Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Anger and Judgement

One of the main things that I struggle with God on is the wrath issue and how, especially in the Hebrew Scriptures, God chooses to deal with sin and rebellion... often from my perspective God seems 'mean'.
I am currently reading Amos... 


Then, last night I went to a meeting with other folks who are working to combat human trafficking, specifically trafficking children for sexThis happens in Raleigh. There were several points in the meeting where I wanted to burst into tears or hit someone. 


The sheer reality of our sin and brokenness is overwhelming.
And we are all a part of it.

I wonder if these reactions in my soul were a tiny glimpse into the heart of God. Sin leads to death... real consequences now... we can see it all around us... God intended a different reality... God wants to make things new...  

I can't even begin to understand the anger and sorrow that our creator must feel. 
Justice needs to happen. 
We need to be a part of that. 

Amos reminded the people of Israel and Judah, "Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living." (5:23-24) 

God was pretty much telling them that if things didn't change
 they were going to be intensely wiped out.

I'm thankful that through Jesus we are forgiven already, but now we are somehow a part of God's plan for reconciliation... and Jesus will come back and judge later...? I still have a lot of questions on how all of this fits together... 

I am content with the mystery. 
For now. 

But, what I do know is that our sin is serious and its important to deal with it
Lets us this Advent Season to reflect and prepare for our Lord and King to come. 

How might we be floods of justice and an endless river or righteous living? 



20 comments:

My Not So Simple, Domestic Life said...

Just passing through. I really enjoyed your post. I appreciate it when people are open and honest about the things they wrestle with spiritually. Jesus is the perfect balance of Grace and Truth. I'm not, and I struggle finding that balance. Thanks for your thoughts about the passages in Amos. Its not a book that I often turn to, but I will tonight.

Pumice said...

I am using the "next blog" button. Your post made me think of Malachi also. At one point God tells them He wishes they would close down the temple rather than continue the empty worship. Obviously the real goal was repentance but it got their attention.

Grace and Peace

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Anonymous said...

Stop beating yourself up about God's wrath. My god does not lash out for anger, justice, or punishment. God does not have the time or inclination to micromanage our lives. Some people do bad things. Some things just happen, like natural disasters. That is all. It is how we react and deal with evil that really matters. God is not mean. He is love.

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Celia said...

I read this last week and thot over and over God warned them and then told them what He would do. He never comes in unannounced with anger. He is never abusive. But He said He would punish because they had sinned and spelled out what they had done. It impacted me that they had "corrupted His holy name" and turned their backs on Him. Sobering to read. He finally gave them a famine of His word. It sent chills thru my spine. I was glad for Jn 1:1 bc I realized that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He sent, not a message but He was the message. Emmanuel has come and never again will this happen. I know you wrote this awhile ago. I hope, as we all continue on the journey, that you are still growing. Only what is good, Celia

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Tim said...

aargh i am using the "next blog" button and i keep ending up with religious freaks!! it's like a little taste of hell, ironically.

i don't understand why none of you realize that God is just a creation of men. The whole story just REEKS of man-madeness. Come on!! god had a son? please.

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Anonymous said...

I often find people are confused about the difference between "anger" and "wrath" as used in the King James Version Bible. Wrath is the violent action that comes out of anger. When a perfect and holy God is confronted by a perversion of his creation, it is justly right that the perversion by destroyed. But because of his mercy and love towards us he brought Jesus to a place of ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. Think about it... his wrath was poured out on Jesus... for your sake! We love him because he first loved us and gave his life for us. Someday his wrath will be poured out upon the world because it will have completely rejected him. My prayer for you readers is that you are saved by his grace through faith in Jesus.

Tim Dorsey said...

i like to let my cats lick the space between my toes . . . is this a sin? i bet you god wouldn't really mind that i enjoy this, even if it's for twisted reasons. haha, the funniest part is that i'm allergic to cats! sometimes i have trouble making coherent thoughts when bob dylan is singing at me through speakers. your insights and ensuing questions are provoking to say the least.

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