(Psalm 6:1)
This kind of language in the Psalms has always interested me. It seems too human, as if anthropomorphizing the divine.
Is it OK to think of God in human terms? Perhaps we should say there is no other way to do it for human terms is all we have.
It is true, of course, that divine is a category of thought and we must engage it, even if skeptics say it is a false category, a body of concepts that is not even real.
Chesterton says the Apostles' Creed could be worked out from the implications of the first sentence: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth." Whether GKC is correct, I do find such a robust doctrine of Creation very appealing.
If God is Creator it follows there is conceptual interplay between Him and all else. Creator and creation are always connected. And if He is described fundamentally as Father, well, game on. We have basis for our use of human concepts to understand the divine.
Do we fear God may be done with us, kick us to the curb? Of course we do because that's the world we live in. Theology in its most basic expression would say something like, "Wait a minute, though. If God is Father He would be the best possible. Would the best possible be vindictive and short-tempered?"
We know what good is - better than us to be sure. So we reach, grasp exceeded. And we take solace. God is better! He does not kick us to the curb though we deserve it. And so, still, in our human ways, we ask Him not to do it.
For His part, I believe He listens and understands, just as with our children we can engage with their struggles to trust and believe our love and intentions for them are good.
No comments:
Post a Comment