January 8

Day 300: While the Ornaments Get Packed Away Anyway

There's what appears to be a weird exchange between God and Moses in Exodus 33. God tells Moses to lead the people into Canaan the Promised Land. But God also says He's not going with them.

They've become a "stiff-necked people." They deserve to be "consumed." (Bible talk for complete annihilation.) God being gracious simply says He doesn't want to be with people who do not want to be with Him.

When the people hear what God has said, they felt sad and mourned. And God tells every one to take off their ornaments (?) Apparently, the people had taken to wearing each day the ornaments they had brought out with them as plunder from Egypt.

When they reflected on the acquisition and beauty of these ornaments, they were to be reminded of God generous grace extended to them. And now God says, "Take them off!"

This is like God taking back an engagement or wedding ring. This is refusing to answer the phone, or return an email.

This is a broken relationship. God wanted them to live with Him in view. But they were instead living with themselves in view.

Paul Tripp says it this way: "Their sin, my sin, your sin is more than bad behavior, bad choices, or wrong words. My sin is a violation of the relationship that I was meant to have with God. My sin is an act where I replace God with something I love more."

You would think the Israelites, if anyone, would've followed after God with whole-hearted devotion. They had seen and experienced so much. And yet, just like our own and yet's, they missed the mark.

They failed, just like we fail to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you mind" (Matt. 22:37)

Sometimes the ornaments (the tangible blessings, the comfortable times, even the answered prayers) become what we want in view - instead of God in view. We want the gifts more than we want the Giver.

So, not unlike the ancient Israelites, we too can be "stiff-necked." So described because a stiff neck restricts one's ability to see anything beyond what's directly in front of them.

A stiff neck doesn't allow mobility to look up in worship...or look down in humility. Staring at an ornament directly in front of us for too long makes for muscle atrophy.

Sometimes the very gifts received from God, or the gifts hoped for from God we allow to be gods themselves. We love them more than we love Him.

Sometimes the ornaments get in the way of the relationship we were meant to have with God. And we're left with stiff necks. While the ornaments get packed away anyway.

-Mike Rydman, Lead Pastor, Radiant Church Juneau