Word of Encouragement (01/24/2023)
"The LORD saw it and spurned them, because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters. 20 And he said, 'I will hide my face from them; I will see what their end will be, for they are a perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness. 21 They have made me jealous with what is no god; they have provoked me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are no people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. 22 For a fire is kindled by my anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol, devours the earth and its increase, and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains. (Deut. 32:19-22)
We are seeing God’s response to Israel’s betrayal and rebellion. Moses describes Israel’s sin of idolatry in this way in v. 21: “They have made me jealous with what is no god; they have provoked me to anger with their idols.”
Some may ask, “I acknowledge that idolatry is bad. But why should God be so aroused to jealousy by what is no god? Isn’t that His fault? Why should He let Himself be bothered by something that is so beneath Him?” We must keep in mind that this is an anthropopathic expression (God described in human emotional terms). The doctrine of God’s impassibility says that God, being perfect and immutable, cannot “suffer” (that’s what impassibility literally means—not liable to suffering)—that is, God (or God’s perfect harmony [or shalom] within Himself) cannot be shaken up by anything outside of Himself. If He is omniscient and sovereign, declaring the end from the beginning, He cannot be surprised or shocked or afflicted by anything external to Himself. Nothing can make Him react to it with the volatility of human emotions.
But God still interacts with (fallen) human beings. Even though what we do cannot disturb His inner shalom, He must respond appropriately to them as the Judge: He must show that sin is evil and it is an offense against Him, the Law Giver; He must also show that He is pleased when we walk in righteousness, holiness, and obedience to Him. Because God is so transcendent, when He communicates such things, He must do so in a way that we can understand. Thus the anthropomorphic (as if God had hands and eyes and ears like us) and anthropopathic expressions in the Bible (as if He were all shaken up, as we often are, with wrath or joy by what we did). God is so much greater than what human language can describe.
This is how I illustrate this doctrine. God’s inner shalom is like the transparent light. But when the light hits different objects with different constitutions, different colors show while the light itself remains transparent. So it is with God when He interacts with us. While the light of His inner shalom remains constant, when it is met with righteousness and goodness, the color of His delight shows; when it is met with sin and wickedness, the color of His wrath shows. That is what is happening in v. 21: because Israel’s idolatry was wicked, God had to respond with wrath and jealousy.
Let us keep in mind that these were not fake emotions. God contains these emotions in Himself. If we have emotions as God’s image-bearers, it is because God has emotions. But within Him, all the emotions are constantly in perfect harmony. Only certain emotions are expressed to us at a time, depending on what we do, without disturbing His inner shalom. These are real emotions. God’s emotions are more real and vigorous than our emotions. In His joy, He is infinitely more joyous than we can ever be. In His wrath, He is infinitely more wrathful than we can ever be. As His joy is what will make up heaven, His wrath will make up hell for all eternity.
God was not being small when He was provoked to jealousy and anger by Israel’s idolatry. It was only right that a holy God should respond to sin in this way, especially the sin of His people, whom He richly blessed. Let this remind us of the gravity of our sin and what we deserve for it. And let us remember that this is what Jesus bore for us on the cross—the hell-deserving gravity of our sin and God’s fierce wrath against us. Because of what Christ has borne, we are eternally in God’s favor. His faithfulness and love are renewed every morning as surely as the sun rises each morning. In fact, His love will continue long after the sun stops shining. Let us respond to God’s love and faithfulness with love and faithfulness, as imperfect and feeble as ours may be!