Psalm 76
I think God must feel like a woman sometimes… so misunderstood. I wonder if He sometimes looks at the Bible and sees what amounts to a cartoon caricature of Himself—where one teeny, tiny aspect of His character is magnified and blown out of proportion. This particular psalm seemed to be emphasizing the fear factor:
He broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war. (vs 3)
It is you alone who are to be feared. (vs 7)
Who can stand before you when you are angry? (vs 7)
Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise. (vs 10)
Let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared. (vs 11)
He breaks the spirit of rulers. (vs 12)
He is feared by the kings of the earth. (vs 12)
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And as I read that description of God, these are the things I thought of:
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Lk 23:34)
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matt 9:36)
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matt 11:29)
As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” (Lk 7:12-13)
As I have heard before (and probably written before on this blog), God is not someone to be afraid of. He’s someone to be a friend of. Oh sure, there are times when God uses thunder and lightening to get our attention. He has had to do that many times throughout history, and He’s still willing to do it today when we need it.
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But I believe that He does not want to be known as someone to be feared. He doesn’t want us to be afraid of Him forever. He wants to draw us close to Him. He wants us to know that He has compassion for us.
Sometimes, because of what God has had to do in dealing with His immature and out-of-control children, He has been so misunderstood. Oh, that we would see His heart more clearly!