May 15-22

Usually I find myself trying to decide what one thing to focus on in a week of readings, but this week I had no such luck. As I read through our passage, nothing really just leaped off of the page at me. These past few days Amy's blog about God's wrath has really resonated with me. It is so easy, especially in our culture, to not fear God. With that in mind, some of the terminology of the Psalms perplexed me. In these prose we read of a God whose love reaches to the heavens. In the same excerpt, God is "resplendent with light" while pronouncing judgment from heaven. (Psalm 76) A God who defends his cause while bringing salvation. (Psalm 74) With the same breath, God delivers love and casts judgment. A God who hates, yet overwhelmingly loves. My brain has turned in circles over this apparent contradiction. As I read through the Old Testament stories, it does not seem like a God of love leaps off the pages. Yet David pores his sole out about a God who is to be feared, and a God who loves abundantly.

This conundrum got me thinking about a story told by Dan Kimball in the book They Like Jesus but not the Church. Kimball recounts a time when he was talking with religious leaders of different faiths. As they mused over how to get to God, Kimball said, what if I told you there was a God who would come to you? They all admitted they would love to meet this God. Kimball replied, let me introduce you to Jesus. This is the drama I see unfolding through the Psalms.

Often, we separate God into the Old and New Testament but nothing could be farther from the truth. As David said, "Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death." (Psalm 68:20) Earlier, in Psalm 62 David asserted, "One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard; that you,O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving." This God is the same God yesterday, today, and forever. The God that abhors sin, but is passionately in love with the sinner. A God that meets us where we are. David saw this truth, his relationship with God transcended the law.

In Psalm 40:6 David poetically wrote, "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require." He knew this relationship was so much more than mere sacrifice. Yes it is absolutely of utmost importance to fear God, but this love of God that David portrays is beautiful. It is hard for me to understand, but it is evident. David knew the salvation that God offered. Although God took David's first born son as punishment for his sin, David still declared a loving God.

We serve a God who is just, and merciful. Declares judgment yet lovingly offers grace. A God who defends his namesake, yet welcomes us back when we smear the very same name. A God who comes in fire, yet speaks in the wind. A God who wins battles and clothes sparrows. We serve the I AM.