God says "let us make man in our image." Man says, "let's make God into our image!" How does he do that? With his “fallen” imagination, he projects his ideas and feelings onto God, in effect, “humanizing” Him. Through Isaiah, God says, “You thought I was just like you.” (50:21)
For example, we think God's anger is like ours. But while ours is a mixture of impatience, retaliation, and self-defense, God’s is righteous: it is anger against sin. God hates sin; hates the pain it causes; hates how it separates us from Him. But He loves mankind (Jn 3:16). For that reason, "God demonstrated His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Ro. 5:8).
The story of the prodigal son illustrates this beautifully. While the son sat in a pig pen of sinful choices, imagining his father's anger, he projected punishment where there was only love and forgiveness. He could not imagine his father was waiting and longing for his return. After times of disobedience, the Jews would distance themselves from God. The prophets tried to tell them God was not mad at them: “God longs to be gracious to you; and He is waiting on high to show you mercy; the Lord of Hosts says, ‘Return to Me; I love you with an everlasting love.’" (Is. 30:18; Zech. 1:3; Jer. 31::3)
The increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters (particularly earthquakes) along with a worldwide recession has really shaken people up. And like scared occupants running out of a shattered building, shaken people are spilling out into the streets. And not only in the U.S. And it didn’t begin with Occupy Wall Street, but earlier this year in Tunisia, followed by Egypt, etc. The economic recession and high unemployment has uncorked the rage of the middle class toward the wealthy: a “people” shake.
A recent poll of 1,000 Americans reveals that 7 out of 10 are very pessimistic about an economic recovery anytime soon. And almost everyone believes another major terrorist strike in the US is inevitable. To the natural eye, everything seems to be turning irretrievably awful. In the words of Elvis, “I’m all shook up,” or, in the somewhat more hallowed words of the Lord: “I will shake the nations” (Haggai 2:7). Earthquakes have turned into nation-shakes.
Haven’t you noticed that even people who don’t believe in God are beginning to wonder if these things mean that we’re nearing the end of the world? Jesus told us these things would increase as time grew short: “When these things begin to happen, stand with confidence! The time when you will be set free is near” (Luke 21:28). So, keep looking up; don’t look down; and don’t be shaken. But like David, say, “I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me” (Psalm 16:8).
Do any of you make New Year’s Resolutions? While I don’t, I do find the beginning of the new year to be a good time for self-examination, for taking inventory of my gains and losses, for making “certain about His calling” (2 Peter 1:10) on my life, and for making corrections. One of the things I will be most painfully aware this year of is my continuing penchant for complaining.
There’s a startling episode in Israel’s journey through the Wilderness where they complained about the “manna” God gave them to eat. They started craving meat (Nu. 11:4). God was angry (Nu. 11:33). And His response to their complaint of a meatless diet may be the source of the unbiblical phrase “Be careful what you ask for.” Sending enough flocks of quail to over-satiate, they must have said ‘I hope I never eat another quail as long as I live.' (More complaining.) The end of this story is not pretty—as “the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people” many were killed by a deadly plague (Nu. 11:33).
It is all too easy for me to excuse my complaining as a natural human tendency. But God hates it. It is worse than a rejection of His provision—it is a flat-out rejection of Him (Nu. 11:20; 14:27). We should pay close attention to Paul’s warning: “All these events happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us, who live at the time when this age is drawing to a close. If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin” (1 Cor. 10:11-12 NLT).
By now everyone has heard of flight attendant Steven Slater’s angry slide down the JetBlue aircraft’s emergency shoot in a rebellious “I’m out of here” spirit. Within minutes, he slid onto the front pages of national news, and became an overnight sensation on Facebook, with over 14,000 sympathizers.
But before you get captivated by this “rebel with a cause” spirit, think about this. This self-determining spirit of rebellion has been around since time began—captivating our first parents, Adam and Eve, and bringing judgment on all those who have rebelled against God.
God hates rebellion, calling it the sin of witchcraft... and idolatry (1 Sam. 15:23). The cause of Lucifer’s fall (Is. 14: 12-14), the spirit of rebellion characterizes all who are called the “sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). But having become “sons of God” (Rom. 9:26) we must avoid the Slater Slide—a slow and gradual decline that will harden out hearts toward God’s authority.
Ask yourself if you need to make some adjustments: “for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience; therefore, do not be partakers with them” (Eph. 5:6-7).
