Shabbat Thought :: Ki Tisa

Each week in the Synagogue, a different portion of scripture is studied.  The Torah (Old Testament) is broken into portions which are read over the course of a year.  At the end of the year, it starts over again so the Bible is read annually. 

Are we all familiar with the story of the golden calf? That's the main story in this Parasha, Ki Tisa from Exodus 30:11 - 34:35. Moses is up in the mountain too long, and the people of Israel get restless. They badger Aaron into doing something, so they tear out all the gold earrings, and quickly forge a golden calf to worship God. Moses returns, he and God get really mad, people die, Moses confronts God to save the people. God shows Himself to be merciful, and life goes on.

Aside from the main plot of idolatry, and putting God first, I noticed something along the same lines of what I'd noticed about the previous Parasha. God has just finished giving Moses careful directions about artisans. The care and technique to be put into the Holy artifacts was going to be great. God called for well-trained people to do this work, and wanted it to be well done. The materials to make these things was to be collected through a free-will offering, showing love for God. This is the outline of God's way.

Man's way: tear out earrings, throw the gold into the fire and roughly create a calf. Aaron was not an artisan but a priest. It's as if they were living in the shadows. They couldn't forsee the things to come that Moses was going to bring down from the mountain with him.

Now, too, we can see more than the Israelites in the Torah.  "The Torah has a shadow of the good things to come—not the form itself of the realities." (Hebrews 10:1 TLV) Now that Messiah Yeshua is among us, He has made things of the Torah, of the Law, seem as harsh to us as did the calf made from earrings torn out of ears. We need to not get impatient with God. His timing is perfect, and He knows things just around the corner that we can't yet see. 

Are you one of the people of God, impatient that things aren't stirring yet? Or are you one the artisans waiting for your time to shine? Perhaps you're like Aaron, and you're just trying to get to the next step the best you can. Whichever you are, trust that you don't know it all, but God does.  And He has it under control.

Shabbat Shalom my friends! May you stay warm and be loved!