Who is God? God of the Dumb Things We Do

We do dumb things, don't we? I mean, let's be honest. Sometimes we just do dumb, dumb things. An elderly friend of my sister told her a story once. His name was Bob and he said that all his life long he always did dumb things—things he didn't think through. He would just jump in without a thought to what the consequences would be.

Bob had traveled quite a bit.  On one of his journeys he came across a rather large monkey in a cage at the home of one of his friends. He was intrigued by this, so he drew closer to the monkey and was just fascinated to see a monkey up so close. Then for some strange reason—unbeknownst to Bob or anyone else—Bob stuck his hand through the bars and inside the cage, wanting to touch the creature. Within seconds Bob knew he had done something really dumb. That big old ape took a hold of Bob's arm. This wasn't any kind of light touch or hold. This was a firm, strong, frightening grip on Bob's arm. And that monkey would not let go.

Bob knew that he was stuck and had no way of knowing how to get out of this pickle. He began to pull back but the monkey would not let go. The longer the monkey held on the more frightened Bob became. He got so desperate that he put his foot up against the cage and try to pry his arm out through sheer force. It was only the will of the monkey that gave Bob his resolution. After what seemed an eternity in sheer panic the monkey simply let go.

We all do dumb things. And we do dumb things for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we do dumb stuff that has the funniest consequences—once they are over. And sometimes we do really dumb stuff that takes years or maybe a lifetime to recover from. Sometimes that dumb stuff is just plain sinful. But we did it anyway.

Abram and Sarai did some pretty dumb stuff.   Do you want to see some of the dumb stuff they did? Look with me at Genesis 12. If we remember from our last Scripture we discovered the incredible lop-sided love and covenant promise God made to Abram. That promise included land that would belong to him, a family and generations that would prosper despite great trouble and hardship, and eventually they would grow so big that they would be numbered like the stars in the sky. On top of that Abram and his family/nation would the conduit through which the whole world could be blessed. These are pretty amazing promises!

In order for Abram and Sarai to receive the blessings of this covenant promise they had to take a trip.  They ended up in what we know today as Israel. But things didn't go so well there.  A famine happened in the land. Everyone was hungry, the crops had all died out, the animals were all perishing. There was only one alternative. They had to move to a place that could sustain them. So they went to Egypt.  And on their way to Egypt they did a dumb thing.

Read Genesis 12:10-20

To be completely truthful, Abram did not really tell Sarai to lie. She was his half sister (See Genesis 20:12). In those days, marrying your half sister was not considered wrong because "it was a way of insuring that female children from second marriages were cared for by a household.”[1]  But, what is a lie? '"A lie is an attempt to deceive," according to one definition, and by that standard Abram was lying when he claimed Sarai was his sister. Abram wanted to save his neck.

At first glance this seems really selfish. And admittedly it is. But, remember Abram had a promise from God to have many descendents with this woman. So, he really needed to protect her by lying, right? What a dumb thing!

Didn't Abraham know that when God promises something he will see that it gets done?! In our ignorance and frustration, we do dumb things, because we really don't know God's character. But rest assured, God's will is to make sure that we know who he is and that he can be trusted with the promises he makes. Just so that Abram and Sarai got the message (she didn't resist too much, did she?) God let the door of consequences open and great trouble ensued.

Read Genesis 12:17-19

We don't know if Pharaoh knew the God of Abram or not, but we do know he had a healthy respect for the will and the power of gods. When no logical reason was found for the disease running rampant through his home, he went to the most recent addition to his community. Upon the discovery of the truth he was appalled, as he should have been.

Sometimes we don't see the consequences of the really dumb, sinful things we do, and then sometimes we do—and it is just frightening. The ripples seem to go for miles after we've thrown that stone in the lake.   I can only imagine the fear that then ran through Abraham's veins. "Oh man, that was a dumb thing to do!”  But that wasn't the last time Abram and Sarai did something dumb. They were humans just like you and me.

Read Genesis 16:1-16

One of the dumbest things we can do is to be impatient. Don't you agree? How many times have we gotten into trouble because we just couldn't wait long enough? How many people have people been hurt and their lives overshadowed by our mistakes and selfishness?  Didn't Sarai and Abram know by then that when God promises something he would see that it gets done?! In our impatience and need to be gratified, we do really dumb, sinful things. We determine to make things happen because we really don't comprehend God's character or his will. But rest assured God's will is to make certain that we know who he is and that he can be trusted with the promises He makes.

Do you think that after those two big snafus that Abram and Sarai wouldn't do dumb things anymore? Well, we could only hope. Our next Scripture is twelve long years since God first made his covenant with Abram.  In the between these times God confirmed his promise to this couple again and changed their names to Abraham (“father of many”) and Sarah (“princess”).  (See Genesis 17)

Read Genesis 18:1-15.

