Holy Cow! –God moments.
I still remember the first time we took Hayden to Chick Fil-A and they had the cow roaming. We had been there on many occasions and the “Chick Fil-A Cow” , hence forth to be remembered simply as “The Cow” roamed then as well, but this time, Hayden was old enough and cognoscente enough that she recognized the cow. She had seen pictures. She had seen the other children and heard other children talk about “The Cow” but now she would get the chance to experience it for herself. Interestingly enough, this “Close Encounter of the Third Kind” with The Cow occurred in Nashville and my sister’s kids were there to share this experience. Hannah is the one that pointed it out to Hayden. Hannah is almost two years ahead of Hayden and so these close encounters were a bit of old news to her. But to be able to share in the first time experience with another child, was to be a new experience for Hannah. So it was with great eagerness that Hannah pointed out The Cow to Hayden. In retrospect I’m not sure from which she derived more joy: showing the cow to Hayden, or watching Hayden get the life scared out of her. Regardless, Hayden’s first “close encounter” with The Cow did not go well. If she had been able to verbalize it she might have said something like “HOLY COW.” The Cow could not come within 25 feet of Hayden without her clutching me in a choke hold lest The Cow “get her.” Regardless of where The Cow was within the restaurant, Hayden always kept a close eye on it. If The Cow looked in the vicinity of Hayden, she made a quick retreat. Despite our reassurances, there was no convincing Hayden that this 6 foot cow was friendly. She knew there was something out of the ordinary about this creature. In her short life she had not been around many normal cows, but something inside her little mind knew that 6 foot cows were not normal. As far as Hayden was concerned, she had seen enough of The Cow to know, that she wanted it to “go away.”
The Israelites at Mt. Sinai had never met God either but when he appeared in a dark cloud in the midst of great thunder and lightning, they also knew something was amiss. They had their own “HOLY COW” moment. This “YHVH” was unlike any other God, and anything they had ever witnessed. Sure when Moses came down glowing there was that Hint that YHVH was a little different. But now they are standing in the presence of Him. The Bible uses fear to describe their reaction. Exodus 20 18When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance. Despite Moses’ assurances that everything was going to be okay, they would not be convinced otherwise. They had been taught not long prior to this what happens to those who cross the boundaries set forth by God.
Exo 19:12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:
Exo 19:13 no hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.
Exo 19:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.
Exo 19:22 And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.
Annie Dillard in “Teaching a Stone to Talk” writes in poetic prose about their reaction. “They heard God’s speech and found it too loud. The wilderness generation was at Sinai; it witnessed there the thick darkness where God was: And all the people saw the thundering and lightning, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. It scared them witless. Then they asked Moses to beg God, Please never speak to us directly again. ‘Let God not speak with us lest we die.’ Moses took the message. And God, pitying their self consciousness, agreed. He agreed not to speak to the people anymore. And He added to Moses, ‘Go say to them, Get into your tents again.’”
The Hebrew word hear means to “shudder with terror.” This was not a mere respect of God, or being awe inspired. They so feared for their lives that asked God, through Moses, to go away.
As long as God was distant, they were comfortable with the Idea of “YHVH.” YHVH was a God who delivers and provides, a God who will be whatever He will be. They liked the idea of a God who did for them, and whom was alive and active within their lives. But now that they were face to face with YHVH they changed their tune. Moses, you talk to YHWH and tell us what YHVH said.
What do we do with a God that causes people to shudder with fear when they meet Him? How can we have intimacy with such a God as that?
And that is where the problem begins with Western Christian thought. We speak of “God” in the past tense. In the Bible “God” brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. In the Bible “God” parted the Red Sea. Israel lays claim to its land today because “God” gave it to them; simultaneously denying that “God” also died for them.
When we in the west speak of “God” we tend to speak of what He did for us in the past. We seldom speak of what He is doing, or even will do. We are quick to pray for what we want Him to do. Western culture seeks settledness. We have sung hymns in the church for decades that speak of “settling the question.” Settled what question? Who God is? Whether we will serve Him? I’m always amazed at how much our music influences our theology instead of our theology influencing our music.
