Tuesday 06 June 2023

Psalm 29

Background

At this point in the Exodus story, Moses was a humble shepherd from the region of Midian, leading his sheep acrossthe wilderness hills of the Sinai Peninsula. His job is a metaphor for his vocation to come. But he wasn’t always a shepherd. In fact, his life story divides neatly into three eras of 40 years, with the first two told in Exodus chapter 2. 

When Moses, who was one of the persecuted Hebrews, was born in Egypt, he was rescued by some quick thinking by his midwives and his sister. He was raised as a prince in Pharoah's household, although his birth mother remained close at hand as his nursemaid. Moses was privileged while his people suffered. When he was around 40, he came out to the Hebrews and saw their plight. When he saw a Hebrew man being mistreated, he killed the slave-driver, but then had to flee from the royal family, and he left Egypt altogether to start a new life in Midian, finding a wife and an occupation. So it was for many years, until he was approaching 80. But there was to be no comfortable retirement. The third age of Moses’ life began when he saw something unusual on Mount Horeb (often thought to be Mount Sinai). God appeared to Moses through an angel, a bush on fire, as a divine presence and a powerful voice.

Here we have a ‘vocation’ in the truest sense of the word: a calling, a summons. Moses was reluctant and didn’t seem to have a lot of choice in the matter. Sometimes the true calling of God is very hard to resist. In this passage, however, Moses and his feelings are less relevant than what is revealed about God.

First, we learn that God hears the cries of the oppressed and identifies with their suffering. But God’s answer comes in God’s own time.

Secondly, God appears not to have been in a relationship with Moses previously, because the connection with Moses is given in relation to his dad and the great ancestors of his people. God is one who knows us and is active in our lives before we know or accept God’s purposes in our lives.

Finally, we are given the name of God, which has been used by the Hebrew (Jewish) and Christian people ever since. It is Yahweh, Jehovah, often translated as ‘the Lord’. It means 'I am', 'I am who I am', 'I am what I am' or 'I will be what I will be'.  It’s not surprising that it's difficult for us to understand!  God cannot easily be pinned down or captured in words, but only understood in relationship with the Lord. If we are to accept this relationship, it is one that is loving and life-affirming, but not on our terms. Perhaps we struggle because God is not just 'I am', he is the one who is holy, holy, holy: who was, who is and who is to come. When we relate to the Lord, we can be sure that God has been active in our past, is with us now, and always goes before us into the future. 

To Ponder:

• After this experience and all that followed, as Moses looked back over his life, he would surely have seen God’s greater purposes at work. Have you ever been able to trace God’s hand at work, even through difficult times in your past?
• Our Methodist churches in the UK have a majority of retired people. What does the Bible tell us about how God uses older people? Is retirement really a time to step back, or actually a time when God can put you to the greatest use?
• How do you understand the name of God? Do you ever meditate on or pray through the holy names of God and Christ? What does it mean for you that God’s name expresses a presence that is everlasting?