A Word of Respect

A Reflection on the First Reading for January 31st, 2021:
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Deuteronomy
18.15-20

Moses spoke to the people; he said: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own kin; you shall heed such a Prophet. This is what you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: ‘Let me not hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, lest I die.’

“Then the Lord replied to me: ‘They are right in what they have said. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their own kin; I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them everything that I command him.

“‘Anyone who does not heed the words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will hold him accountable. But any Prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak — that Prophet shall die.’”
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Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

My favourite line in this passage is when God says to Moses, “They are right in what they have said.” Imagine, the God of all creation saying that the people are right? This feels to me like an apology from God, “Sorry folks, I thought you’d get that, but I was wrong. Let’s try this a different way.” What kind of a god treats his creatures with this kind of respect? 

I also get a sense of compassion in this passage. God knows the fear that the Israelites are experiencing when they say, “Let me not hear the voice of the Lord my God anymore or ever again see this great fire, lest I die.” His response is not to chastise them but to act with compassion and spare them from this anxiety. Psalm 95 says, “Oh that today you would listen to the voice of the Lord. Do not harden your hearts.” I see the reflection of God’s heart in this beautiful psalm. He heard the voice of HIs people and He didn’t harden His heart to them. He showed them compassion and respect. 

This poses a dilemma for me. When someone treats me with compassion and respect it makes me take a look at why they would act this way towards me. What have I done to deserve that person's respect, and how do I live up to this in future dealings with them? What if I’m not the person that they think I am? What if I do something to lose their respect? Will I also then lose their love? 

This is what God is speaking to me through His word. He respects us, He has compassion for us, He loves us. He will do whatever it takes to make us understand this, even sending His only begotten Son to die and save us so we can live with Him forever. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect or to constantly perform in a way that deserves His respect. What He does ask of us is to be open to hearing His voice and receiving His love. As hard as this is for us to accept sometimes, it is the Truth. 

The God of the universe wants to have a relationship with us and His word proves it. 




​Maxine Brown
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