“Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told
him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped
back. Exodus 4:3 NLT
As a child, I loved to read. During my
rebellious teen years, I stopped reading. In college, I re-discovered my love
of books. My library grew—this was before eBooks came along. Since my wife and
I later became antique collectors, I suppose it was natural for me to collect
old books—old meaning books published before 1940. The spare bedroom in our
small patio townhome became my office and library. Bookshelves lined each wall,
mostly filled with old books my wife and I discovered at thrift stores.
Only a few of my books held value to
anyone else or an antique dealer—such as my oldest book, which came from a
Charleston, South Carolina, library and boasts a publication date a shade over
two hundred years ago. But all hold great value to me. When I am dead and gone,
my children will either sell them at a yard sale or, more likely, donate them
to a thrift store. I don’t read any of my old books. The time-worn pages
wouldn’t stand turning without falling out, or the binding would crumble. They
sit on my shelves or at various places around the house where my wife uses them
as decorations.
At least, that’s how the bedroom looked
before we decided to turn it into a bedroom for the grandboys or other
overnight guests. My wife—an intelligent woman—produced a solution using a
picture she had seen on Instagram. We needed to eliminate four shelves of books
to make room for the bed, but how? Use the books as a headboard, of course. We
needed one anyway, since we only had a frame for the mattress.
So, I handed my wife books I’d probably
never use—newer books—and she stacked them on the floor. Before I knew it, she
had constructed a headboard, carefully placing old books that the grandboys
would one day read on the top so they could reach them. We slid the bed frame
against her masterpiece and had a headboard. This allowed me to display my old
books on the remaining shelves.
Our headboard stood firm until I decided I
wanted a book near the bottom of the headboard stack. I carefully removed the
book, thinking it would not affect my wife’s masterpiece. I was wrong. Like
dominos, three-fourths of the books tumbled to the floor and onto me. I had
created a mess—one my wife was not in the mood to fix. She made several
attempts but could never arrange them as they were initially. Finally, she
turned the catastrophe over to me to do the best I could.
All of this in the name of keeping old
books. I can’t imagine throwing them down and tearing up their fragile
bindings, casting them aside, selling them, or donating them to a thrift store
or library. Perhaps Moses also couldn’t imagine casting aside what he depended
on so much: his shepherd’s staff.
God’s people had languished in Egyptian
slavery for four hundred years, but now the time had come for their
deliverance. Moses had been shepherding his father-in-law’s sheep. Shepherds
need a good staff for many reasons. But when God appeared to Moses in a flaming
bush and told him to tell the king of Egypt to let the Israelites go, Moses had
to throw down what he depended on temporarily.
This wouldn’t be the last time Moses had
to throw down his staff. He later used it to divide the Red Sea so the
Israelites could cross. He also used it to strike a rock so water would flow
out for the thirsty wilderness wanderers.
Letting go of things we cherish is
difficult, but sometimes they get in our way of serving God. Moses had to
change his view of his staff. He had to throw down what he had once used it for
and begin to see it as an instrument to fulfill God’s plan.
Jesus said He would reward those who gave
up everything to follow Him. He didn’t always ask everyone to surrender all
they had, but some He did. Whether we have to misses the point. Our willingness
is the key.
Moses made a few excuses for why he wasn’t
the right man for the job and couldn’t go to the king at God’s request. God
answered each excuse. Moses had to throw them down, as he did the staff.
God’s plan for us varies, but it always
involves a throw-down. Not a fight with God—although sometimes it might come to
spiritual blows—but a voluntary letting go of what keeps us from moving forward
with God’s will.
Some of the things we hold onto are
sinful; some are not. But even those that aren’t, we need to throw down if they
interfere with us doing what God asks. The list is endless, interesting,
challenging, and unique to each of us. It may include relationships, jobs, play
toys, hobbies, habits, friends, family members, education, and dreams. God will
help us forge forward without looking back when we’re willing.
Consider at least one
thing you might need to throw down so God can have your full attention.
Father, lead me to throw
down those things that keep me from Your best.
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