What’s wrong with settledness? Settledness brings stability. It helps us to establish routine within our lives. We know what to expect in our lives. Certainly there is nothing wrong with settledness in certain aspects to our lives. However as we relate to God, the only thing that is settled is that God is YHVH.
God comes to us Christians, and indeed to the world with what are now familiar words to most all Christians: “in the Beginning” ELohim. (A Title in the original O.T. Language of Hebrew for The God.) This begins a story we call Bible. From there the world is created and all livings things within it with the culmination of the creation of Humanity. The Hebrew people knew this God as the God of Abraham and Moses. This was the God who revealed himself to Moses as YHVH. This is the verb to BE. We translate it in English as I AM. But somewhere in translation from Hebrew to English we forgot The God’s name and just began to refer to Him by His occupation:God. In western society we tend to identify ourselves with our occupation. It’s not long after we meet someone that question arises, “So what do you do?” This helps us to categorize people. No wonder we identify YHVH with His occupation.
Our names do not mean a lot to us; at least they are not as important to us as they were in ancient times. The people to whom YHVH was revealed attached meaning to names. Your name was your identity. Remember Jabez? His name meant born in great pain, and as a result he cried out to the LORD. He wanted to be more than his name sake.
When we read this story we call Bible in this context we begin to see that in many ways we have misunderstood God. We speak of God by His occupation as opposed to who He is. God said “Let Us make man in our image,” but by seeking to settle YHVH we have essentially made God into our image. I Am is far more than I exist. When Moses told the captive Hebrew People YHVH sent Him to set them free, it communicated to them that the same God that had covenanted with Abraham was now covenanting with them that He would be with them. That is He would be in their presence.
While we may not realize it the problem with rushing to define YHVH is that it becomes idolatry. It places God neatly in a box that can be easily walled off from the portions of our lives that we feel we can better manage ourselves. By its very nature this God cannot be YHVH because it is not with us.
This is part of the reason the Children of Israel “shuddered with fear.” We have to remember that they had been in captivity in Egypt for over a hundred years. They had grown up in a culture of idolatry and the worship of the fertility gods: Baal and his female counterpart, Asherah. This was a religion that taught if you act a certain way in the temple, do things just right then the Gods Baal and Asherah will act in the Heavens and the result would be your crops would grow. This was not a personal god. This was not a god that permeated every part of their lives. This was a god that had one function in their lives-fertility. To them fertility equaled blessing. There was no presence in any other part of their lives. So at this encounter here at Sinai YHVH let them know He was NOT a God that could be boxed or contained. He would was not there to only give them what they wanted. He demanded fidelity, and He would return that. YHVH was not to be trifled with. YHVH appeared in lighting, thunder, and wind. YHVH was far more than they could imagine and upon witnessing this display of His power they preferred to take the cues from Adam and hide, as opposed to Abraham and walk with the LORD.
I have friends that I have been working with for years to try and get into church. All of them are at various points in their relationship with the LORD. I think all of them believe in God. In fact if I were to question their Christianity they would probably be offended. But they have God in a box. They, like the Children of Israel, are perfectly comfortable with God as long as they can tuck him neatly under the bed out of sight until they need Him. Then at the first sign of trouble: a relative gets sick, a job is lost, or some other crisis appears they quickly yank Him out from under the bed, dust Him off, and demand He perform on command.
It is so easy for me to sit back in judgment of them, but those of us in ministry have often been guilty of the same thing. But our use for God is different. Our demands are different. Ask us and we have way too much schooling to put God in a box. God brings the increase. But if we use this system then we can get God to bless our church. If we pray a particular way God will answer our prayers. About ten years ago someone discovered Jabez and made a book out of it. It is definitely a story that is inspiring and has some good lessons for us: bless me indeed; enlarge my territory. God answered his prayer. It wasn’t long before Lifeway had their marketing machine cranked up. There were video series on Jabez, Jabez Prayer calendars, Jabez Prayer Rugs, Jabez greeting cards, Jabez Bibles; all with the same message- Pray the same prayer as Jabez and God will enlarge your territory. He will bless you indeed. There were even Prayer of Jabez Simulcasts.
