Stay away from the elk

"Stay away from the elk.  They are dangerous creatures that could charge at any minute."  The park ranger announced this warning over his loudspeaker.  Many people had stopped on the road in Yellowstone to take "up close and personal" photos of the elk.  I was out of the car.  Other folks were close enough to pet the elk.

"Stay away from the elk" has been our family code phrase for warning each other of a potential danger that might seem innocent at first glance.  It warns us to think ahead, to ask ourselves what potential dangers lurk in an action, relationship or habit.

As I read Deuteronomy 9:7-21 I jotted in my journal, "danger words:  for themselves, quickly and stiff-necked."

Moses reminded the people of the specifics of their rebellious behavior.  While he was on the fiery mountain with God, fasting of bread and water, receiving the stone tablets, they were making a cast idol for themselves.  God had been pretty clear, "No cast idols".

"For themselves", my new danger phrase to consider  before I take an action, enter a relationship or cultivate a habit.  We are a selfish people.  We let Self decide what, who, where in our life.  Self is too often the why that directs our life.  When we start following Self we become stubborn, even when we really know we are headed for trouble, we become stiff-necked and continue toward the danger.

"Stay away from Self.  It is the danger that will get  me into no end of trouble."

There was also a comfort phrase in these verses, "Again the Lord listened."  When God was angered enough to destroy, Moses interceded and God listened, again.  I know I have let my Self  lead me away from God's way but there is Good News.  God, time and again, has listened.  God has even provided the intermediary, Jesus, to plead my case. 

Moses recognized the evil, he rescued the people by interceding with God and he removed the evil.  He took the idol burned it, ground it into dust and cast it into a stream to carry it far down the mountain, far away.

The Holy Spirit will recognize my selfish ways and convict me of dangerous living.  When I hear the Spirit I need to heed the warning and remove the selfish motivation and get myself far, far away.  This is my lesson to be learned from these verses.

The assurance from these verses is "Again God listened".  When I fail, in the future since my experience has been, a bit  too often,  to follow myself, God will listen to the my confessions and send  my failures down the stream far away from me.  Hallulejah!