Moses’ Rod: A Magic Stick or God’s Power?

 

Moses’ Rod: A Magic Stick or God’s Power?

Harry Potter’s books and films is one of the favorite books and films in our time. It is about magic story and magician life. It shows us a school of magicians, where a magician has to poses their magic stick and have to memorize certain magic words. Only by it, magicians can perform magic and wonders. Without it, they perform nothing.

In the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Traditions, especially in the Bible and Quran, we meet a person Moses who used a magic rod to perform miraculous things. This  rod could  be miraculously changed into serpent and ate others serpents when Moses threw on the ground; by knocking it on the rock, water came; by holding it up, a war was won and victory was there; and by holding it over the sea, the sea was spilt into two. What a magic work of Moses was because of having this rod. But our questions are: why this rod was so powerful? Is it because Moses had inner and magical power or because of this magic rod that Moses could do wonderful and unspeakable wonders? We know that Moses did not enter a school of magician. He did not learn to use magical rod. This rod did not come down from heaven. How and Why this rod so powerful?

According to biblical story, God appeared to Moses in the burning bush at Horeb, in which God revealed Himself as I am who I am and called Moses to free Israelites from slavery of Egypt. But Moses asked God a sign that he could show it to the Israelites that God appeared to him and called him. God, then, asked Moses about what is it in his right hand, and Moses said, “it is staff” and God told him to throw it to the ground and the staff changed to be a snake. (Read Exodus chapter 3-4).

So Moses had a rod with him because of being a shepherd but this rod did not have a power and magical power until he met God and had a mission entrusted to him. In Jewish legend, the rod was believed to be created at the beginning of the world, together with the creation of Adam. It had been passed from Adam to Moses. It means that this rod was a sacred rod because it stayed in the lineage of Patriarchs until Moses. Was this rod so powerful because it came straight from the beginning of creation or because it was God who noticed the presence of it on the right hand of Moses? Did the miraculous actions done by Moses happen because of the rod or because of God? There is an account in the bible that tell us about Moses’ did not listen to God when God asked him to speak to the rock so the rock would provide water for Israelites, instead he hit twice the rock with the rod and water came out and because of it God did not allow him to enter the Promised Land (see the book of Number chapter 20: 8-12).  

Thus, did the rod have a magical power? Or did Moses have the power to perform wonders? Or did the power of wonders come from God? Looking at the story and narrative story of the Moses and his rod, we may say that the rod did not poses any magical power. The power of the rod occurred because of the power of God and because of its being used by Moses, the chosen one of God.

Notes: There is no magic stick or magic rod in our life in order us performing wonders and miracles. The wonders happen because of the power of God and God intends them to be. Miracles can occur in our life because of God’s will. However, the person whom God choses is the one who can be the instrument of God’s miracles works within our life. His life, his words and his presence is the sign of the active God within our life, which can be blessings or curses. On the other hand, the miraculous power of God happens even though it is not done according to God’s intention, but happens because it is done by the chosen one. But of course God will judge and punish him for that action.

Therefore, as Moses has a staff or rod within his right hand because he is a shepherd, we also have our “ordinary rod” in our life, which is our duty, our work and service, and our capabilities, on our hands. We only need God to show to us “this rod” in our life. We need God to make us realize that there is “our rod”. By recognizing the presence of our “rod”, we then, can perform miracles and wonders in our life. We hope that this rod will help us to be confident to our call and to carry our duty freeing our people from slavery of poverty and of ignorance. However, as Harry Potter need a magic words in order to complete his magic, we need God’s word and commands to complete the work of miracles in our life. We need both our “rod” and God’s words; we need matters/forms and grace; and we need our human action and God; so that we can fully perform miracles.  

God: the God of Desert

 

God: the God of Desert

I have been staying in semi dessert country, Botswana. Life in the desert seems to be difficult as no many fertile land to be cultivated. Dryness of the country brings dryness of life and heart. Botswana value water and rain like they value money and life as they have similar word of rain and name of the currency (Pula). Desert, in my view, brings its own beauty and ugliness, strength and weakness. This experience leads me to think of my God, Yahweh, who led Israelites to the Promised Land by taking them out from the slavery of Egypt and accompanying them for forty years in the DESERT. My questions are: What God reveals Himself in this situation and context? Does desert influence of God’s attitudes and characters? Or is this God reactive to the condition of the people in this situation? Does God have a grand plan for his people in the desert?  Does this plan have impact for His people? This God, whom I call Him, is the God of dessert. He comes from the dessert; He lives in the dessert; and His place of worship is the dessert.

