Turning Aside

God will never be our accomplice. He won't be anyone's accomplice.

"One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand." - Exodus 2:11-12 ESV

"And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, 'I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.' When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am.' " - Exodus 3:2-4 ESV

We must turn aside to meet God. Repentance is the act of turning to God and in our turn to examine the mystery of holiness we are also turning away from everything else.

It makes me think of this exchange...

"Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.' And Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.' His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever he tells you.' " - John 2:2-5 ESV

Jesus would not be Mary's accomplice and she seemed to know better then to impose her will on Him. She turned aside expressing the need she saw and God did things His way.

What a wonderful picture of what prayer can be like.

Then there is the picture of Peter denying Christ on the night of His crucifixion...

"And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, 'Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.' But Peter said, 'Man, I do not know what you are talking about.' And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, 'Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.' " - Luke 22:59-61 ESV

Jesus was in agony gazing at Peter from afar, loving Peter, but loving Him far away from Peter's sin. Jesus walked the road that would end in Him paying for all transgression. Not a sinner Himself. No never. But He became sin.

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

People may blame God for the sins of men because He forgives what no one else could forgive but His hands are clean hands.

Sin cycles can break when we turn aside.

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." - 1 John 1:8-10 ESV

We are not our sins. God does not know us after our sins. It is when we turn aside that we discover who we are. Mouthing words will not accomplish that. Only seeing Jesus makes that happen. He is the bush that burns and Is not consumed. I want people to see those flames reflected in my eyes.

This is important for us also. We need God to show us the line between advocate and accomplice so that we can remain advocates.

--