Arguing with God about Scripture

Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but... - Moses in Exodus 33:12

At the edge of the Promised Land, Moses and God get into a tussle. There have been all sorts of ups and downs in their relationship, not to mention all the drama between the people in general and God. It hasn’t been easy.

One of the things we see in this great conversation is that Moses specifically pushes back on what God has already said. In our day and age, it seems appropriate to think about this as questioning God about scripture (which are the words God has already said).

Moses is mad that God doesn’t seem to be doing the things that were said. So what does Moses do about that? Well, Moses tells God about his disappointment and frustration face to face.

Are there passages in the Bible that frustrate you? Perhaps they are unclear, irrational, or even hateful? Or perhaps there are promises you wish you could see fulfilled in your own life or ways that God is supposed to work but isn’t right now (as best as you can tell). What do you do with these frustrations?

We want to create some space for you to name those to God right now - just like Moses did. (note: over and over, including in this passage about Moses being argumentative, God conveys great pleasure in Moses - perhaps it was because Moses was so honest and direct with God!).

Here is a final thought to consider:

I don’t run from a fight or a hard text or a fight with a hard text. I believe in wrestling the bruising words until I squeeze a blessing out of them, no matter how down and dirty it gets or how out of joint I get. - Wilda Gafney