…Moses tried to pacify the Lord his God. “O Lord!” he said. “Why are you so angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong hand? …Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people! Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’”
So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people. Exodus 32:11-14.
From early in his life, Moses showed an inclination for “standing up” or doing the hard work of an intermediary. When he was still a young man in the household of Pharaoh, he came to the assistance of an Israeli worker and killed the Egyptian who was mistreating the worker.
God needed that fiery temperament to step up and lead the people of God who were, at that moment, enslaved by the Pharaoh of Egypt. Moses did not go willingly into that job. God had to convince him that he was the man God needed, and Moses eventually relented.
Peacemaking in biblical parlance is not peace loving. Peace loving can be an indifferent, passive, even lazy preference or desire for peace. Peacemaking is decisive, committed, invested effort on behalf of peace. You could say that peacemaking was on display when Moses pleaded with God not to give up on the Israelites.
Moses knew that a peaceful relationship with God was necessary for the good of the people. Without that peace, Israel would have been left without the protection and blessing of God. You could argue that peace is the foundation of long-term, helpful relationships between people, groups, communities or nations.
A second negotiation between Moses and God is recorded in Exodus 33:8-23. It was clear that even though God withheld his anger, God had resolved to have dealings only with Moses and not with the people. They were about to be on their own. Which energized Moses’ advocacy for his people. “You can’t do this; our enemies will make fun of us because you abandoned us.”
The issues around this negotiation were the foundation of peace: trust, good will, and generosity. Moses’ peacemaking was active reconciliation because of the way he engaged God and reminded God of his promises to Israel.
Moses shows us that peacemaking is not some cheap, one-off, wishful utterance. It is rather a persistent, brave, and loving way of living in the world.
Prayer:
O God, we know that peacemaking is easier said than done. It is an all-in effort to foster the unity and peace that existed when you created us. Please help us to give our lives to this important endeavor. Amen.