Exodus 32:11-14 (ESV)

But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

Notice that Moses’ counter-argument has nothing to do with mercy or the suffering the people might endure; it’s all about God. His holiness and reputation are the whole point.

This is not to say that Moses doesn’t care about his people – and God often shows His mercy too – but that’s just not the main topic. Something more important is at issue.

This continues the ubiquitous, “it’s not about you,” theme of the Bible. Still, many people read the Bible and think it’s all about our getting into heaven. That’s because we, being people, have a people-centric point of view about everything. That’s understandable.

Imagine for a moment that the cows in India could understand Hinduism. Their cow-centric mentality might lead them to think that Hinduism is all about cows. It’s not, though cows do make out well. So it’s understandable that cows would over interpret this because they are, after all, cows.

We’re the same way. We think Christianity is all about getting people into heaven. This isn’t even particularly sinful; it’s just perspective bias. You have to pay attention first to the things that matter to you just to survive. When you drive, you think first about your safety. Other drivers matter, but their safety can’t be your primary focus. Sure, Christ calls us to great altruism, but normal survival thinking is how we’re wired.

We should remind ourselves often that it’s not all about us. Humble yourself before the LORD.

This all about a different perspective and a different way of living. At The Fellowship of Ailbe, we call this, “Practicing the Kingship of Jesus.”

We’re wired for self-preservation, but Christ calls us to Him as our Lord. Having a Lord doesn’t mean you lose your instinct for self-preservation; it just means the Lord is the first priority.

The classic conflict between the two is when we are called to not deny Him under pain of death. We’re not likely to have a test of faith like that though. Martyrdom isn’t part of modern American Christianity.

The problem is that we fail the little tests we do have. Growing beyond this weakness is the point of “practicing” the Kingship of Jesus. Only relentless attention and prayer can get us there.

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies