Jeremiah 49
Okay, so maybe “abuser” isn’t the right word, but I’m getting at the concept behind the word—the idea that God doesn’t discriminate. He is ultimately invested in all His children equally.
God is faithful.
God is a parent.
Jeremiah 25
I know, I know. The title of this blog: duh! Nothing new or earth-shattering here. One of the basics of knowing God is recognizing that He is the parent and we are His children. But how often do we stop to really flesh out all the applications and implications of that? If we know God is a parent, should it surprise us when He acts like one?
God is not weak.
Isaiah 59
This chapter touches on one of the greatest theological questions of our time: how can there be an all-loving, all-powerful God when there is so much suffering in the world? For, certainly, if we had the power to end the suffering of someone we loved, wouldn’t we do it? That’s how many people come to the conclusion that (a) God must not be all-powerful and, thus, cannot do anything about our suffering or (b) God must either not love us or not exist at all.
God shatters all our delusions.
Isaiah 47
Several years ago, English teacher David McCullough Jr. made national headlines when he told the graduating class from Wellesley High School, “You are not special. You are not exceptional.” Almost immediately after the words left his mouth, the reactions began to roll in from all sides. Surprisingly, the feedback was mostly positive, although there was very strong criticism from some corners.
God will wound you.
Isaiah 30
In this chapter, God declares what will happen to those who don’t listen to Him: He will wound them. Sometimes He does that by simply turning us over to the sinful things we have chosen—as in the case of Israel choosing to trust in their “speedy horses” (vs 16) instead of trusting in God. And I believe that, sometimes, He also wounds us Himself. If we are taking a path that will ultimately lead us away from Him, He makes it very hard for us to continue on that path, in order to give us time to change our minds and turn around.
God is not angry.
Isaiah 27
The title of today’s blog post seemed like a no-brainer. After all, how many Bible passages are (1) spoken directly by God, and (2) spoken so clearly? “On that day sing about a desirable vineyard: I, Yahweh, watch over it; I water it regularly. I guard it night and day so that no one disturbs it. I am not angry, but if it produces thorns and briers for Me, I will fight against it, trample it, and burn it to the ground. Or let it take hold of My strength; let it make peace with Me—make peace with Me.” (vs 2-5)
God is worthy of praise.
Isaiah 12
The first verse of this chapter can take on different meanings, depending on which translation you read. I like this one: “At that time you will say, ‘I thank you, Lord! You were angry with me, but you stopped being angry and gave me comfort.’” (CEV) Many versions render the verse this way; the others add a word that isn’t in the original: though. In those translations, the worshiper says, God, I will praise you, because even though you were angry with me, you aren’t angry anymore.
God dissolves pride.
Isaiah 10
Just in case you didn’t pay special attention to the first part of this chapter, let’s review it right off the bat: “‘Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath! I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets. But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations.’ When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, ‘I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. For he says: “By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings.”‘” (vs 5-7, 12-13)
God is no softie.
Proverbs 15
When our first daughter was about seven months old, we hit our first parenting “challenge” — sleep training. The difficult part of that came when Caroline just didn’t want to go down for her nap or when she became so tired that she would have trouble falling asleep. So, in order to help her learn to go to sleep on her own at that age, we decided to adopt the “Ferber method” of sleep training, which includes allowing your child to cry for very short intervals of time and not picking them up, but reassuring them that they are okay and safe.
God spanks.
Psalm 99
Shortly before giving birth to our first daughter, I watched an episode of the Supernanny television show, where the family being chronicled included a dad who “spanked” his children. I put that word in scare quotes because his “spanking” really amounted to nothing more than hitting the kids when he was angry or frustrated. Sometimes the blows would fall on their bottoms; other times, he hit their arms, legs, or back.
God doesn't care about His reputation.
God is so misunderstood.
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:
God disciplines early and often.
Psalm 50
I love the different perspective you start to have on God once you have kids. All of a sudden, you see things in the Bible from an angle you never noticed before. For instance, the end of this psalm: “Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you.” (vs 22) Do you know what I heard when I read those words?
If you don’t obey me, I’m going to spank you.
God's ways are loving—all of them.
Psalm 25
I have a lot of different friends who hold a lot of different views about God. I’m grateful for this; it means that I have the opportunity to hear different perspectives on spirituality and regularly have my own preconceived notions challenged and questioned. But I have recently noticed a trend of thought in some of these friends (and in some Christian circles) that concerns me: The idea that the Old Testament has a skewed view of God.
God is a siren.
Psalm 7
In this chapter of Psalms, God sounds a warning through David: Beware of sin. It always backfires and injures the one who engages in it. Here’s how David put it: “An evil person is like a woman about to give birth to a hateful, deceitful, and rebellious child. Such people dig a deep hole, then fall in it themselves. The trouble they cause comes back on them, and their heads are crushed by their own evil deeds.” (vs 14-16)
God doesn't punish sinners.
Job 11
I have a feeling that the title for this blog will pique the curiosity of more than a few. There may be some who are inclined to "tune out" right from the get-go, but... please don’t! If you disagree with what I have to say about this chapter of Job, I want to hear from you! Please leave a comment, and let’s have a discussion about this important topic.
God's protection isn't universal.
Ezra 9
In this chapter of Ezra, we encounter an idea that weaves its way throughout the Old Testament: "Blessings" for those who obey the Lord, and "punishment" for those who do not. In this case, Ezra is lamenting the discovery of further disobedience by the exiles. "I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today." (vs 6-7)
God humbles us.
2 Chronicles 33
It’s kind of hard to believe that—after seeing such a wonderful example of a king in his father, Hezekiah—Manasseh could be so wicked. He virtually reversed every good thing his father had done during his reign. However, maybe that’s what happens when a twelve-year-old becomes a king! Can you imagine putting a teenager in charge of a country? Mercy!
God is truly just.
2 Chronicles 19
I was recently having a conversation with friends about justice. Particularly about our "justice" system and whether it correlates to God’s definition of justice. I don’t believe so, and I’ll tell you why. In this world, we are typically limited to a style of "justice" that is more retributive than anything else. For instance, if one person murders another, the only option available to us is to inflict some sort of punishment on the perpetrator for their wrongdoing—whether that be prison time or even sentencing them to death.