... It is the best way to make a million bucks, so I have heard.
I was reading a passage out of Deuteronomy this morning and began to think about the truth of God's word. Every religion, other than Christianity, has been started more or less by a person who claims they had some vision, some enlightenment, where they feel they have connected... had nirvana, etc.. with some supreme being or beings. I compared that notion to Moses and his writings.
Deuteronomy is essentially a recap of the exodus from Egypt and Israel's time spent wandering through the wilderness. As I read about the ten commandments and Moses' interaction with God, I began to think, "is it odd that a man writes his own story like this?" "why is he the author?" "what sets him apart?" Then I realized that nothing really does. His story ends with him dying... yes. dead. Moses dies at the end of this book (though I am not there yet), and never enters the land promised him and his descendants. Only Joshua and Caleb enter the promised land, due to their consistent faith in God, when others fell short.
How is this significant? Well, I zoomed out a bit and thought about the characters of the old testament. I am fairly familiar with it, certainly all the key stories. Up to this point in the Torah, we see again and again stories of men who failed. Godly men who still fall short at times. Men who make mistakes, men who deceive, men who are afraid to do God's will... So, not only are the stories about a collection of men, rather than one man's idea of religion, but the stories generally reflect poorly on the protagonist. All the way back to Adam. Love ya buddy but ya blew it. All the stories and adventures point to one thing, faith and reliance on God! We are sinners. These men were acting just like you and I do today. Messed up, screwed up, and yet God intervenes in their lives and the lives of Israel because He is completing a story that points to Christ, our savior. That's what strikes me and really gives me peace about my faith. No one is flattering themselves in this sacred book. They are telling a story, as best as they can, about their interaction with a holy God. A God who foreknew the path to redemption with his creation. Jacob deceives his father to receive a blessing. David commits adultery and has the husband killed. Rahab is a whore who's offspring, ultimately, is JESUS! To me that is exciting! Forget your flaws, forget your depravity, fall down at the cross of Jesus and know that his grace and mercy are everlasting. No author in the bible, new testament or old, claims to have it all together. They all express full awareness that they are completely reliant on God, even through their moments of being out of fellowship with Him. In every other religion, it's about self-centered striving to achieve some sense of holy living. The product of those religions is not necessarily morally corrupt, often times they, in some sense, are good to the world and the people in it. But every single one falls short by centering around people reaching up to God, to try to connect with him by personal achievement, which since we are all sinners, is an impossibility. We are all going to fall short. We are born selfish and prideful.... Only the one true God reaches down to us to have a relationship with him through his son Jesus. I don't need to invent a religion; I know my savior.
