"Dear Diary"

Deuteronomy

"Soon I will be done
With the troubles of the world
Troubles of the world
Troubles of the world
Soon I will be done
Troubles of the world
I'm going home to live with God..."

 

Dear Journal: 

This is my last [Will and] Testament.  My name is Moshe, aka Moses.  I am also known affectionately as, Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses, our Teacher/Rabbi).  I don't know why I said, "affectionately," because from the beginning of my walk with the LORD, the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, you so-called "chosen" people have vigorously come against me.  Starting as far back as my birth, my life has consisted of having to fight for one thing after another - and often times, for an ungrateful, rebellious and stiff-necked group of people.  But, before I get into that, let me just say that I am coming to the end and I feel the need to get a few things off my chest before I turn this thing over to my adjutant, Joshua.

The first thing I need to do is remind you, O Israel, that when you were an enslaved people, under the yoke of Egypt's Pharaoh, I am the one that brought you out of that bondage.  Yeah, that's right, I, at the LORD's behest, returned to Egypt, brought plagues down on Egypt - right down to the death of all of their firstborn males, until Pharaoh let you go!  Then, after the LORD blew his nose or something and parted the Red Sea, it was I that walked you through on dry land, and not one of you even got wet.  Were you impressed by that?  No!  Every time I turned around, I had to deal with your moaning and groaning and constant complaining about one thing or another.  First it was the golden calf incident, the scouts I sent into the land, and your appetite!  Geez Louise!  Your cry for food prompted the LORD to provide manna for you to eat.  No, you had never seen it before, and neither had I, but it did the trick.  Then you complained about not having any meat!  So the LORD sent out a wind to the Red Sea, causing quail to come into the camp.  To your delight, you went about your way and collected the quail all day.  While the meat, which you demanded, was still in your greedy little mouths, the LORD's anger was kindled against you and brought a plague against you by way of the very thing you wanted so much.  Many of you fell to that plague.  We buried those who died from it in that same place (NRSV Numbers 11:31-34). 

Throughout the forty years that we wandered in the wilderness, you also complained about my leadership, so I anointed my brother, Aaron, Priest of priest to help with management.  I even elevated my sister, Miriam, but in due time, both she and Aaron rose up against me because I married an Ethiopian woman!  Are you serious?  Have you seen the Ethiopian women?  You'll soon find it difficult to stay away from them too.  Anyhue, needless to say, my friend, the LORD - whom I, and I alone, spoke to "face to face," and "mouth to mouth" - for my sake, punished them both.  Surely you know because Miriam was a woman, her punishment was much more severe than Aaron's (vv. 12:1-10).  Nevertheless, we waited until she was better and her leprosy had gone away before we set out to our next camp site. 

Every freaking step of the way, you were a faithless and disobedient nation.  I grew weary of you and that weariness cost me greatly.  Because of your lack of faith and disobedience, the LORD determined that no one from this generation would enter into the Promised Land.  No one, no not even I, would be granted passage into the land promised to our ancestors.  Why?  Well, it happened back at the rock, when you complained yet again about being thirsty.  The LORD instructed me to stand before the congregation and speak to the rock and it rock would yield its life-giving water.  But, I heard your grumblings, and I was "sick and tired of being sick and tired," so I raised my hands and spoke harshly to you as I struck the rock twice.  Most assuredly, the rock yielded refreshing, and rejuvenating water for you and all your livestock.  Yet the LORD was angry with me because I did not trust and obey by doing what I was instructed to do.  As such, and even after all I had done, I, too, was forbidden to enter into the Promised Land (vv. 20:5-12).  I am left only to prepare you to take possession of a good land, "a land flowing with milk and honey," and to leave you with the Law, the ways of governance and all of the LORD's commandments.

"So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.  You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the LORD your God with which I am charging you" (Deuteronomy 4:1,2).  My time with you is not long and soon, I, too, will go the way of the ancestors...  Goodbye, good luck and good riddance!

"No more weepin' and wailin'
No more weepin' and wailin'
No more weepin' and wailin'
I'm going home to live my Lord

Soon I will be done
With the troubles of the world
Troubles of the world
Troubles of the world
Soon I will be done
Troubles of the world
I'm going home to live with my Lord..."
                                    (Mahalia Jackson) 

© Dorinda G. Henry, 2011

THEOLOGIA HABITUS EST!