Smoke and Mirrors

Deuteronomy 4:32 reminds me of a rock/love ballad. My first thought was that these words are often asked in response to a love. Question: "For ask now about former ages, long before your own, ever since the day that God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of heaven to the other: has anything so great as this ever happened of has its like ever been heard of?"
Answer: A greater love was never known...

Deuteronomy is recounting God's acts, and recalls God's presence in the burning bush. In fact, it marks it right up there with the whole Exodus. No mention directly of the Red Sea parting, but the burning bush gets precedent. That's because it is the beginning of the story. That is because the bush is burning, but there is no smoke.

Magicians like to use smoke and mirrors to perform their tricks (Illusions.) Yet Paul reminds us that our image is veiled, not because of a trick, but because our vision is not able to see the mirror reflected correctly (2 Corinthians 3, 1 Corinthians 13). To see God, to be a part of the wonders of God's work do not need our vision. God does not perform tricks. God works and we become reflections of God's work. Some may hide behind smoke and mirrors to get their point across. These are gimmicks and plays to trick people into believing their power. Our God offers the mysterious without answers, just formation into God's likeness for us, not our likeness for ourselves.