Friendship Bouquet

Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash

Moses was indignant about the behavior of the people in making the graven image just after their agreement not to do so. They had become impatient and fearful in his absence and felt the need of a god they could keep in check and control, one that would protect them, one made of gold.
This is recorded in Exodus 32:21–34. When Moses does return, he asks the man he had put in charge to report. The answer he receives in unbecoming of a leader.

Here is the dialogue:

“And Aaron said, ‘Do not let the anger of my lord burn hot; you know the people, that they are bent on evil. They said to me, ‘Make us gods, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off’ so they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!’”

Moses may have overreacted, but he did act in accordance with the covenant with which the people had agreed, except that he let complicit Aaron off the hook. He ordered a mass execution.

Exodus just reports it; the report does not judge or evaluate.

As Joe Friday would say, “Just the facts, Maam.”

When Moses goes back to God to discuss the matter, God essentially says, “I will take care of their sins and punishment; you go back and lead them.”

It implies that Moses would have been willing to quit at any time, but God would not let him.

Skipping to tomorrow’s reading, we see that Moses was growing and developing as a leader in an ongoing conversation with God, which the writer of these verses in Exodus describes this way:

“And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” — Exodus 33:11a

A man sent a bouquet of flowers to his friend’s funeral as a token of a lifetime of friendship.

Everyone admired the arrangement and thought what great friends they must have been When we look at such a lovely arrangement in a vase, we enjoy its beauty, but we take some things for granted.

Before those flowers were picked and arranged, each one was caught up in a process of planting, growth, and cultivation to become the thing of beauty sitting in the center of the table.

Great friendships are like flowers. They also must be planted, grown, and cultivated. They must be protected from the encroachment of weeds and from pests that would devour them.

Great friendships must be nurtured.

So also, must a friendship with God be nurtured and grown over time.
When men looked back on Moses’ life and his relationship with God, it seemed like a lovely flowering plant with luxurious colors and sweet savory aromas. It was a thing to be admired and appreciated. We take that for granted as well. Moses spoke with God face to face as a friend, but that friendship developed over many years as Moses sought God and God shaped Moses.

We are also called to blossom in our friendship with God. Are you willing to pay the price of time and cultivation? If you are willing to seek Him as Moses did and be shaped by Him as Moses was, you can also be known as a friend of God and bloom for Him.