Sárospataki Füzetek 21. (2017)

2017 / 2. szám - TEACH ME THAT I MAY LIVE! - UNTERWEISE MICH, SO WERDE ICH LEBEN! - Barnóczki Anita: "According to everything i command you today" - meditation on deut 30:1-3

TEACH ME THAT I MAY LIVE! I UNTERWEISE MICH, SO WERDE ICH LEBEN!

Anita Barnóczki

"ACCORDING

TO

EVERYTHING I COMMAND YOU TODAY

When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.

(Deut 30:1-3)

We often pray for blessing. We ask for blessing because we want to be happy, to live a good life. And then we no longer pray for blessing because we want to be happy and to live a good life. Success is enough.1 Sometimes we feel we do not succeed in anything as if everything conspired against us. It is not only that we cannot be happy, but we cannot even see a path to take. So we pray for blessing because we want to live a happy life.

Human life is like that. Moving away from God, and then, in the hour of grace, returning to God. This moving away has been there since that very first decision; from the moment the human being began to perceive, desire, and finally use their knowledge of good and evil outside of God. Outside of God; outside of life; now in the valley of the shadow of death.

But the compassionate God came close and chose a people for Godself to show that life and blessing are possible. To show the Way in which God guides the people; to show the Way that yields blessings. God gave law to His chosen people. It was a blessing for the people, but they wanted meat instead, and even more meat, a golden calf, or later a king

1 The words 'happiness' (boldogság) and 'success' (boldogulás) are quite close in Hungarian.

2017-2 Sárospataki Füzetek 21

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