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Serious stuff! God sounds pretty severe, BUT he does leave room for people to change. Th prophet is called to pronounce God’s judgement, but have no control over the outcome. That is hard for su to do! Only by living close enough to God wo we can have faith that what he say ti=o is is really him, not us.
Wow! What an incredible vision! It sounds like a sci-fi move with full CGI. I noted how reticent the author was in talking about God: ‘Such was the appearance of this likeness of teh glory of the LORD. If you go on to chapter r3 you find Ezekiel sitting for a week just overwhelmed (3.15). Not surprising!
A bit of a shock to read of Amos denunciation of Israel, the rich northern kingdom while Amos was from the Judah in the south. A bit like a Scottish HGV driver announcing the Lord’s judgement on England from Parliament Square! So what does God hate? A corrupt legal system; public lies; squeezing the poor (and building basement cinemas with the proceeds!). I.e. those who “afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy.” (v.12)
This chapter is a real hot potato in teh science and religion debate. But quite unnecessarily! It is crystal clear that Genesis 1 was never meant to be science. Why? Take the first three days: 1 light and darkness; 2 air and water; 3 land and plants. These are teh stage sets. The second group of three introduce the actors: 4 sun moon and stars; 5 birds and sea creatures; 6 animals and humans. And on day 7 God had a rest adn let us all get on with the show!
I would be on Joshua and Caleb’s side because I am a born optimist. It does not mean I have more faith than the next man. When faith comes into play, I would be hesitant – not because I doubt that God would se us though, as to the morality of wholesale slaughter of the Canaanites.
Our society does not pay much attention to the 10 Commandments. One God, no idols, no work on the Sabbath, respecting parents, not lying, sexual faithfulness, not desiring what we have not got.
But breaking any of these commandments will have the consequence of stress in our lives. Many years ago, living in Earls Court, I used to go to the laundrette on Sunday afternoon. After one sermon I decided not todo my laundry on Sunday, and found that a whole new pattern of rest and a break from doing work, including housework, was just great!
And they do say that our world is in the grip of an epidemic of stress.
“A Priestly kingdom…” It surely means that worship should be central to the community’s life. The only time we get a glimpse of that is at Christmas. But the prophets make it clear that worship alone is not enough. Without justice, it is an abomination to God (Isaiah 1)
The water did not become two walls of water – that is impossible and poetic. Verse 21 says, a strong east wind blew all night and so created an artificial tide. When the Egyptian chariots tried too follow, they literally got bagged down. I have seen Tutankhamun’s chariot in Egypt. It is very light – and its wheels thinner than the side of my hand. Then the water flowed steadily back. Completely understandable if you live in East Anglia. When the tide turns in the Wash, it comes in faster than a galloping horse.
What was the Israelites’ response? They feared God and believed that he was really on their side.
How would I experience manna?like the Israelites, confusion “What is it?” It’s not bread! How do we cook it?
Then, this is amazing! It works! Good old Moses! Good old God!
(But it didn’t last long!)
What did Jacob learn in those 20 years? To be cautious and trust nobody. Not brilliant! But he did have a fervent wish to make amends to Esau, whatever the cost. Perhaps hidden in that is some desire for God.
Jacob had a very specific dream – no other dream in the Bible has a ladder (apart form Jesus reference to it in John 1:51).
Why did God favour Jacob? He was no leader, something of a “mummy’s boy”, a deceiver and con man. There is no answer. God’s blessing is quite independent for Isaac’s. And he still bargains with God. “If you do this, I will do that.”
But reading it makes sense on a personal level. We might say, “Why should God care for me? The answer is, he just does. As Martin Luther wrote shortly before he died, “We are beggars, that is the truth of it.”
Is the universe “good”? Genesis 1 certainly proclaims it so. Other ancient myths see creation as a violent battle between he forces of cretinoid the forces of destruction. The Bible proclaims that the forces of creation will ultimately win. It os a real step of faith, even though so much of creation is seen as beautiful. The real point for me is that it gives me a guide to action. I am to act in order to work for creation and not destruction. By doing that, I really do believe that I am closer to the heart off God.
And what does it mean for us to be made in God’s image (Note: both men and women in Genesis1). Fo rme it means that w are spiritual beings, at least potentially, and not just physical and psychological. That we have a “hot line” to God within our nature, which we can access f only we can get quiet enough.
What makes life good? Companionship, and being an integral part of the natural world – under threat in our modern world.
