Israel had a wandering heart. All humanity shares in this malady. Our propensity for wandering is defined over and over again in the God Story. God values loyal love. We are much too practical, capricious, and self-absorbed to be held to this standard for love.
The Lord says to this people, “They have loved to wander; they have not kept their feet in check. Therefore the Lord does not accept them and now He will remember their iniquity and call their sins to account.” – Jeremiah 14:10
Even though one generation watched the powerful hand of God take away Pharaoh and his armies, it was not long before they had fashioned a golden calf as an object for their wandering worship. Their god-shaped hole had to be filled, just as it does today. There is no such thing as a true atheist. The worship of man, knowledge, or self are evidenced by so many faces.
Even Aaron the priest, companion of Moses, obfuscates:
“I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.” – Exodus 32
The wandering heart is always filled with blame-shifting and excuses. Instead of calling out to God when we fall short, like Adam and Eve, we hide our pride cloaked in our nakedness. Consequently, we cannot trust our nature to be loyal to God or others. As Satan said to God about Job: “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.” Is this not true when it comes to self preservation and advancement?
So we must find a purity that is implanted – which comes from the Spirit of Grace given to us by Jesus. There are countless ways to wander. The best antidote is to come home.
Seriously.
Dave and Burnadette