Relevant Verses: Isaiah 1, 49, Psalm 103, Luke 10, Matthew 9
Theme: “God Is Passionate and Compassionate”
Leading Question: Is it “reasonable” for God to be passionate and compassionate with his wayward children?
Question: Which is more biblical: To say that God will be reasonable with us or that he will be passionate and emotional with us?
In the King James Version, Isaiah 1:18 makes a well known claim about God: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Some other versions are rather more vivid:
Contemporary English Version: “I, the Lord, invite you to come and talk it over. Your sins are scarlet red, but they will be white than snow or wool.”
Message: “Come. Sit down. Let’s argue this out.”
This is God’s Message:
“If your sins are blood-red,
they’ll be snow-white.
If they’re red like crimson,
they’ll be like wool.
If you’ll willingly obey,
you’ll feast like kings.
But if you’re willful and stubborn,
you’ll die like dogs.”
That’s right. God says so.
Today’s English Version: The Lord says, “Now, let’s settle the matter. You are stained red with sin, but I will wash you as clean as snow. Although your stains are deep red, you will be as white as wool.
One can make the case for saying that God is “reasonable.” But this week’s lesson argues that God is passionate and emotional. And we start with some comparisons within the family. Is the father or the mother more likely to be emotional? Here is a verse for each:
Isaiah 49:15 (NIV) “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! (Mother)
Psalm 103:13 (NIV) As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him (Father)
These passages seem to give the edge to the mother. Just as Matthew 23:37 uses feminine imagery: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”
But any way you look at it, God is “emotional” and “compassionate” for his children.
God’s Compassion as Seen in Jesus. In Jesus we can see a host of wonderful examples of God’s compassion for people.
The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Here Jesus’ parable contrasts an inadequate Jewish response with the compassion of the “good” Samaritan. The moral was embarrassingly clear.
The Missing Shepherd (Matt. 9:35-36). As Jesus went about with his teaching and healing ministry, he had “compassion” on the people who were like “sheep without a shepherd.”
Feeding the Hungary (Matt. 14:13-21). When a great crowd followed Jesus into a isolated place, he had “compassion” for them.
Raising the Widow’s Son (Luke 7:11-15). When Jesus came a funeral procession for a widow’s only son, Jesus had “compassion” on her, actually touching the bier – thereby becoming unclean – and raising him from the dead.
A Jealous God. The word “jealous” is a two-edged sword. On the negative side of the ledger, 1 Cor. 13:4 states that love is not “jealous” (TEV). But there is a positive side of jealousy. Exodus 20:5, right in the middle of the 10 commandments states: “I, the Lord your God am a jealous God.” To put a positive spin to that concept, we could say that jealousy is the opposite of shrug: God cares deeply.
Question: How can we convincingly argue that God is a “jealous” God given all the baggage that comes with the word? Paul states in 2 Cor. 11:2, “I feel a divine jealousy for you.” Does that help clarify the issues for us?
The official study guide contains a quotation that is worth citing in conclusion:
We long to be in relationship with persons who exemplify the kind of love described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. But how often do we seek to become this kind of person toward others? We cannot make ourselves longsuffering and kind; we cannot make ourselves not be envious, conceited, rude, or self-seeking. We cannot muster a love in ourselves that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things,” and “never fails” (1 Cor. 13:7-8, NKJV). Such love can be exemplified in our lives only as the fruit of the Holy Spirit. And praise God that the Holy Sirit pours the love of God into the hears of those who by faith, are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 5:5)”
