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Point of Reference
by Fred Price
Seeking virtue by rejecting all passion isn’t exclusive to Mr. Spock of Star Trek fame. It’s actually based on the Stoic ideal of Greek philosophy where god was the “prime mover” who none-the-less maintained his status as unmoved and unmovable. He was believed to be pure thought, devoid of all feeling and therefore “logical.” The idea that emotions are irrational and unnatural were thus imposed on God by Greco-Roman philosophers who saw weakness in passionate displays of anger, sorrow and even joy; influencing Western theology for thousands of years.
But what if we looked at Israel’s God – and by extension – his Son, from a Middle Eastern perspective; which embraces emotional reality? For instance, the portrayal of sin in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son found in Luke 15 focuses on broken relationships, particularly between a father and his son.. This same type of analogy being found elsewhere in scripture; the prophet Hosea often characterizing the nation of Israel as an adulterous wife, interweaving the image of a son who rejects the embrace of a doting father as well. (Hosea 11:1-4)
Jeremiah did likewise, using the image of unfaithful children and an errant woman to describe Israel’s relationship to her God, who was then depicted as grief-stricken by his children’s betrayal; mourning the lost intimacy he desires with his people. (Jeremiah 3:19.20) As such, we might expect him to be angry and lash out in frustration; punishing his children for their betrayal. And he did indeed discipline them, but it was the discipline of Hebrews 12, “…God disciplin(ing) us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.” And while, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.” Its underlying purpose is to, “…produce a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:5-11
The point being, God has and will punish sin when and wherever it is practiced, sometimes harshly. For instance, at the Fall of Man, (Genesis 3:1-19); through the Flood, (Genesis 6:1-8);because of Moses’ disobedience, (Numbers 20:1-12); and Israel’s sin (Hosea 9); as well as Judah’s rebellion. (Jeremiah 17:1-6) But in the end, God’s compassion consistently mitigated his desire for justice. “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?...My heart is changed within me, all my compassion aroused,.” Hosea 11:8; his love winning out over a logical desire to punish. “Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though often I speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,…” Jeremiah 31:20 Taken a step further, Romans says God demonstrated a love so great that, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:5
The ultimate purpose of discipline is for repentance to take place, which allows for redemption. Jeremiah recording God’s promise and expectation, “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me,…” Jeremiah 15:19 Peter echoing that theme when he urged his Pentecost audience to, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,…” Acts 3:19 Jesus instructing the disciples some time before, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes seven times back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” Luke 17:3,4 (Elsewhere advising if he continually fails to see his error, disassociate yourself from him – in the hope he will be grieved enough to finally realize his sin and repent. Matthew 18:15-17 & 1 Corinthians 5:4,5) As with the sorrowful father of the prodigal son, who anxiously anticipated his boy’s return, so Hosea, Jeremiah and others depict God.
Lois Tverberg writes, “Rather than God being distant and unfeeling, a more biblical understanding is that God’s anger at sin exists in tension with his overwhelming love. The same passionate concern for humanity that causes God’s anger is also the source of his tenacious, everlasting love that bursts out in joy when his children finally come home.”1 Scripture, especially the Prophets, graphically depict God’s anguish when abandoned by “wife” or “child”, his anger taking form in punishment and/or discipline. (The difference being one can be more vindictive than remedial, punishment a more raw response to disobedience; discipline intended to persuade, train and correct – sometimes through corporal punishment – altering behavior by changing the mind. See Jeremiah 31:1,2) Yet scripture just as often depicts God’s restraint in the face of obstinate sin, testifying to his loving-kindness and mercy just as graphically. However, his long-suffering mercy must not be misconstrued as indifference. The Stoic’s rejection of emotion actually rooted in intellectual pride that sacrifices humanity in an attempt at total control. God described repeatedly in passionate terms, including jealousy; which we today profess to find most unsettling. (See Exodus 20:5 & 34:14; Deuteronomy 4:24 – Paul using the same terminology to characterize his feelings for those he anticipated presenting to Christ at His second coming. 2 Corinthians 11:1-3) A more correct sense of the word for jealous here conveying a fierce protectiveness and absolute commitment that has the right to expect complete loyalty in return. All of which demonstrates the unique connectedness of scripture that teaches the necessity of both aspects of God – his desire to be merciful and his demand for justice.
From the very beginning, scripture reveals God’s disappointment in the rebellious acts of men; “grieved” (NASB) or being “deeply troubled” (NIV) by their failure to obey. (Genesis 3:1-24 & 6:5) Not only revealing God’s “emotional “ side but answering, at least in part, the age-old question as to why an all-powerful good God allows evil to exist in the world. Again, Lois Tverberg asserting, “God bears with corrupt humanity because the alternative is the death of every sinner on earth. The fact that a good God does not destroy evil is not because he is impotent; it’s because he is merciful.”2 (See 2 Peter 3:8,9) Although there was, and is, a limit to his forbearance. (Genesis 6-8 & 2 Peter 3:7 & 10)
In covenanting with mankind to find an answer to sin short of universal destruction, he committed himself to paying a price from the very beginning. Walter Brueggemann explaining, “God resolves that he will stay with, endure, and sustain his world, notwithstanding the sorry state of humankind… It is now clear that such a commitment on God’s part is costly. The God-world relationship is not simply that of a stoney God and needy world. Now it is a tortured relation between a grieved God and a resistant world... This is a key insight of the gospel against every notion that God stands outside the hurt as a judge.”3 Terrance Fretheim concurs, “Given God’s decision to bear with creation in all of its wickedness, means for God (a) continuing grieving of the heart. Thus the promise to Noah and all flesh in Genesis 9:8-17 necessitates divine suffering. By deciding to endure a wicked world, while continuing to open up his heart to that world, means that God has decided to take personal suffering upon (Himself).”4 Jurgen Mottmann asserting in The Crucified Christ that, “A God who cannot suffer is poorer than any human. For a God who is incapable of suffering is a being who cannot be involved. Suffering and injustice do not affect him. And because he is so completely insensitive, he cannot be affected or shaken by anything. He cannot cry, for he has no tears. But the one who cannot suffer cannot love either. So he is a loveless being.”5
The actions of God however – through his Son – epitomize the degree to which God was willing to suffer because of his great love. A God willing to do whatever it takes to bring salvation to everyone who believes and responds appropriately to his offer of salvation and redemption. (John 3:16) Which could only come from a, “God (who) does not judge the deeds of men impassively, in a spirit of cool detachment. His judgment is imbued with a feeling of intimate concern. (Psalm 103:8-13) He is the father of all men, not only a judge; He is a lover engaged to his people, not only a king.”6
1From Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus – How the Jewish Words of Jesus Can Change Your Life. Zondervan Publishing
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3John Knox, ‘Genesis’, Westminster Publishing, – quoted by Lois Tverberg in Walking in the Dust…
4From ‘The Suffering of God’, Philadelphia: Fortress, quoted by Tverberg in Walking in the Dust…
5From ‘The Crucified Christ’, Minneapolis: Fortress quoted by Tverberg in Walking in the Dust…
6 Abraham Heschel, ‘The Prophets,’ quoted by Tverberg in Walking in the Dust…
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Fred Price - married (50 years), father of two grown children, grandfather of six.
Fred retired earlier this year after 42 years as a factory worker. He has always had a heart for young people and the challenges they face today. Over the years Fred has taught Discipleship Groups for High School and college students.
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