LOVING A TERRIBLE GOD
The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a great and terrible God. Deut. 7:21, R.S.V.
Remember when bad meant bad? And gay meant happy? Today, something "bad" is really fantastic, and not many individuals would even admit to being "gay"!
We are amused at our convoluted language. A favorite quote of mine expresses it perfectly: "I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize what you heard is not what I meant!"
How about religion? Does it even happen that God means one thing but we assume that He means another?
Today's text says God is "terrible"! As a descriptive adjective in modern English, the word is synonymous with "awful," "frightening," and even "bad-tasting"! I have heard good, Bible-believing saints giving this word a great deal of "fire and brimstone" kind of reverence when applied to God. You get the message: You'd better watch out--or else!
If this is the meaning of terrible, can you ever love a terrible God? Theological discussions over such words will never fully settle the issues of the heart. So let us return to God's own Word, and let Him clear the air. Since we started in Deuteronomy, we'll pick up the track there:
"For the Lord your God is a God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who is not partial and takes no bribe" (Deut. 10:17, R.S.V.). Here terrible conveys impartiality and honorableness.
"O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments" (Neh. 1:5, R.S.V.).
"They forgot God, their savior, who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red Sea" (Ps. 106:21, 22, R.S.V.). Terrible is used here to describe the actions of the Deliverer.
Now if the word terrible is used to convey impartiality and honorableness, to refer to faithfulness and steadfastness, and to describe the actions of the Deliverer, how can we help loving Him? And our reverence for Him will be born not out of fear but of intelligent and responsive love.
The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a great and terrible God. Deut. 7:21, R.S.V.
Remember when bad meant bad? And gay meant happy? Today, something "bad" is really fantastic, and not many individuals would even admit to being "gay"!
We are amused at our convoluted language. A favorite quote of mine expresses it perfectly: "I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize what you heard is not what I meant!"
How about religion? Does it even happen that God means one thing but we assume that He means another?
Today's text says God is "terrible"! As a descriptive adjective in modern English, the word is synonymous with "awful," "frightening," and even "bad-tasting"! I have heard good, Bible-believing saints giving this word a great deal of "fire and brimstone" kind of reverence when applied to God. You get the message: You'd better watch out--or else!
If this is the meaning of terrible, can you ever love a terrible God? Theological discussions over such words will never fully settle the issues of the heart. So let us return to God's own Word, and let Him clear the air. Since we started in Deuteronomy, we'll pick up the track there:
"For the Lord your God is a God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who is not partial and takes no bribe" (Deut. 10:17, R.S.V.). Here terrible conveys impartiality and honorableness.
"O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments" (Neh. 1:5, R.S.V.).
"They forgot God, their savior, who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red Sea" (Ps. 106:21, 22, R.S.V.). Terrible is used here to describe the actions of the Deliverer.
Now if the word terrible is used to convey impartiality and honorableness, to refer to faithfulness and steadfastness, and to describe the actions of the Deliverer, how can we help loving Him? And our reverence for Him will be born not out of fear but of intelligent and responsive love.
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