The dumb things we do! By the time the three visitors sat down for a meal it was clear to Abraham that they were very special visitors. Who else would assure Abraham that inside of year the promised child would be sitting on his knee?

But there was Sarah, listening in on the conversation. Sometimes the dumb things we do are not so obvious to others. We scoff, or give way to depression or just simply laugh in mockery to ourselves. "As if..." we might say. What was Sarah thinking?! Twelve years she had waited. She was old. She knew she couldn't have children. It just seemed ridiculous.

One of the dumbest things we do is to hold unbelief in our hearts. Don't you agree? How many times have we gotten into trouble because we just didn't believe? How many people around us have encouraged us and we just would not accept the hope or the possibility? And how many times have we seen promises beautifully fulfilled, prayers answered, relief has come, help has arrived?!  Unbelief can block the reality of answered prayers.

Didn't Sarah know by then that her husband's faith was legitimate and deep? Didn't she know that when God promises something he will see that it gets done? In our inward despair and hopelessness, or in our cynicism and skepticism, we do dumb things. We decide to let go of God’s promise because we really don't comprehend God's character.  But rest assured God's will is to make sure that we know who he is and that he can be trusted with the promises he makes.

After all the times that Abraham and Sarah lied, laughed, and did not believe you would imagine that God might walk away. But we are trying to learn about God's here, aren't we? What is God's response to those who lie, lack faith and laugh?

Read Genesis 21:1-7. 21 

It is God's will that we stay truthful enough and open enough that we cling to that tiny bit of faith we have.  God longs for us to see that he wants good and right and pure and lovely things for us, even if in the past we have lied, lacked faith and laughed at him.  God loves us enough to see us through every really dumb and sinful thing we've ever done, just so that we can enjoy the fulfillment of his promises. As long as we keep following him, looking to him and renewing our belief in him, we can know the God of the dumb things we do. 

Perhaps there is something that you have lied about.  Maybe there is something God has said that you have not believed or something that you have laughed at.  Or maybe there is something that needs to be surrendered to the God who loves us enough to send his only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for all the really dumb sinful things we have done.  Perhaps we need to repent and rise again with Jesus Christ, the God whose character of compassion, love and patience overrides all the dumb things we do.

Copyright M.R. Hyde 2012

March 31, 2015

The remainder of this series in Hebrews can be found in book form at most e-book retailers and www.Smashwords.com. Paperbacks available at www.Lulu.com. 

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[1] The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, Walton, Matthew and Chavalas, 2000, p. 52

Who is God? Creator of Free Will

How did we get into such a pickle? Whose fault is this anyway?  Two questions, and many more like these, lead us to wonder at the state of the world.  If God is such a good Creator, why in the world are we in such a mess?  Free will—plain and simple. 

His will, which is absolutely free, was employed to create us in his image.  His will, which is always good, demonstrated goodness through the creation of the natural world in all of its intricacies and wonder.  His will, which is always perfect, set humanity up for success.  If human will is a tiny, tiny reflection of God’s will it must be somewhat powerful.  Many around us will tell us that our will-power is easily overcome.  But if we buy into that we buy into the same argument that was posed to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

For some reason, God created humanity with a free will.  Adam and Eve could freely choose to follow God’s plan and purpose outlined in Genesis 1 and 2.  It is here that we read that God purposed humanity to rule over the animals (1:26), to be fruitful, to fill the earth and subdue it (1:28), to care for the garden (2:15) and for man and woman to be suitable helpers for each other (2:20b-24).  There is also an implied freedom throughout the creation story.  This is the freedom of the human will to interact with, love and obey God.  After all the goodness that God created Adam and Eve could have settled in for ages of pleasant and purposeful living with God.  And yet . . .

Read Genesis 3:1-6

In this passage we see the reason we are in such a pickle.  And we also see whose fault it is that we are in such a mess.  When we stop and think about God giving us free will it really is astonishing.  He created a creature that had the capacity to choose to love him and be in a living, loving relationship with him, and who could tragically turn against him.

One of the things that we as Christians believe about God is that he is all-knowing (omniscient).  Psalm 139 speaks of God knowing us even before we were in our mother’s womb and seeing us when we sleep and when we are awake. So when God created us he knew that we could fall, and more tragically that we would fall away from him. And yet that did not keep him from breathing his breath into us (2:7) making us living creatures.  While parts of God’s creation are all the good and wonderful animals of the earth, none of them has his breath breathed into them.  None of them will turn against our Creator.  This is what separates us from the animal kingdom.  We have a spiritual dimension that they do not have.  We are made in God’s image—full of choice and will.