We in the west are so Biblically illiterate and self centered that we have used everything from music, to scripture, to Characters like Jabez from the Bible to the Lord’s Prayer itself as a means of manipulating God and called it worship of YHVH! In the Church of the Nazarene at times we have even bordered on using Entire Sanctification as a means of manipulating YHVH. If I’m entirely Sanctified God will bless me more is the incorrect insinuation at times. Sanctification has very little to do with how good we are and everything to do with How Holy He is.
My friends, when we take the time to read our Bibles in a way other than from our own perspective, and read it in a way that allows its words to form us. We realize that YHVH refused to be placed in a corner then, and refuses to be cornered today. The New Testament is about YVWH even refusing to be boxed in to the point that he refused to even be God only to ISRAEL. He insisted on being YHVH to the World; in fact to all of Creation. God will not be manipulated or exploited. He chose them and through them would reveal His Holiness to the nations. YHVH is not to be trifled with! That is the message communicated this day to the Children of Israel. YHVH demands Holiness from His people because HE is HOLY. But we can’t do it! That fact is born out throughout the exilic scriptures. Even after this encounter the Children of Israel still manage to try and box God in. Even David tries to build a temple for YHVH and He told David, I have not had a temple since I was with you in the desert.
I have taken you through trouble long enough. Here is the overwhelming good news: when we free God from the box of our limited understandings and static interpretations that are so widely used among us, we are able to see that the articulation of God in the O.T. involves Himself in the complexities, enthusiasm, and flexibility that belongs to this post modern world in which we live today. In other words He is as active and involved in our lives today as He was in ancient times. YHVH still speaks today.
To be certain this type of understanding of God can be as frightening to some as the Chick Fil-A cow was to Hayden, and may challenge us to unlearn much what we think we already know, it is evident that such a fresh perception of God in the Old Testament goes a long way toward letting this God be a present-day partner in a world that continues to experience massive change. Ideas such as freedom, personal responsibility, and America as a dominant world economic power are no longer guaranteed. Political systems that were once considered failures are now being touted as possibilities.
The faith of ancient Israel endlessly pondered the question- “What is Man?” (Ps 8:4) Additionally it understood that human persons are fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps 139:14) and so cannot be “settled” in any modern context that seeks to limit any yearning for freedom in community in the context of YHVH’s People. The interpersonal relationships that were lived out between the Lord, his people, and the rest of Creation resulted in a healthy humanness that we in the Wesleyan community refer to as Wholeness. It is this lack of interplay between us as His people and God, that creates such a glaring deficit in our contemporary world. I need only point to the online Social networking sites that are exploding in popularity in a society where we are all so busy trying to afford our way of life that community has taken a back seat. So to replace these personal interactions with each other we turned to relationships we can turn on and off with the click of a mouse. Unfortunately, many Christians and non-Christians alike have this same exploitive relationship with God.
I was listening to Rush Limbaugh the other day and He was explaining why He does not believe in climate change. His first statement I agreed with: “I’m not more powerful than God.” The second sentence echoes a view that permeates many “professing” Christians today. Even among those who participate in Worship services every week. He said “I do not believe God notices me much less gave me the power to destroy His creation.”
This story we call Bible says otherwise. God is deeply involved with His people. He did not create and walk away to leave us to our own destructive devices. This type of thinking is the same type of thinking that other powerful nations such as Egypt subscribed to in the past. It leads to nations and therefore its people living as autonomous people who believe they answer to no one.
While God refuses to be reduced to the mere understandable or convenient, the good news is that this story of Bible tells of a God who has entered into dialog with His people. It is a conversation that refuses end. It is a dialogue that insists upon serious engagement. Studying the prophetic language of the Old Testament we see that we as Creation and the rest of creation are in partnership with our Creator.
The Lord is not partial or captive to any particular political system whether it be communism, socialism, or capitalism. Jesus was no more socialist than he was capitalist. In fact YHVH is second to none. All systems bow at the feet of the Creator for they were all, and are, all attempts to replace God as provider. If we are to be His people He is our sole source of provision. This thinking is reflected in the language of his people, the church, who pray regularly-“Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory.”