God is in the dessert…

Wow… A surprising statement as we know and belief that God only be found in the temple. But when I read the book of Exodus 3: 1-15, which is about God revealing His name to Moses as I AM WHO I AM in the burning bush, I convinced about it that God is found in the dessert. He is from desert. Here I quote the related verses, “… One day he (Moses) led the flock to the far side of the desert, and come to Horeb, the mountain of God… take off your sandals because the place where you are standing is holy ground”. God holy place is not heaven but in the dessert and His holy ground is desert.

A desert, a place of terrible extreme weather between hot and cold and dry, where each living being tries hard to survive with very scarce food and water, is a dangerous place to be. Someone needs to be strong to be there because of many challenges. This place is very hostile to humans. However, desert shows its beauty; it is an open place; it gives a sense of freedom; it presents the universe closer to you, where you can experience sky-meeting-land; and it raises up the experience of how small and tiny you are in this fast and huge universe; it presents the dependency of living beings toward the God of universe. It express a search for oases of life because living beings in this desert try hard to find oases as a source of water.

God of the desert shows Himself as Creator, Protector, Providers, Freedom Fighter, Warrior, and Savior. He is a weather God; desert God, creative God, and Freedom God. He is God of universe; He brings everything into existence; He creates animals and humans; and He helps His people in their warfare and provides them win their welfare; He is God who has power over life and death; and He is all-mighty God. He is God of ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is God of the nomadic, the unsettled and wanderers. He is YAHWE.

God leads them into the dessert…

After living their life as slaves in Egypt, the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were led to leave the country of Egypt. Moses who encountered God in the burning bush, took a leadership role and became a person who speak in the name of God, leading them out of the country having enslaved for many generations. It was happy moment as well as sad moment: happy because they would find their freedom, and sad because they left their normal “comfortable” life as slaves to journey to unknown place and become wanderers. Moses led the Israelites as God commanded him to do. But it is God who started his master plan for Israelite and what God has started must be completed. So God called them out into the desert to be with God alone, to see, to experience His presence among them, and to worship Him.

By leading them to desert, God invites His people to solely trust Him. God reveals His identity to them and shows them His characters. He gives them regulation so to be faithful to him. His promise to them is to be with them because they belong to Him and they are His people. He provides food and water when they have nothing to eat and drink. He leads them to desert to experience that He is in control over all. So all depends on God because God has a grand Plan, that is, to lead them entering Promised Land, where there are plenty of honey and milk (Ex.3:17). Desert is like a stop-over place of being with God; a place of testing; and a place of preparation to enter the Promised Land.

To worship God in the dessert…

Israel found God and He wanted to be worship in the desert. God ordered Moses to say the following word to the king of Egypt, “the God of Hebrew, Yahweh, has met us. Now let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to Yahweh our God” (Ex.3:18). It is not in Egypt and not in nearby villages or in the land of Goshen but it is in the wilderness of Massah and Meribah. This place has nothing but only mount Horeb, the mountain of God be their cover against wind and severe climate of desert. There is no altar but the mountain of God becomes their altar. In this place, God makes a covenant. He gives them commandments to follows. In this place God selected judges for His people. In this place, Israelites are unfaithful to God and God punishes them. In this place, the healing and forgiveness is taken place. God performs as God and Israel worships Him. (See Exodus 16- 20)

So to save us…

Looking at the experience of Israelites and their encountering with God who revealed Himself, His identity, and His characters, leads us to see our life, especially in the context of encountering the God of desert.  If He is present in the desert, a place of great danger for life, He is here also with us in times of our troubles, problems, and calamities. If He is God who is in control of everything, He will be in control of our life. He is present in our wilderness of life, where difficulties and challenges seem so huge to handle and He finds every solution for it, which leads us to our Promised Land. His grand plan of our life should be fulfilled.

God is the one who leads us into this place, “a place of desert and wilderness” to experience his saving power and to encounter Him so we can worship Him. His presence gives us guidance and protection but His presence can be a war, death, and sickness. This place is a testing place for us. Are we faithful to Him? Those who follow Him will be never failed or lost. He is always God and we should know it. His anger will thunder us but His mercy will welcome us. He is the God of Desert.

