Now and Then - Actions Speak Louder than Words

Now: Three years ago we brought Ryan home from the hospital following his birth, Jacob who was three at the time, did not want to have much to do with this new sibling, but he told us, “he loved his new little brother”. Ryan was only a couple of days old, I laid him on his back on a blanket in the living room and Jacob was playing with a die-cast metal space shuttle, flying it around the living room. I was half paying attention to him as he was walking around the living room, flying his metal toy, saying, “running out of gas...running out of gas...running out of gas”

At the exact moment he flew it over his newborn brother… “Out of gas" and the shuttle free falls and tags Ryan on the forehead. Ryan screams as a red mark grows on his forehead.
“Jacob”, I say in surprised displeasure and Jacob answers, “but dad, it ran out of gas”.
Actions speak louder than words: Jacob’s words of, “I love my brother” rang hollow as he inflicted pain with his action.

Then: The Israelites at Mt. Sinai promise with their words to do everything the Lord has commanded – they enter into a covenant relationship and then with their actions they begin breaking commandments. One commentator likened the golden calf incident to committing adultery on your honeymoon. You take the marriage vow in front of many, promising to be faithful until death and then on your honeymoon your spouse finds you in another’s bed. Your spouse hears and discovers. Actions speak louder than words. This is what Israel did to God; this is what we do to God.

This gives us a feeling for the depth of God’s justice (sin was atoned on the cross) and the depth of his grace (salvation was given on the cross).