God’s sovereignty is Governance-in relation that is not only marked by power but by fidelity and infidelity. This requires that God be acknowledged as agent; Agency (Our God given ability and privilege to Choose) that is decisive in the life of the world. But when we reduce God it expels agency and thus without agency there can be no partnership. Without partnership there is no relationship. But in relationship God is imposed upon. When we interrupt God’s plan it necessarily requires his creative activity within the world in order to bring about His will. It also means that our actions effect God. This God is not an aloof God unaffected by our choices. He is capable of emotional engagement.
I was asking a counselor a question regarding how she deals with all of the pain that is laid at her feet every day as a counselor. I was explaining how I get overwhelmed at times with the pain even in our small congregation. There are those people outside the congregation that I work with as well and I see and hear their pain. Often I know what they need to do, and will even tell them. But most people prefer to complain because it is easier. They refuse to take concrete steps that would be effective in eliminating their pain. So I get frustrated; I pray. I ask for God’s intervention, but still I will wake up in the middle of the night thinking about the problems of the people I am in community with. She said that someone gave her some great advice once: “Remember there is a God and you are not HIM.” Second, she said this person told her, “Most of the time when I wake up with them on my mind I realize I have not given them the power.” In other words I am not in control of their life, and they are the only ones with the power to change their life.
That was a “Holy Cow”-God moment for me. God gives us Agency-Power; a Free will to determine our paths. We decide if we want to be in relationship with Him and be dependent upon Him, or whether we want to allow the systems of humanity to exploit us. We decide whether our relationship with God will be one of He is our God and WE are his people, or whether we choose to exploit Him the others try to exploit us.
I find it ironic that Israel’s “Holy Cow” -God moment came immediately after YHVH had given them what we call the “Ten Commandments” but what the Old Testament calls the “words” from YHVH. While we in the west have reduced these to simple commandments the reality is that these were instructions for How to live in relationship with the LORD. Follow these instructions and your relationship in community and your relationship with me will be whole; I will sanctify you; Make you a Holy people-FOR MY Sake. After studying this text, I really do not think it was the thunder and lightning of God that scared them so badly. I believe they realized that YHVH-the Creator of the universe was taking His covenant with a lot more seriousness than they were. They recognized the gravity of the covenant which they were undertaking. They realized this was a Holy God and that this was more about God transforming them to the point that they were an accurate Reflection of Him. That was serious business. So serious and difficult in fact that it would take the writing of the law upon their hearts in order for the transformation to take place-That’s a Holy Cow-God Moment
Hayden is no longer afraid of THE COW. But she doesn’t take it for granted either. She knows THE COW is serious business. She is always cautious around it. She doesn’t run up and embrace it like she would me or her mom. She tends to stand at a distance and watch. But she loves being in the presence of THE COW. My prayer is that the LORD will enable us to teach both of our children a proper fear of Him. They will know that being in the PRESENCE of YHVH is serious business. They will not seek to exploit him or the people within their community. My prayer is that they will seek to be more than an individual worshiping God, that they will live out their faith in a vibrant community that seeks to love the LORD with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength; and love their neighbor as themselves. In doing so, they will be the Temple of YHVH. They will be a reflection of His Holy image. That is my prayer for you as well. That you not feel that you have to live in an exploitive relationship with any system of human design, that you do not feel that you have trust or dependence upon anyone or anything else. My prayer for you is that you do not feel that you have to perform for God in order for Him to love you, but that He makes you Holy-He sanctifies you for His sake. What the letter of the Law could not bring about–changed hearts–the Spirit is sufficient to complete. What those living under law were not able to do–live up to the righteous standards of God–the Spirit now enables. It is literally a conversion from death to life. We no longer have to Fear when we are in his presence but bow in thankfulness for His gift of the Holy Spirit.
My prayer for EaglePointe is that the Lord will always be with us, and that we will be known as His people and that HE is our God. When EaglePointe is mentioned in this community or within the Church of the Nazarene that people’s reaction will be “HOLY COW” and God will turn that into a GOD Moment: not for our sake-but for His.
