We ought to obey God rather than men / Trebuie sa ascultam mai mult de Dumnezeu decat de oameni

 [En] "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men." - Acts 5:29 KJV

Nowadays people are trying so hard to find the right leader. They spend hours waiting to vote for their favourite; they march in protest against one or the other; they put their faith in someone and nothing good ever happens. They have to start all over again. 

It's like winning the lottery: maybe this time we'll choose the right one. Maybe we'll get lucky. Hardly ever happens. 

It all began in the time of Moses:

"And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die." 

-Exodus 20:19

And it was so from that day on until today. Everybody listens to other people instead of God. 

We can vote, we can protest, we can fight but we'll never find the right leader. 

There's only one solution to this: fixing what went wrong back then. 

The solution is :STOP listening to people and listen God again. God speak with us again lest we die. 

Let's obey God again rather than men! 

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." - Revelation 21:4 KJV

[Ro] "Trebuie sa ascultam mai mult de Dumnezeu decat de oameni" - Faptele Ap. 5:29

Oamenii din ziua de azi se chinuie sa gaseasca liderul potrivit. Ei merg si stau ore intregi la vot, protesteaza impotriva unora sau altora, isi pun nadejdea in unul sau altul si data viitoare o iau de la inceput. Totul e degeaba. E ca la loz in plic: poate poate nimerim unul bun, poate asta-i cu noroc. Nu se intampla aproape niciodata.

Totul a început pe vremea lui Moise cand oameniii au spus urmatoarele:

Ei au zis lui Moise: „Vorbește-ne tu însuţi, și te vom asculta, dar să nu ne mai vorbească Dumnezeu, ca să nu murim.” - Exodul 20:19

De atunci pana azi exact asa a ramas: toti asculta de alti oameni si mai deloc de Dumnezeu.

Putem noi sa ne zbatem la infinit ca niciodata un om nu va putea gasi solutia perfecta.

!!! Singura solutie este corectarea greselii din trecut.

Solutia este: Sa nu ne mai vorbeasca Iohanis, Orban, Trump, etc. Sa ne vorbeasca Dumnezeu ca sa nu murim.

Haideti sa ascultam din nou de Dumnezeu mai mult decat de oameni.

"El va șterge orice lacrimă din ochii lor. Și moartea nu va mai fi. Nu va mai fi nici tânguire, nici ţipăt, nici durere, pentru că lucrurile dintâi au trecut.” -Apocalipsa 21:4

The confusion of identity

Moses & God: The confusion of identity

"Come, make us a god who will go before us!" With these words the children of Israel appealed to Moses" older brother Aaron when it appeared that Moses had got lost on the mountain. The people demanded of Aaron a god to replace Moses. Even though in some translations we find the word "gods", in the Hebrew Bible text the word is Elohim (אֱלֹהִים). It is the same word for the one true God, as is found in the first verse of the Bible: "In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth". Or did "gods" created the heavens and the earth? No!

"...as for Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him" (Exodus 32:1). Eight chapters previously, God had invited Moes to meet with Him on Mount Sinai. I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction" (Exodus 24:12). However, Moses' return is delayed, and the people become impatient.

In the midst of the desert, without Moses, the people of Israel feel helpless and abandoned. In order to understant the background of this narrative we need to first realize how the people of Israel regarded Moses. In the eyes of the children of Israel, it was Moses who had liberated them from slavery: "Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him" (Exodus 32:1). It wasn't God who liberated them, but rather Moses. Although the people believed in God, they perceived the miracle as if Moses had accomplished it with his staff. Without this Moses, the people felt uncertain, stranded in the desert, surrounded by enemies and without water.

From this perspective, one might even wonder if the people of Israel regarded Moses himself as a god. After all, the people demanded from Aaron a new god to replace Moses. Why not try to replace Moses with another human leader, like Joshua or Caleb? Were there no other gifted leaders in the camp? We know that there were, but the people went to Aaron and demanded an idol, a golden calf, as is written in verse 4: "And they said, "This is your god (Elohim), O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt". The golden calf is not only described as god, but also as a replacement for Moses as their redeemer. Moses appeared to have supernatural powers. After their passing through the Red Sea (Exodus 14:31), it was written of the people: "And they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses". The people saw God and Moses as one power. In their view, Moses was a partner of the Almighty. In a sense, he was equated with God, and so his disappearance necessitated a replacement god.

Is it really so different from what we see today with certain Jewish and Christian leaders? We all know of rabbis and pastors who, due to superanatural signs, are revered by their followers as though they were God. Naturally, this is sin.

We should note that in this narrative there are two tangible illustrations. One of them is found in the tablets of the law, the other the golden calf. Both of these are destroyed; the stone tablets are shattered and the golden calf is burned. In both cases, God showed that His power is not hidden in tangible objects, but rather in faith and trust.

As a result of this dramatic confusion of God with Moses, we today do not find Moses mentioned even a single time in the Haggadah read during the Passover meal. For it was God who liberated the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, not His servant Moses. For the same reason, the precise location of the biblical Mount Sinai has also disappeared from collective memory. It is not a location, but rather God who should be glorified. It was not the moment in which the las was given that's important, but rather the reminder of God's revelation throughout the generations.

By Aviel Schneider (israeltoday.co.il)