Silly God and Talking Donkeys

Jacob was having one of those nights. He was showing out and pushing the limits of obedience until he crossed the line and got into trouble. It was near bedtime and he was still sulking from his “run-in with the law” as he went to bed. He was mad at me for disciplining him. I told him he shouldn’t go to bed angry. I told him that I hoped he could go to bed with a smile and that God wants him to smile too. Not only that, I told him that God would like for us to laugh and have fun too. Jacob responded, “No, God isn’t silly and He doesn’t laugh.” I reassured Jacob that God had a sense of humor and likes it when we laugh. But he insisted, “No, God isn’t silly, he just wants us to follow rules.” My heart broke. My heart broke because somewhere I had failed to show Jacob that God is relational and personal. Already, Jacob is being indoctrinated into the mindset that God is purely a rule maker. Yes, I remember now, 1 John 4:16 says, “God is rules.” I apparently have not been able to balance his view of God with the idea that “God is love.” (what 1 John actually says) I remember growing up with the idea that God is all about rules. Follow the rules and God love’s you. Disobey the rules and God shows His wrath. I believe that a proper understanding of the Torah is that God gave the Law out of love to protect His people in a fallen world from themselves and outside influences. He wasn’t trying to stifle our fun. He gave the Law to transform people and He fulfilled that Law when God became a man in Christ Jesus and died as our atonement. He came to us. He crossed the gap between Himself and mankind to save us. The God of rules wouldn’t do that, but a God who is love would. Thankfully, God brought to mind a piece of Scripture. I told Jacob of the time when God was trying to talk to a man named Balaam who wouldn’t listen. So God made Balaam’s donkey speak to get the man’s attention. That sounded funny to Jacob and made him laugh. I try to remember for myself and pass it on to Jacob that God doesn’t love us because we follow rules. God loves us because He made us. God gave rules to protect us and to show us our need of Him. God wants to make ME righteous, not just make my ACTIONS righteous. If I’m transformed by His grace, then the “rules” begin to fall into place. Jacob, as well as the rest of us, needs to know the rules. We need boundaries, but we need to know why the boundaries are there. The rules have no value if they never point us to our need for Christ. My prayer is that Jacob learns about transformation. My prayer is that Jacob learns that he is loved because he is and not because he’s earned it. I think we’re off to a good start. Jacob went to bed with a smile as he thought about talking donkeys.