Anyway, the ride had a speaker system (which you can see in the image above) that allowed the attraction hosts to speak to all riders. Known as the "God Switch," cast members only used the speakers in dire emergencies, because, to paraphrase Mouse Tales, hearing a resonant voice booming out of the sky tends to make people freeze in alarm.
As God spoke the Ten Commandments out of a flaming mountain, the Israelites weren't just alarmed--they were petrified, fearing for their lives. After hearing God's voice, much more stentorian and authoritative than that of any Disney employee, the elders can hardly believe that they've heard God's voice and lived: "For what mortal has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived?" (verse 26). Well, Moses has, but the elders don't want to push their luck, asking if they can hear the rest of God's decrees through Moses.
God is impressed by His people's respect for His power and authority, saying, "Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!" (verse 29). In the subtext of this wish lies a lament, for God knows only too well how ornery the Israelites will soon become.
Moses' nugget in this chapter comes in verse 3-4. Knowing that no one except Joshua and Caleb was alive during the giving of the Ten Commandments, Moses stresses the immediacy and relevance of God's decrees to this new generation. God's covenant wasn't just with this generation's parents, but with them--in Moses's words, "with all of us who are alive here today" (verse 3). Even though I've never heard God audibly speak out of a blazing cloud, I must remember that His promises, His words, and His directives are meant for me as well.
(Image source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d8/DisneylandSkyway.jpg/640px-DisneylandSkyway.jpg) Public domain
No comments:
Post a Comment