terror" and a "hornet" whose primary goal seems to be to wipe out or drive away the original inhabitants of the land. To me, that comes across as an after the fact justification for ungodly acts rather than actual commands of God. But one thing I do take away from this passage that I'd argue is positive is the the way that the story opens in verse 20: "I am going to send an angel before you to protect you as you journey and to bring you into the place that I have prepared." There's a conviction in the words of that verse - a conviction that, no matter what's happening or what circumstances they're facing, God is guiding the people. So, before God was either "a terror" or a "hornet" there's reference to an angel guarding God's people as they travelled; guiding them to where God wanted them to be. What I really found myself wondering about is the identity of the angel. Was it a supernatural, spiritual being God had sent to them, or was this a human who had been called to lead the people on their journey. Was the angel perhaps even Moses, whom we know had been called to leadership? I tend toward the latter interpretations - but I have an open mind on the subject. Perhaps we just have to acknowledge that angels can come in many forms. What's important is that God is always with God's people - always guiding us and helping us along the way. When we get to where it is that we're going (and most assuredly along the way) we don't always do a good job of reflecting God's image to those around us. We are works in progress - each one of us. But there are angels in many forms guiding us in he ways of God, if only we'll listen to them.