follow the cloud

YHVH said to him, "What is that in your hand?" And he said, "A staff."Then He said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.But the YHVH said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail"--so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand. I don't know quite how to unpack this one. It makes for a good meditation indeed. Throw down your security and pick up your insecurity.
There is a niggling in the back burner... On one hand the Almighty is quite free with the miracles. In multiple anecdotes He suspends, bends and breaks the laws of nature for purposes of persuasion, vindication or "showing off". But on the other hand what is our response to these displays? I'm thinking about the passage in Devarim 13 when God speaks about allowing miracles to come from "bad" sources to test His people. Also there is the adage "blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” And what about second-hand signs and wonder? To what degree can one base one's beliefs on other's experiences? ...not much. Of course when we talk about miracles as empirical foundation we may be shang-haiing the whole phenomenon. A foundation needn't be based on aberrations in the natural order of things, everyday experiences ought to suffice. Discuss the role of miracles...