Time with Abba, Singing Praising 親親爸父，唱詩歌頌 : OT DAY 144 - Is God A Frightening God or A Loving God? (請按此處收聼廣東話 )

Thursday, January 29, 2015

OT DAY 144 - Is God A Frightening God or A Loving God? (請按此處收聼廣東話 )

Let us praise the Lord:

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Psalm 63:1

Today's Reading: Exodus 19:9-25

** If you would like to learn a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please read my “Count Down 5” from my Devotion on Fire blog:

http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html

To use this simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link:

.Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf

Please click this link to read Exodus 19:9-25

Chinese(CUV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=出埃及記 19&version=CUV
English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus 19&version=ESV

Bible Study

There seems a big change concerning with the attitude of God. Before today's passage, God is so protecting, caring, loving and so close in relationship with the Israelites. Then, it seems that God's attitude suddenly change to a kind of frightening and remote God. Why?

Let's take a look at what Professor John Goldingay says (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goldingay) :

As well as putting a relational and moral challenge before the people, God's appearance at Sinai puts before them a spiritual and emotional one (though that is a relational one, too). For some Christians, God is a rather frightening person, and they are more comfortable with Jesus; the description of God in the latter part of Exodus 19 confirms their worst fears. For others, God is a loving Father, and they are put off by the description here. Exodus offers both sorts of Christian something to learn.
One way to come at it is to start from the New Testament, from where Hebrews 12 takes up the Sinai story. It notes how terrifying was God's appearance at Sinai, and it draws a contrast with the position of Christians…
The contrast it notes is that the Israelites were merely listening to God on earth. "How much less will we escape, if we turn away from the one who warns us from heaven?" Hebrews 12:25 asks. If we turn away, God's speaking to us will also be terrifying. The Sinai audiovisual phenomena and the warnings God gives Moses are designed to get Israel to take God's God-ness really seriously, but they and we need not be afraid of God, because they and we have already seen how much God cares for them and us. So (says Hebrews 12:28-29, like Exodus 19), "Let's worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, because our God is a consuming fire."

John Goldingay. Exodus & Leviticus for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, p.77-78.

So, do you know why God suddenly turns into a frightening God?

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to Felix Mendelssohn's On Wings of Song played by one of the greatest violinist Isaac Stern: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Yj3RSxZmBQ

Spiritual Journal

The title I heard from Jesus today is: Is God a frightening God or a loving God?

What I receive from Jesus today is a very tricky question. No one wants to have that kind of frightening feeling towards God. The problem is that no matter nowadays or in Moses time, people have no fear of God. Let me ask you one question: Is God a powerful and mighty God, a consuming fire?
If we know that He is a powerful and mighty God, more powerful and mighty to any king on earth or in the history of mankind, why we don't fear Him?
If we know that He is a consuming fire, anytime He wants to pour out His fire to destroy a city, that city will be destroyed right away just like Sodom and Gomorrah, why we don't fear Him? Why?
If you have the chance to meet with a president, a king, a queen, a prime minster, would you have a kind of fear when you meet that powerful person? Why you do not fear God?
The only answer is that we have not yet experienced how powerful and mighty God really is. And, that fearful feeling we need to have is to lead us willingly to be more holy.
So, whenever you can fear God more, the more holy you may become and the more closer you can be with God.
God is a frightening God and also a loving God!

Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us to fear you more so that we can be more holy, love you and be closer to you more. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Please click this link to the app. Andy Ng wrote. You really need to use that if you have an Android cel. Andy said he is going to do the App. for iPhone later:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ideal.rec.app

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