Not that I don't deserve it, but I'm glad hasn't killed me when I've screwed up. He'd have every right to. And He's done it before (not to me, of course...I'm still alive). But in the Bible, we read about people like Aarons sons who offered "unauthorized fire" to God - against what He commanded - and so they died (Lev 10:1-2). And in Acts 5, it tells about how a husband and wife sold a piece of property and gave some to the community - but they lied saying they gave everything when really they kept some of the money for themselves. The result? "When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened...At that moment [Sapphira] fell down and [Peter's] feet and died...Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events."Well, yeah, I would think so! I'd be scared too!
Geesh. Doesn't that seem a bit harsh? And by the way, there are more examples of God doing this. Doesn't seem like the gentle, soft, loving God we know about, does it?
So why did God do this kind of thing? When Aaron's sons died, Moses tells him, "This is what the Lord spoke of when he said, 'Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.'" Hmmm. What the heck does that mean?
In both these cases, as in others in the Bible, a new era was being inagurated. The death of Aaron's sons happened during the whole Mt Sinai deal - you know, where Moses got instructions from God (10 commandments and a whole lot more) on how to start this new community. The story of Ananias and Sapphira happened right at the onset of when the church was being established after Jesus has risen back to heaven. So it's not like these were just random events where someone screwed up and God was having an impatient day. There was purpose behind it. It would seem that He was reminding the people of the seriousness of the whole thing...that this new community was NOT about them. That He is real. And that He is to be respected.
Sometimes we think of God as just a warm, fuzzy, cuddly God. And yes, He all-loving and perfect and FULL of grace. He's our father. But there's MORE to Him than that. He's also a warrior. And He's powerful. And He IS to be respected. You can't walk all over Him or expect that you're getting away with things.
And that's the beauty of God. He's not just our dad. He's not just an all-powerful mighty warrior. He's not just a guy who died on a cross for us. He's not just a King. He's not just the Creator of the Universe. He's ALL of those things. He's not unbalanced. He's the Lion AND the Lamb.
So what do you think? Do you agree with God's methods here? Does it bother you that He's that kind of God? Do you think that makes Him not very nice? (It's okay to be honest here...doesn't mean you know more than God, of course, but it's okay to admit that you don't completely understand Him).
And what's the lesson here for us? What difference any of this make?
Talk to me. (click on "comments" and reply to this post!)
Posts
May 5, 2009 at 3:27 PM
How can I read this and not be scared to death of God???
May 5, 2009 at 9:20 PM
Because there's more to God.
I think we should fear God, but there's a difference between fearing Him and being scared to death of Him. Fearing Him takes into account His love. To me, being "scared to death" makes it sound like He just goes around randomly killing people unjustly just to prove a point. He's not like that. He loves us AND He's all-powerful, not just one or the other.
Am I making any sense?
May 5, 2009 at 11:06 PM
I know how many times I mess up every day so it can be scary. Take for example Moses. He obeyed so many times and then he struck the rock instead of speaking to it and he was not allowed to go to the Promise Land. It shows you how serious God takes purposefully sinning. I don't understand why he chooses to do some things that he does but I have to trust that he has a reason. In church we focus on the forgiveness so much that sometimes we forget about the consequences of sin.
May 6, 2009 at 5:11 PM
Wow what a doosy! This may generate some action. Couldnt you just let this one alone?
The gentle, kind, loving God is always there it sometimes has to start with anger. Anger is in the Bible and God is angry sometimes. If you dont understand maybe some examples will help. Anger is part of life. Dont you get angry when you see a married couple fall apart, or when a kid struggles with school, or see people with horrible things inside of them, how about driving on 278. Maybe you could get angry if your kids had sin in them, wouldnt you want to punish them? As a parent I would want to punish them to get them to stop. If they dont stop the sin they would be ruined for all eternity.
Anger is sometimes something that causes us and God to do something to stop someone. This is Love! Some people dont like the idea of a God that stops us from doing something he does not want us to do, to bad. There are several examples of devine drowning in the Bible. Just take a look at the story of Jonah.
May 6, 2009 at 8:56 PM
Woo-hoo! Now we're gettin' somewhere!
This is a tough one because we know that God always forgives if we turn to Him and repent. It's promised all over the Bible. But these guys didn't even have a chance to repent...or did they?
Hmmmm...
Keep writing! I love this! This is what I've been looking for. "As iron sharpens iron."
May 6, 2009 at 9:06 PM
Hello J,
Greetings from Raleigh! I wanted to check out your blog! Fyi my Grandma past away from the cancer Saturday a week ago. We went there every weekend until she died. I am so grateful that I got a chance to care for her and tell her I loved her in her final days.
So, I'm reading David "A MAn of Passion & Destiny by Charles Swindoll. While on the plane to cover a case at Georgetown in DC Monday, I read about God striking down Uzzah for "simply" touching the ark to steady it so it would not fall off the cart being pulled by oxen, as they were going down hill . It's in 2 Samuel 6:6-7 David thought he was doing the right thing by hustling the ark back to Jerusalem. On the surface, it would seem Uzzah did not deserve such a fate...right? But God had a plan for "exactly" how he wanted it done. Abinadab and Ahio got off easy.....they survived!
That is what I am trying to discern in my life, how does God want me to do it. The closer I get to God, the more my failures stand out to me. Faith, I and little man Noah went to a church this past Sunday called The Summit. It really seems to be a church that is dedicated to making a difference by promoting the gospel and saving grace of Jesus. If you get time.....yeah right....maybe you can check out their website. www.summitchurch.cc
Can I tell you how much I miss you guys! May god continue to bless Live Oak and your ministry J.
Love you man! Dale
May 7, 2009 at 10:06 AM
DALE!!! How great to hear from you!!! Glad to hear things are falling together. We sure do miss you! The church looks/sounds great...looks like they've got a great vision for where to go. WE MISS YOU!
Yeah, the story of Uzzah is really hard one to swallow. I mean, the guy was TRYING to do a good thing. But, I mean, God said not to touch it...I guess He had to stick by His own rule, ya know? He had to show He was serious. And it's any of this means Uzzah's sins weren't forgiven - that's all up to God. He's a WHOLE lot bigger than we'll ever fathom (well, maybe we'll start getting the idea when we're in heaven with Him for eternity!).
Post a Comment