Monday, 8 December 2014

Men Behaving Badly

Journeys provide one of the most common images used in the Bible - a reminder that God is not static, but on the move.  God calls us to journey into the future, wherever that may take us.

John Goldingay reflects on this in his book "Men Behaving Badly" (Paternoster, 2000).  He writes (p. 41/2) - "The nature of  a house is to be in a fixed location.  Yahweh liked being flexible, being on the move, able to go off and do new things.  Human beings prefer God to be predictable.  If you can get God to settle down, then you know where you are with God.  You can get some control of things.  .... When a human being like David wants to build God a house, that implicitly reverses the relationship between God and human beings.  It turns that relationship into one whereby you look after God instead of God looking after you.  It is another aspect of control, of the human desire to domesticate God."

We often talk about freedom, but are afraid to give God the freedom to take us where we should be. We like to be in control, and that is a big mistake.

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