God Walks Among His People
Throughout the Scriptures God draws the picture of redemption as one in which "I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be my people" (Lev 26.12, 2 Co 6.16, Rev 1.12-13, 20-2.1).
But this was always the promise, even before redemption was necessary. God came to walk with Adam and Eve in Gn 3.8, but sin interfered, and they fled from God rather than have fellowship with him. The rest of the Scriptures are about what it takes to restore humanity to the position that we may have fellowship with God (Rev 21.3-4).
That God seeks to walk with humans in the first instance is a concession, a testimony to God's love and humility. That God then pursues a humanity that fled from him in sin, ultimately giving his own life to restore what humanity threw away is mind-boggling.
If this were a person pursuing a lover, or a parent pursuing a child, which one of us wouldn't tell him to get a grip and let them go. We'd say that he's just embarrassing himself by seeking to maintain a relationship with someone who obviously doesn't want a relationship. Just let them go.
But God doesn't let us go. Instead he embarrasses himself to the point of hanging on a Cross for all to see. The Lord of Creation hanging on a Cross, naked and dying, for a humanity who rejected him and fled from him. Has he no shame?
But this was always the promise, even before redemption was necessary. God came to walk with Adam and Eve in Gn 3.8, but sin interfered, and they fled from God rather than have fellowship with him. The rest of the Scriptures are about what it takes to restore humanity to the position that we may have fellowship with God (Rev 21.3-4).
That God seeks to walk with humans in the first instance is a concession, a testimony to God's love and humility. That God then pursues a humanity that fled from him in sin, ultimately giving his own life to restore what humanity threw away is mind-boggling.
If this were a person pursuing a lover, or a parent pursuing a child, which one of us wouldn't tell him to get a grip and let them go. We'd say that he's just embarrassing himself by seeking to maintain a relationship with someone who obviously doesn't want a relationship. Just let them go.
But God doesn't let us go. Instead he embarrasses himself to the point of hanging on a Cross for all to see. The Lord of Creation hanging on a Cross, naked and dying, for a humanity who rejected him and fled from him. Has he no shame?
posted by Jim at 10:17 PM
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