Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, October 10, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Moses was a big deal. It’s funny though. Growing up, I wasn’t all that aware of the guy. I mean, we read the story of baby Moses in the river, and we learned the story of the escape from Egypt and the Ten Commandments. But that was about as deep as we got. It makes some sense, being that the Christian tradition is about Jesus, and the Revised Common Lectionary, which most of us grew up with and most mainline churches still use, blows past the full breadth of Moses’ prophetic acts and few people preach on the Hebrew Bible texts anyway.
I think it behooves us to dig deeper into the deeply imperfect, ill-qualified, often overwhelmed man whom God chose and then equipped to liberate God’s people from oppression and lead them to a place they could call home. Unlike Jesus, who was fully God as much as he was fully human, Moses was entirely one of us. He’s so relatable. I mean, when God called him, he actually straight up said, “Send someone else.” To God. He argued and whined to God all the time. And even after all the “mighty deeds and terrifying displays of power” that he performed, he still screwed up so badly that he never got to enter the promised land himself.
And yet, “never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses.” Never. Not Elijah or Elisha, not Isaiah or Jeremiah. Moses was one of a kind. His story is foundational to our identity as God’s beloved children, whether we think so or not. I encourage you to wander through the whole story of Moses, from beginning to end, and notice where you see yourself in all that transpires.
What is my favorite story about Moses?
