"Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem."
Isaiah 8:12-14
I like the idea of fearing the Lord rather than anything else... if we're going to adjust our lives around something, it should be God. Those other things are nothing compared to him, and losing contact with him, or allowing ourselves to do things that aren't in harmony with his commandments... that is what is worth fearing. Maybe a little like meeting someone you really like... at first you are afraid they won't like you back, or that you'll do something stupid and make a horrible impression, right? If we're going to be afraid of something, we should be afraid of offending God and not feeling like we can hang out with him anymore. :)
I also think it is interesting that God is a sanctuary, but also a "rock of offence" and a snare, and I wonder if that depends on our perspective and our relationship with God as well. Christ... who was literally perfect... was an offense to many--not because he was offensive, but because they chose to take offense. And we can get trapped easily in a lie or a deception if we try it with God. He sees us to the core, and we can't hide anything from him. Also, sometimes we fall into the trap of asking God for things that won't be good for us. Let's pray that he doesn't answer those prayers .
Today, let's not be afraid of anything in the world except God. Let's look to God as someone we want to hang out with more (and not offend). Let's see him as a sanctuary and a friend rather than hiding from his scrutiny or asking for things that we should not. If we're going to worry, let's be wiser about what to worry about. :)
Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem."
Isaiah 8:12-14
I like the idea of fearing the Lord rather than anything else... if we're going to adjust our lives around something, it should be God. Those other things are nothing compared to him, and losing contact with him, or allowing ourselves to do things that aren't in harmony with his commandments... that is what is worth fearing. Maybe a little like meeting someone you really like... at first you are afraid they won't like you back, or that you'll do something stupid and make a horrible impression, right? If we're going to be afraid of something, we should be afraid of offending God and not feeling like we can hang out with him anymore. :)
I also think it is interesting that God is a sanctuary, but also a "rock of offence" and a snare, and I wonder if that depends on our perspective and our relationship with God as well. Christ... who was literally perfect... was an offense to many--not because he was offensive, but because they chose to take offense. And we can get trapped easily in a lie or a deception if we try it with God. He sees us to the core, and we can't hide anything from him. Also, sometimes we fall into the trap of asking God for things that won't be good for us. Let's pray that he doesn't answer those prayers .
Today, let's not be afraid of anything in the world except God. Let's look to God as someone we want to hang out with more (and not offend). Let's see him as a sanctuary and a friend rather than hiding from his scrutiny or asking for things that we should not. If we're going to worry, let's be wiser about what to worry about. :)
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