This first month of the year, Bernard spoke to our hearts and minds. Such an Old Testament feast!
Moses relentlessly interceded between the people of Israel and God, who at some point was furious and ready to give up on them had it not been for Moses. God’s forgiving heart comes to surface, slow to anger and characterized by abundant love. Listen to the last sermon here.
After four weeks of Exodus, Moses and talk about the God of Old Testament, it hit me. What was it about Moses and his relentless daring faith in a loving God? Moses was daring and persuasive and a little crazy.
After challenging the Pharaoh to let his people go, he lead his people through the parted Red Sea towards the promised land, and his people whined and complained and rebelled over and over again. Moses’ people had been slaves for hundreds of years. Yet Moses is the quintessence of boldness, to the point of changing God’s mind a few times.
For a split second I imagined Moses as a child. He grew up adopted by the most powerful man in that world: the Pharaoh. Barring the oblivion to the One true God, I think Pharaoh was a good father. And I bet not only once did Moses negotiate and spoke with a brave spirit and an eloquent mouth to his father. He had the best training in preparation to challenge God to show mercy, to show forgiveness and to remember His people despite the people’s wickedness, stiff-neck and forgetfulness.
Moses was adopted and his upbringing was perfectly fitted for Exodus, and the effective mediation between God and Israelites… who had forgotten themselves, their way and God.