Skip to main content

His Fearful Presence

 People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth. In that day people will throw away to the moles and bats their idols of silver and idols of gold, which they made to worship. They will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth. Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem? (Isaiah 2:19-22)

For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. (Deuteronomy 4:24)

For the ancient Jews, repetition emphasized. It’s been said that if God says something once, we should listen. If He says it twice or more, it may be a life-or-death situation. In today’s passage, the idea that people will flee to caves and holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty when He rises to shake the earth is repeated within four verses.

There’s no Biblical question about it. God will rise to shake the earth, and if the San Francisco of 1906 was a 7.8 on the Richter Scale, I suspect this will be a 9.9 or more. And man’s mistreatment of the environment may play a role in that judgment, but I have to wonder what people would say if I suggested that the best thing people could do to save the planet is to get right with God. Without that, all the environmental programs in the world won’t stop God’s justice from rolling down.

The other thing about that judgment is that it’s going to be real judgment. When people hide in the holes in the ground, they’re not going to hear God talking like Glenda the Good Witch, saying, “It’s OK, you can come out now.”

One of the things that impresses me most about this passage is the and  that connects the fearful presence of the Lord with the splendor of His majesty. There’s an impulse to separate them, as though fearful presence and splendor of majesty are two separate things. It’s rather like the folks who just want to get a selfie taken with the fluffy cow and gets trampled or gored by a buffalo or with the nice big kitty that turns out to be a lion. And – I confess, as a photographer, I’ve taken some chances I probably shouldn’t have. I’m blessed that none of them turned into nightmares.

Sometimes it is convenient, and even necessary, for us to divide God up, to look at individual attributes. But it’s a mistake when we leave them separated. God is love (I John 4:8), but love isn’t all warm and fuzzy. The same woman who snuggles an infant to her breast can be the woman who will take on a grizzly bear to protect that child or punish the child for doing something wrong.

What’s more, what you may see as the splendor of His majesty, another person may also see as His fearful presence.

Lord, open our eyes to the splendor of Your majesty and our hearts to Your fearful presence and help us to understand that they are one and the same.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Right Road

          Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. (Psalm 139:7-12)                  For years before GPSes existed, I told people I wanted something in my car that would tell me, “Turn left in half a mile…turn left in a quarter mile…turn left in 500 feet… turn left in 100 feet…turn left now …You missed the turn, Dummy!” The problem isn’t necessarily that I get lost so much as I’m afraid I’ll get lost. I don’t want to have to spend my whole trip stressing over the next turn. I have the same problem with my spiritual journey.   
Post a Comment
Read more

Died as a Ransom

                 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Hebrews 9:15)                  This is something I’d really rather not think about but here it is and it’s important. I was reading in Bold Love about seeking revenge.  The author wrote of seeking justice when a supposed Christian does something sinful, harmful, and/or horrific, like sexually abusing a daughter.  And the thought that came to mind was of God asking if Jesus’ death was sufficient payment to me for the sin committed against me.                I have no specific longing for revenge, vengeance, or justice. I’m sure there are some lurking somewhere in my heart, but this wasn’t a response to one. It was more a question of principle. Jesus’ death was sufficient payment for to God for our sins.  That’s the standard Sunday Schoo
1 comment
Read more

Out of the Depths

  Out of the depths I have cried to You, Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the sound of my pleadings.   If You, Lord, were to keep account of guilty deeds, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, so that You may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and I wait for His word. My soul waits in hope for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; Yes, more than the watchmen for the morning. Israel, wait for the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his guilty deeds . (Psalm 130)             I like Mr. Peterson’s interpretation of the first line. “The bottom has fallen out of my life!” Of course, the problem for some of us is the fact that we’re drama queens, and/or we’re weak. Any time anything happens that disturbs our sense of mastery and control, the bottom has fallen out of our lives. If the past couple of days have taught me anything, they’ve t
1 comment
Read more