Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Numbers 16

After church on Sunday I came home and waited for Michelle's flight to come in. I had a few hours to do nothing so I sat on the couch and turned on the TV... but there was nothing on. Well, there was nothing on except Titanic. So I sat on the couch with my dog and cat and watched Titanic for the first time on 10 years. I forgot how good the movie was. I forgot how sad the ending was... and why did that lady throw that diamond back in to the ocean? She could have fed millions of people with it. She was not a very good steward!

What was so sad was the 1,500 people who died, who didn't have a chance.

In this chapter, almost 15,000 people die. 15,000 of God's own people. Why? Because they are fed up with the leadership, Moses and Aaron. When things aren't going well it is easy to blame the people in charge.

So God kills them... the divine iceberg.

The ground opens up and swallows some. Then a fire comes from heaven and burns a couple hundred of them. Then a plague comes and takes out 14,000.

God kills a lot of people in the Old Testament. I am sure James Cameron could make an incredibly sad movie that makes God out to be the most sinister criminal in the universe. Actually, Cecil B. Demille made a movie like that, the 10 Commandments, but we don't really care about all the innocent Egyptians that were killed.

God realizes that killing people is not an effective way of motivating. People do not respond well to bullying, but they respond to love. Which is why God sent Jesus. And in the killing of Jesus the world was able to better understand God.

I'm sorry Michelle Bachmann, but God is out of the business of using hurricanes and earthquakes to make a point.

God's business is love, and it always will be.

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