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Ex. 32
Every time I read this account, I wonder how a people who stood before God just a few short weeks earlier so quickly and easily turned away. Aaron and the 70 leaders especially, who saw God standing on a pavement of sapphire just before Moses went up the mountain. This morning, I think I am beginning to see part of the problem. When Moses was out of sight, God went out of mind. That suggests to me that those who requested Aaron to make them a god had put too much focus on Moses. They hung their trust on a visual representation.
A visual representation, however, is NOT God, and trusting in one is NOT faith. The author of Hebrews wrote, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1). The visuals aren’t just a crutch. They are a deterrent to what – and who – we really need, because they inhibit faith. They cause us to see without seeing. There shouldn’t be anything or anyone in our life that, if removed, would cause us to lose faith. If there is, what we have isn’t really faith at all. We are merely hanging a pretense of trust where it doesn’t belong.
John 11
Jesus’ raising Lazarus from the dead was so much more than an amazing miracle. It was a very intentional demonstration on Jesus’ part of what He was about to do. By returning to Judea, Jesus sealed His fate. He willingly walked right into the hands of those who sought to kill Him. But He did it so that Lazarus could live. Which means that Jesus essentially gave His life in exchange for Lazarus’. Thus, Lazarus became the object lesson; the living parable that shows us that Jesus gave His life so that we can live.
Prov. 8
I find it interesting that the Proverbs personify wisdom as a woman and that she takes her stand at the gates and doors, calling out to men. From what little I know of the culture of the day, the gates and doors of the city were the places where the prominent men asserted their authority and executed legal transactions. You could say they were the hubs of human wisdom, and typically did not involve women. So it speaks volumes for true wisdom, personified as a woman, to take a stand in these places and declare, “O naïve ones, understand prudence; and O fools, understand wisdom.” (Pr. 8:5). Besides declaring human wisdom to be foolishness, it also highlights our resistance to receiving true wisdom.