Extraordinary Ordinary - Part 10
July 31, 2022Today's message was given by Pastor Josh Starnes. A video of the message is here. "God makes the ordinary extraordinary." Today's focus was "Don't box God in; get beyond ordinary." Today's message was also the wrap-up to this series. [Conversation Starters will begin again with the start of the next official small groups session in September.]
The scripture for today was John 11:4-27, conversations that took place just before Lazarus' death. The story teaches that Jesus "is the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25-26).
Many folks in the Torah "didn't get it at first" either. The Egyptians took a long time to get it. Even the Israelites took a long time to get it, about 40 years, despite the miracles of the plagues, the parting of the sea, and all manner of miraculous support in the wilderness.
And before that, throughout Genesis, people didn't get it. Even the patriarchs and their families often didn't get it. Take Sarah. She took matters into her own hands by sending Hagar to Abraham to bear a son for Abraham and her, a son which God had promised. And she heard God promise it!
From Adam through today, we humans often don't get it. We box God in to our limited view of what's possible. We don't/can't see the big picture. In many ways, the "big picture" is not available to us.
However, and it's a big however... I think the Torah also teaches us that we must act, too. Whether in concert directly with God or on our own based on some understanding of what God wants, we have a responsibility to help fulfill God's plan, too. Noah built a boat. Abraham, unlike Noah who simply did what God asked, argued with God (e.g. the destruction of Sodom), but still, ultimately, did as God asked (e.g. the Binding of Isaac).
Pastor Josh noted that Jesus didn't reprimand Martha for not understanding (maybe even for being a little sarcastic). In the Torah, God sometimes doesn't even reprimand (let alone punish) key people who argue with Him (e.g. Moses trying to talk God out of choosing him at the Burning Bush), or the Israelites and their constant complaining (Moses "talked Him down"). And let's also not forget that we just plain make mistakes. For example, on his initial encounter with Pharoah, Moses blows it. He doesn't say what God instructed him to say (Exodus 5:1 vs. Exodus 3:18). Even when he gets it right in 5:3, things go south quickly. Yet, no reprimand to Moses. God simply explains to Moses what's really going on (Exodus 6:1-8).
Bonus
Only one time in the Torah does God speak to ALL the people at once. All other times, God speaks to one or very few people. And this one time to all is to start the delivery of the Ten Commandments to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. "And God said all these things" (Exodus 20:1) and afterward "All the people witnessed..." (Exodus 20:18). It's not entirely clear if God spoke all the commandments. Jewish tradition holds He spoke the first two directly, then the people feared so greatly that they sent Moses back up the mountain to get the rest and come back and tell them. This is suggested by the fact that the first two commandments are in the first person (I), as God would say of Himself, and the rest are in the third person (He) as Moses would reference God.
Another interesting thing to note about the Ten Commandments is that all are directed to each individual person, not the collective, by the use of the singular 'you.' It's like saying you, and you, and you... Each of you. It's a rare construct when addressing lots of people, but powerful. Even today's reader should consider the Ten Commandments directed at "you," by name as it were.