tribesofsinai2024

Why have we been giving so much time to learn from Moses the importance of laying a foundation of faith through everyday activities such as social obligations, holidays, feasts, and offerings? 

According to researchers,^[1] 70 – 90% of people who come to Christ from Muslim backgrounds revert to Islam when their social, cultural, political, and spiritual needs are not met by the church. 

Moses was addressing very similar issues. By following the Lord, he had delivered the people from political oppression, provided for their physical needs in the desert and established the moral and social laws they were to live by at Mount Sinai. Yet this was not enough. 

While Moses was up the mountain conversing with the Lord about how to maintain his presence among the people, they felt they had lost their leader. Without Moses presence they rapidly reverted to their old patterns of making and worshipping idols. 

This was a MASSIVE crisis. 

The people were worshipping, sacrificing burnt and fellowship offerings, eating, drinking, singing, and revelling. They thought they were doing this in the name of the LORD yet had a golden calf in their midst! Aaron the high priest and the people had broken the Covenant with the living LORD who had saved and nurtured them. 

From the mountain, the LORD saw they had become corrupt and rejected the people calling them Moses’ people. He was so angry he asked Moses to get out of his way so that his anger could burn against them and destroy them.^[2]

What was Moses to do? He had to dig deep and remind himself and the LORD of his original purposes and Covenant with Abraham.^[3]

Through remembering and holding onto the original covenant Moses was able to persevere and deal with the current catastrophic leadership failure. He relied on the eternal loving purposes of God yet had to deal decisively with the sin in the camp and regain leadership for the people were out of control. 

I think I might have publicly executed Aaron his brother, but Moses did not do that! Instead, he called ‘’Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.’’^[4] His tribesmen the Levites rallied to Moses. He told them to strap on their swords and go throughout the camp killing their friends and neighbours. 

What a mess!

Reflection 

The LORD speaks clearly to honest open hearts but deals differently with stiff-necked rebellious people. The one who does not listen must feel the consequences of the law. 

Prayer 

This time last year a middle-aged man was desperate to get baptised and start a new life. For a season he overcame his addiction to hashish and seemed keen to read and discuss Scripture. However, he has not yet been able to find work or humble his pride and self-will. He has slipped back into drugs and everything else that goes into feeding such a destructive habit. Please pray for W to come to the end of himself and find his way home. 

Thank you for praying for the girl being controlled by voices and paralysing fear. This week we are seeing significant breakthroughs. Her spirit was broken by a serious of controlling abusive relationships and witchcraft. Her faith is strong now yet in the past it has given way. Please pray K can recover her soul and her voice. 

These and others like them obviously need the Spirit and Word of God to renew and heal them but they also need regular work, fellowship, and celebration. Please pray for communities to arise in the Sinai that can embrace broken people, cater for their needs, and provide rhythms to live life in all its fulness. 

^[1] http://ojs.globalmissiology.org/index.php/english/article/view/2398/5614

^[2] Exodus 32:10. 

^[3] Exodus 32:11-14; 30-35.

^[4] Exodus 32:26.