 |
| Vacationing Fathers Richard, Don and Ken |
Thus says the LORD:
Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted,
to the tyrannical city!
She hears no voice,
accepts no correction;
In the LORD she has not trusted,
to her God she has not drawn near.
Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted,
to the tyrannical city!
She hears no voice,
accepts no correction;
In the LORD she has not trusted,
to her God she has not drawn near.
Visiting a family one time, several years ago, I heard the mother of the family invite a neighbor boy to go with them to the zoo. She told him to ask his mother for permission to go with them; to which the young man replied, “She doesn’t care.”
What a strange, terrible response. I suppose he meant it would be okay with her, but it literally meant his mother doesn’t love him. It was a common expression at the time; I don’t know if kids still say that of their parents.
God does care, and the scriptures say he cares intensely. When people care, they get emotional. They laugh with their loved ones' laughter and cry with their tears. They feel for one another. They fear for each other’s safety; they get angry at one another’s foolishness; they urge their loved ones to do the right thing. They even say, “How could you do this to me?” when the loved one does some harm to himself. It would be a strange kind of friend who didn’t get emotional with his loved one.
Some theologians have said we should not “anthropomorphize” God when we suppose he gets angry at our sins. In other words, we should not “create God in our own image.” They describe a more “superior” God who is so far above human beings we cannot imagine him. For that matter he is too far above the earth to care about its inhabitants.
That’s not the God we encounter in the Bible. He loves, blesses and enriches his chosen people; he promises them, “You shall be holy as the Lord your God is holy!” He will go wherever they go, and be with them forever.
But when they take all his blessings and ignore Him; when they make no attempt to be holy as he is holy; when their treatment of the poor, widowed, and orphaned create havoc: the Lord moves from disappointment to frustration and anger. God withdraws his protection because they have proven themselves no different from any other nation; and they are swept away by alien armies. And yet “His mercy endures forever.” He will gather them to his heart from the ends of earth.
Our God cares intensely; we have seen his care on the face of Jesus. He is delighted when people turn to him for healing and forgiveness; he is outraged when he sees us exploiting the weakness of others; he is touched to the soul by the courage and devotion of the lowly. A gentile centurion who recognizes Jesus' servitude to God astonishes the Lord. I think especially of his exclamation when he saw the poor widow donate a few copper coins to the temple treasury, “She has given more than all the rest!”
After reading the scriptures there can be no doubt about God’s emotional investment in us. He does care intensely. At Christmas we give our assent, we say Amen to his love, as we prepare the way of the Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.