I need to first take care of a little housekeeping business.....
A. I'm slightly disappointed that none of you boys mentioned the new layout
B. I want to invite the new readers as well as the ones who have been following us for a while to put your two cents in. We welcome your comments. I would especially like it if there were other skeptics out there.....People not 100% sure either way.
Let us begin.....
As I sat on my couch this morning, finishing up my reading I said out loud, much to the disdain of TuTu, my cat "COME ON, MAN!"
I don't know who I side with on this though. First, I find it odd that God is taking advice from Moses. Isn't he all- knowing? All-powerful? Why is Moses having to tell him to breathe deeply and count to ten, so to speak? I found that whole conversation unsettling. If He is so out of control with is wrath, what does that mean?
But I totally get why He's mad. I get it. Sorta. That's always been my problem with taking a really strong stand on any issue, I can ALWAYS see both sides.
I feel the Israelites. If they want to go back to Egypt and be slaves...whatever. I'm kinda with them. Why would I want to live in this "wilderness" (which btw gives the impression that its a really cool place like the Appalachians or something), fight giants and constantly fear that if I say or feel, or think the wrong thing that I'm going to be swallowed by the Earth. Man, THAT is pressure. I would have surly gone with the first batch.
But then I can absolutely see God and Moses point too. WHAT else do these people want Him to do to prove that he is in control?! Really? Seriously? IF I had not gone with the first group into Sheol, then I hope I would have been wise enough to just shut up and go with the flow. He has literally SPOKEN TO THEM. I'm not sure I buy this amount of ignorance.
I just can't wait till all of this is over, its a bit too Jerry Springer BC. All this back and forth, Moses and Aaron always falling on their faces, people dropping like flies, all the arguing, "Well, He told ME this!....Well, I heard Aaron say he was "all that", ooops there goes Moses again trying to calm the Lord down..."
I left today's reading feeling very frustrated. (and to top it all off, I saw tell of a "female" goat...not even called a she-goat! and oh how I dearly love the term she-goat, why did that also get taken from me....why?) FRUSTRATED
4 comments:
That's a good point...Moses talking to God and putting in his two cents. Just because God is omnipotent, etc. doesn't mean He doesn't want our input. He wants a relationship with us. A relationship with real communication where we talk to Him and He talks to us.
God is a god of reward AND just punishment. In one of the notes it addresses this... how God wants to reward us and do good to and for us, but is a God of righteousness and so cannot allow iniquity to go unpunished. Moses is simply a man of unbelievable character and faith. He truly loves his fellow Israelites. He is always willing to sacrifice himself for them. Is God's wrath really that out of control? I mean, if you were God, wouldn't you have thrown up your hands at these people, already? I would. I don't think I have enough mercy or forgiveness to continue dealing with them. The fact that He hasn't destroyed all of them shows how merciful and forgiving He really is.
Btw, I did notice the new format, and like it....very rustic.
Today's reading..Num. 18-22
I've got a little housekeeping as well. For those of you reading along, we are reading the Amplified version of the Bible, which, out of all of the ones I've read, I absolutely love the best thus far.
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!
Tomorrow's reading...Num 23-27
While I don't disagree with the construct that God is in a relationship with Moses, in this case specifically, and mankind in general. (While I pretend God is real mind you....)
I do disagree with how Jamie tends to paint this relationship. If you read a bit about what kind of relationships there are...
Affection
Attachment
Courtship
Empathy
Friendship
Human bonding
Interpersonal attraction
Intimate relationship
Love
Abusive
The only one that I can 100% map this relationship to, is the last one. Abusive.
Here are some charactaristics of an abusive relationship, as defined by the American Journal of Psychological Sciences and Study:
Physical harm of any kind
Attempts to control aspects of an individual's life (e.g., how one dresses, who one's friends are, what one says, what they eat, etc.)
Humiliation
Coercing and/or threats of physical harm to an individual or those close to him/her.
Demands to know where an individual is at all times
Growing up witnessing an abusive relationship, and/or was abused as a child or to a child.
An individual "rages" when they are hurt, shamed, or are in jeopardy of losing control in the relationship.
Manipulation ie. abuser is poised to hurt victim using knowledge of person's fears or loves and taking advantage of that with threats.
That's basically God's relationship with Man, as defined by the Bible.
Baby he only hurts you because he loves you. You make him hurt hit you. He just wants to love you, don't you see???????
yes, "Groman" if that is your real name, that's the way I keep seeing it. I'm trying to stay positive and look for the love, but I just keep falling back into "what IS Moses getting out of it"?
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