God is outside the box

To begin with…

I believe God is all knowing. I believe God is all powerful. I believe God is ever present.

There are important things to clarify. Not everyone, quite a few people in fact, don’t believe this. This is where I come from theologically and philosophically.

At the same time, and because of those three things, I don’t understand God. He knows more, does more and is more places than I can even fathom.

Time

This includes time. God operates outside the concepts of time I can understand.

Case in point…

In the book of I Kings (chapter 11) God appoints Jeroboam to split His kingdom in two. Jeroboam will oversee 10 tribes which will be called Israel, and Solomon’s son Rehoboam will oversee 2 tribes called Judah. Most of this isn’t sorted out when God speaks this to Jeroboam, but one thing is clear…

Jeroboam will be king. God has appointed it.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Jeroboam does just as God says. He splits the kingdom creating Israel. However, he’s afraid of the people running back to Judah because the temple of God is in that country. So, Jeroboam builds two huge gold cows for the people to worship (1 Kings 12)

It works, but God is understandably mad. In fact, it begins a history of Israel living in complete opposition to God.

Different

God sees and thinks and understands different than you and I.

First, God knows Jeroboam is going to build the gold cows. God knows this will lead the people astray. God knows Israel will have hundreds of years of history of opposing God. He knows all of this before it happens.

Second, God allows it to happen. Not only does He know it’s all going to happen, but He allows the people to do what they want to do.

Third, in spite of knowing it’s going to happen and allowing it to happen, God still is angry with His people.

All of this I have a hard time understanding. If God knows it is going to happen and allows it to happen, why is He angry?

The best explanation I have is He operates in a different concept of time than we do. We see things linearly. One thing happens then the next and the next and on and on. God doesn’t necessarily operate in those constraints. He sees things differently. He is not subject to the same rules we are.

It doesn’t completely satisfy my lack of understanding, but it’s the best I have. That’s okay, because God is…

Outside the box

God refuses to live in the boxes we  put Him in. It doesn’t matter which box – liberal or conservative, large or small, angry or peaceful. He is outside your box. God is outside my box.

This is both comforting and disconcerting. God is more than I can explain and understand. I can rest in this but worry about it at the same time.

It’s also a balance to work through. I can quit caring because it is outside my realm…even though God wants and calls me to participate in life with Him.

He cares

This is where I have to land… ultimately God cares. He cares about me. He cares about you. Though I don’t and can’t understand Him, this doesn’t lessen His care for me. It doesn’t lessen His care for you.

God cares.