The ancient story of the Jews being freed from their slavery in Egypt to freedom, led by Moses, is a prefiguration of our own story as Christians. We see in that story our wanderings and weaknesses. We also see Moses courageously “standing in the breach” for them, defending them against the righteous anger of God each time they fell into doubt and defiance of God, especially when they made an idol of a golden calf. In this, Moses prefigures Jesus, who “stood in the breach” before the Father for our sins on the cross. Moses interceded for his sinful people in the desert before the all-merciful God with his prayers and sacrifices. Jesus intercedes for us, giving himself, his very life on the cross, as the ultimate sacrifice, releasing us from the slavery of sin and death once and for all, now and forever.
Like our ancient Jewish ancestors, we Christians are a people on pilgrimage from slavery to freedom, guided by God in his Holy Spirit, whose power, love, and mercy we have experienced and seen in countless ways, yet we, too, often give in to doubt. We, too, defy the Lord. Our slavery is to the things of the world. How often do we ‘bend the knee’ to the siren songs of every kind of immediate pleasure and passion or the desire for earthly power, wealth, and fame? And when we do so, is it not a willful defiance of God’s wisdom? Of his infinite patience and mercy? Psalm 106 is a powerful, prayerful meditation on this reality. It reveals our human weaknesses and God’s infinite patience, love, and mercy.
It begins with the truth about God: “O, give thanks to the Lord for he is good;/ for his love endures forever./ Who can tell the Lord’s mighty deeds?/ Who can recount all his praise” (vs 1-2). It then goes on to reveal the truth about us: “Our sin is the sin of our fathers; we have done wrong, our deeds have been evil./ Our fathers when they were in Egypt/ paid no heed to your wonderful deeds” (vs. 6-7). The Psalm gets specific, telling of the time: “They fashioned a calf at Horeb/ and worshiped an image of metal,/ exchanging the God who was their glory/ for the image of a bull that eats grass./ They forgot the God who had saved them who had done great deeds in Egypt” (vs. 19-21).
We then see how Moses, in the face of God’s righteous wrath, stood up before him: “…but Moses, the man he had chosen,/ stood in the breach before him,/ to turn back his anger from destruction” (v. 23). It then gives a long list of all the times and places that the people in their wandering broke their relationship with the God who delivered them from the slavery of Egypt and how: “Time after time he rescued them” (v.43), sacrificing and praying for them over and over again. Why? Because, in their weakness, “they dared to defy [God]/ and sank low through their guilt./ In spite of this he paid heed to their distress,/ so often as he heard their cry” (vs. 44). This story is our story. It is so often true of us today. Despite our knowledge of God’s love and mercy, we test it in every way, through our doubts and fears, our prideful defiance of God’s wisdom, love, and mercy toward us. And still, God is always ready to forgive us when we turn back to him.
Lent is a time for us to focus on our weaknesses, to turn back again to God’s infinitely faithful love and mercy for us. It is time to offer our prayerful recognition of our weaknesses to the Lord. Let us pray, then: You forgave your people in the desert; forgive your people today when we give our obedience to the gods of this world. You fed your people in the desert: Forgive your people today when we feed on words other than your own. You gave your people water from the rock: Forgive your people today when we quench our thirst at fountains that give no life. Lord, hear our prayer. Amen.
SKM: below-content placeholderWhizzco for FHB