Blessing: A quest of Life…

Every day we bless our life and people around us. We receive and give blessing. Blessing is subject of life; it is action of life; and it is object of life. It means that blessing is blessing. We receive blessing because we see it as a crucial and beneficial for our life. We live because of blessing and life is blessing. We give blessing because it give life and nourishment for others. But the questions of how we get blessing, of how we can easily recognize blessing in our life, of how we see it as a blessing, and of how we discover blessing in life, are necessarily compelling us to answer.

I always amaze of the response “I am blessed” of people who are asked “How are you?” as I try to argue and ask them of “what they mean by saying: I am blessed”. I wonder if their response is just a lips-talk only. Or maybe they really encounter blessings, such as still being alive, being in friendship, being in the state of okay physically, emotionally, and spiritually, or just having some good news of the day. But what is blessing? Is blessing always positive? Does blessing create happiness? Could work hard and hard life, and sufferings be a blessing? How do we see it?

People say that the truth is universal and exists but we approach and see it in different ways.  So is this statement true? Maybe. If so, the notion of blessing is universal, which is “blessing is blessing” and NOT “suffering is blessing”. However, we notice that we, each individual, have a way of seeing and judging a blessing depends of his/her paradigm of understanding of blessing. One will see from material point of view while other will see in the deeper sense from emotional state of blessing. One will point out blessing in disguise while other will see undisguised- beneficial blessing.

There is a classical story/parable about a missed blessing, which we can learn and think of a blessing. There was a man in big trouble as the ship he was sailed had a fire. The passengers were trying to safe their life by listening to the instruction of the captain to wear life jacket and jump on small boat. However, this man didn’t do anything. He waited and prayed to God saying, ”I have my faith that God will save me”. Some rescuers come and tried to beg him to jump because they are waiting on the boat but he still stayed with his conviction that God would helped him and only God.  Other helicopter coast-guard came and dropped the rope so he can hang on and tried to beg him but he refused saying “I have my faith in God who will rescue me”. Finally he died. Now as he approached gate of heaven, he met St. Peter and asked him “Why God didn’t come to his rescue? Peter then said “God sent people to tell you to jump but you refused; the rescuers asked you to jump on the water but you also refused; finally helicopter rescuer came telling you to climb by the rope but you refused. So now here you are. Don’t complain.”

Our expected kind of blessing, sometimes, cannot be found. We think of blessing that comes like a blasting boom and like a thunder, but it arrives like a gentle breeze; we hope to see blessing like a magic trick but it comes like a natural growth; and we want to see blessing like a super natural-heavenly voice but it comes like a normal human voice. So our expectation of blessing, sometimes, confuses us and surprise us. How do we know this kind of help is a blessing? Can a blessing be identified with feeling okay, happiness, and excitement? Only can we use our senses, wisdom, and experiences to judge that kind of kindness/gift as a blessing.

As a believer in God we may see that God is our blessing. God is the source and summit of my blessing; with God is our life; in God is our future; and from God is my happiness. This believe bases on one’s life upon God. Everything, good and bad, low and high, is encountered as blessings. The person sees that doing the will of God, even to sacrifice one’s self, is the blessing. We can see the grand example of this in Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His life, suffered and died on the cross. This grand example of blessing is contrary to our human understanding and believe. Christians, then, crave this example in their hearts by believing that blessing can be experience in suffering and dying. I remember the sermon of Jesus about those who are blessed (Beatitudes) in Gospel of Matthew 5:3-12). He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Thus, blessing is clearly connected to the mourner, the meek, the hungry and thirsty, the merciful, the peace makers, and the persecuted, but with their great reward in heaven. Blessing is seen, not in now life but for the future greater reward. In Christianity, the greatest blessing is spiritual blessing from God and the reward will be with God in heaven. Do you want to go to heaven? See that there is greater blessing in our daily struggle for life, when things are not according to our plan but we never give up life because we have the ultimate blessing, that is, GOD.

Finally, if God is our ultimate blessing, which is offered to us freely, we must give freely this blessing by our life service and our commitment to the humanity and the world, by which God has trusted them to our cares. So be the blessing for the world and humanity.