Apparently the angels also have free will.  Satan, who in this passage is represented by a serpent or is a representative of Satan, uses his will against his Creator.  He perverts and twists, questions and leads to doubt, tricks and trips those who are human.  Frankly, it is difficult to trace the origins of angels and demons in Scripture and such verses are few and far between. But that they do exist is replete throughout Scripture.  The preeminent passage about the how evil fell to earth is the one Jesus spoke in Luke 10:18 which describes that he saw Satan fall from heaven. These are certainly weighty theological particulars, for which more in depth study may be called.  However, one simply needs to think back on their life and look at the world order to recognize the presence of evil.  The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:10-18 that we are to employ all the weapons of righteousness to stand against the devil and his schemes.  Oh, that Adam and Eve had had these words to read! But they did not need them. They had the will that God provided for them—a will that is powerful and effective when brought in full submission to the love of God.

Out of all the trees that were available to Adam and Eve, there was only one they were not to touch—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Why did God put that tree there?  Why could he have not left that one out of the garden? Why wouldn’t he?!  God is intent upon our free will being exercised toward him—to worship him.  His is the good Creator and he is worthy of our worship and worthy of our relationship.  If we choose him freely, is that not the greater love?

Adam and Eve were innocent—dead center of the bull’s eye for God’s enemy.  The enemy’s arguments are meant to twist and fold God’s actions and purposes for humanity.  He came to Eve casually.  A tiny, potent conversation, a few well-placed questions and Eve’s head spun.  There had never been any one to question the Creator up to that point.  Then as subtle as a shallow breeze on a hot summer’s day, the Creator was questioned.  The relationship, founded on love and purpose, was subject to doubt.  The serpent really did very little.  The fresh and open mind of God’s creatures, the ones with his breath in them, permitted the doubts to shift their focus from the thousands of fruit trees they could have to the one they could not. That shift in focus proved to be deadly in the most devastating and soulful sense.  The will was tormented at not being a god.  The will was spurred on to question why they should have to follow the command of the Creator.  This is perplexing.  This is mind-boggling.  This is unnerving because just prior to the Fall of humankind their wills had been one with God’s.  They were trustful, obedient, delighted with God and his presence.  In that tiny moment, as Adam and Eve held the fruit in their hands and its smell wafted toward them, the physical desires for goodness became the avenue of the spiritual desires for autonomy from the Creator.  And the results were devastating.

Read Genesis 3:7-13

Matthew Henry poignantly describes the terrible devastation brought on by the misuse of the God-given will.  This is “[t]he falsehood of the tempter, and the frauds and fallacies of his temptations. He promised them they should be safe, but now they cannot so much as think themselves so; he said they should not die, and yet now they are forced to fly for their lives; he promised them they should be advanced, but they see themselves abased – never did they seem so little as now; he promised them they should be knowing, but they see themselves at a loss, and know not so much as where to hide themselves; he promised them they should be as gods, great, and bold, and daring, but they are as criminals discovered, trembling, pale, and anxious to escape: they would not be subjects, and so they are prisoners.”[1]  Oh, the tragedy of the misused human will—the will so freely given!  All the shame and torment we experience comes from our abject separation from God. 

But this is not the end of the matter.  God’s will is so far above ours!  He is not like us—praise his Name forever!  When they ran away, he walked toward them. And then he called for them and entered into dialog with them by asking the question—“Where are you?”   The Stone Edition of the Tanach notates this brilliantly.  “The question was meant to initiate a dialogue so Adam would not be too terrified to repent [or:  reply].”[2] Even though God knows that we have sinned, even though he knows that we will sin, he employs his will to draw our will back to him.  His question of where they were in the Garden was not for his sake, it was for theirs.

But the matter was not finished.  The human will, now corrupted, was bent and broken.  Pointing fingers and shifting blame have been the modus operandi ever since. We got ourselves into this pickle.  It is our fault.  As strong as Satan is, he is not as strong as the God-given will breathed into us.  Oh, that we knew the power of God’s will within us!  Then when the forbidden fruit is offered, we could simply say, “No, thank you.  I have plenty of what I need in the rest of God.”

Who is God?  Thankfully, he is the Creator of Free Will—a will so free that we do not have to be subject to doubt or sin. 

Amen

Copyright M.R. Hyde 2012  

     

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[1] Unabridged Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, OSNOVA® · Bible resources for Kindle and Nook, 2011.

[2] The Stone Edition of the Tanach, Rabbi Nosson Scherman, Editor, et al., Mesorah Publications, 1996, p. 6.