What does God’s monologue to Moses in today’s scripture remind you of? Does it sound like the prologue of a judge who is about to sentence a group of lawbreakers? Or does it sound more like a rant of a parent who needs to discipline unruly children?
The Lord expresses anger at the Israelites’ disobedience and disrespect. As would many parents, the violated One wants to teach and hold the newly freed and undisciplined people accountable for their behavior of creating and settling for substitute gods to ease their anxiety. In fact, the sanctions that God is ready to distribute include renunciation (“Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt”) and rejection (“Let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them”) as serious consequences of their actions. We can only wonder how God responds to our undisciplined behavior as we purport to be followers of the Christ. How close does God come to rejecting us altogether, saying, “I’ve had it with you!”
Ironically, God not only discusses the divine plans with Moses but also wants to reward him with a favor (“of you I will make a great nation”). I remain unconvinced that God behaves like earthly parents and wonder if such anthropomorphic presentation of the Divine helps drive home the point of what can happen when people turn away from God.
What has made you turn aside from God’s ways? What false gods have you created to meet your own needs while ignoring God’s provision?