Hear O Israel
A Road to the Glory of God
We all have desires to find God, even non-believers seek something they know little about. Primitive people, as seen from sketching in caves, prayed or made adherence to something or someone indicating the belief in a power beyond themselves. Look at the pyramids and note the markings on the burial sections and see some indication of something beyond this life was real in their eyes.
There must be some invisible understanding in the human make-up that attracts us to an unseen entity that we eventually come to find it is God. Some force in the cosmos guides our interest to seek this force that is beyond nature itself. If left alone, we would certainly want to discover what it is that guides us towards that unknown entity. Our questions would become answered when he or what it is that seems to call us forth.
Abraham was called forth by God and followed his direction with a quiet whispering in his heart to serve an entity he knew little about. He was reared in a line of ancestors that were aware of God, yet only learned about as the centuries progressed. The understanding of their creator began to unfold as more of Abraham’s descendants were born, lived in the name of God, and passed this on to the next generation.
It is with the entrance of Moses where we learn of God’s plan to rescue his people from the treachery of sin and his plan to save us. This was established with the fall of man through Adam. However, after an angel appeared to Moses in a burning bush without neither he nor the bush being consumed Moses said I must go and look at this remarkable sign.
The road to salvation began with the call of Abraham and through the continuing birth of his descendants Moses is now being sent to bring to fruition his plan to send his Only Son to save you and me. It is a road filled with hope in spite of many setbacks.
Have you ever for even a moment stopped to discern how you were called to follow this same road? Each one is tempted to learn about what it was that touched our heart and opened a world of wonder that no earthly spectacle could ever produce. As our forefathers, especially from Abraham and moving forward in human history, have paved the way towards God, and in our present time through Christ, we have accepted a rocky path with many obstacles that try to deter our journey. It is an old cliche that only the strong can survive the threats that promise to upset us at every turn in the road.
Perhaps that’s what Jesus was referring to when he said, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.” (Mt. 7: 13 -14).
History will back up the knowledge that try as we might, the surge of enemies’ attacks on those who seek God will not subside and the war to deny us God’s grace will prevail. We must continue to follow the tenets Jesus set out for us, as he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
(Jn. 14: 6).
Ralph B. Harhaway