…. an unrestrained expression of emotion
I had one yesterday. Unrestrained. THAT is the problem. It’s not the emotion. It’s not the expression OF the emotion. It’s the unrestrained part that causes the problem.
I was reminded this morning that even Moses had one. I daresay I’d have had one waaaay before he did. Forty years is a long time to keep a restraint on emotions. He’d been dealing with this mass of people for a long time, the griping, the quarreling, the blatant disobedience…..the doubting God, the fear of their unknown future.
Moses had been obedient to God. He had followed His instructions, seen God’s miraculous Hand at work in delivering this people…a people designated to be free…a people designated to be the bloodline that would bring freedom to me.
And you if you choose….
I feel for Moses. In a moment of frustration and probably pride, he had an outburst of unrestrained emotion.
"Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff….. (Numbers 20:10-11)
Not such a bad thing really. Except it was NOT what God had instructed him to do. And….it might have been a bit of grandstanding on Moses’ part.
I regret my outburst. But I won’t wallow in the guilt. I’ve spoken to God about it, and He says ‘…learn from it and let’s move on…’
At least He didn’t invite me up on a mountain to never come down !!
(…which, by the way, I think was more kindness on God’s part than punishment…..Moses didn’t have to continue to deal with those people anymore. He got to retire ! )
Showing posts with label retirement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label retirement. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Retirement...
Retirement… It’s a biblical concept, but I wonder if we haven’t distorted it.
After the tribes of Hebrew people left Egypt, and while they were traveling thru to the land that God intended to give them, there was a portable structure called the Tabernacle that served as the place to meet with God.
When the people moved, the Tabernacle was disassembled and moved with them, the structure itself and all the furniture and furnishings that served various purposes in the worship conducted there.
When the people stopped again and made camp, the Tabernacle was reassembled and readied again for worship and meeting with God.
One of the tribes of people, the Levi people, were designated to take care of everything concerning God’s Tabernacle and were also to conduct the worship activities.
If you were a Levite man, at the age of 25 you began to train for your work as a priest. At 30, you began to serve. (“Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting.” Numbers 4:3)
At the age of 50, you retired.
“The LORD said to Moses, "This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the Tent of Meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they themselves must not do the work….”(Numbers 8:23-26)
The difference in their retirement and what we think of as retirement if huge. The 50 year old Levite priest retired only from taking down the structure and from the physical parts of the worship rituals.
They didn’t ‘retire’ and go back to the tent and sit in the recliner.
Their retirement was becoming a supervisor instead of a laborer.
Their retirement relieved them early from physical stress on an aging body. It allowed the older men to advise and counsel the upcoming workforce by on-the-job mentoring.
Retirement in our culture sounds like a great thing.
But I really doubt anyone enjoys not being useful to some body, some way, some how.
Maybe so, maybe no…. don’t know if I’ll ever find out !!!
After the tribes of Hebrew people left Egypt, and while they were traveling thru to the land that God intended to give them, there was a portable structure called the Tabernacle that served as the place to meet with God.
When the people moved, the Tabernacle was disassembled and moved with them, the structure itself and all the furniture and furnishings that served various purposes in the worship conducted there.
When the people stopped again and made camp, the Tabernacle was reassembled and readied again for worship and meeting with God.
One of the tribes of people, the Levi people, were designated to take care of everything concerning God’s Tabernacle and were also to conduct the worship activities.
If you were a Levite man, at the age of 25 you began to train for your work as a priest. At 30, you began to serve. (“Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting.” Numbers 4:3)
At the age of 50, you retired.
“The LORD said to Moses, "This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the Tent of Meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they themselves must not do the work….”(Numbers 8:23-26)
The difference in their retirement and what we think of as retirement if huge. The 50 year old Levite priest retired only from taking down the structure and from the physical parts of the worship rituals.
They didn’t ‘retire’ and go back to the tent and sit in the recliner.
Their retirement was becoming a supervisor instead of a laborer.
Their retirement relieved them early from physical stress on an aging body. It allowed the older men to advise and counsel the upcoming workforce by on-the-job mentoring.
Retirement in our culture sounds like a great thing.
But I really doubt anyone enjoys not being useful to some body, some way, some how.
Maybe so, maybe no…. don’t know if I’ll ever find out !!!
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