**Sip Saturday is written by our Saturday morning contributor, M.H. Elrich. A beautifully gifted Christian author who seeks to honor the Trinity in her writing. She hopes that her words will encourage women to draw closer to God, whether that is through her fantasy series or her weekly devotionals.
Cornerstone Scripture:
“For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.”
-Hebrews 3:3 ESV
During the time in which Hebrews was written, the Israelites put Moses on a pedestal. They completely forgot about Moses as a man, only seeing how he saved them from Pharoah and led the way out of slavery. Not giving God proper credit, they highlighted all of Moses’ amazing works, like the ability to talk to God face-to-face or perform miracles with his staff. Completely forgetting his stutter, his anger, and even his unwillingness to ask for help until his father-in-law pointed it out, the Israelites saw Moses as the ultimate man of God.
In this passage, the author points out that Moses is lesser than Jesus. In fact, the reason Moses’ face glowed when he met with the Lord is because Jesus was part of the Trinity meeting with him (Exodus 34:29-35).
Jesus is God. Moses was a servant of God. Jesus rose from the dead. Moses died and was united with the Father. Jesus sits at the right hand of God. Moses is one of many members of God’s people. The author wanted the Israelites to realize this truth about Jesus and to place him in a higher rank than Moses.
Before we judge the Israelites too harshly, let us try to remember how often we put people or things on pedestals. Whether it is the seemingly-harmless but not really worship of the next “idol” or famous person, or the obsession with gathering materialistic possessions, our hearts often put something else above God.
Sometimes, we even put ourselves and our wills above God’s will. We stubbornly refuse to listen to what God wants us to do because we either think we know better or we deceptively think God approves of our misdeeds. Another way we create a pedestal is to put our family there, willing to sacrifice everything to them, but not to the God who gave them to us.
These examples are ones that I have struggled with from time to time, so I don’t speak out of judgement. Instead, I point them out so that you can see ways in which you need God to remove the idols and pedestals in your life.
What is it that you’re clinging on to? What is it that you’re obsessing too much over? What do you need to surrender to God? Whatever it is, place it where it belongs: at Jesus’ feet.
Let’s pray.
Dear Lord, help me identify areas of my life where I am putting something on a pedestal. Help me to place those things before you in surrender and trust you with the results. In you Son’s name, Amen.
Very relatable! I often placed preachers on a pedestal. I was in awe of how they were able to proclaim and execute God’s word so amazingly; their commitment to the Gospel and their knowledge in the Word. I felt that they tapped into a dimension in which I as another believer was denied access to. However, I later realised that there was nothing special about these individuals the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead also lives in me and He can teach me all things to. Thank you a lot for sharing.