When God Goes Off

The apostle Paul dedicates an entire chapter of the Bible to highlight God’s agape love, 1 Corinthians 13. Yet, the author of one New Testament book suggests that discipline is also a sign of love, Hebrews 12:4-6. As God was preparing Moses to become the mouthpiece for Israel, he rejects God’s initial call, coming up with an excuse to avoid this responsibility. According to Moses’ own words, this is when God went off.

 And Moses said to the Lord, O Lord, I am not eloquent or a man of words, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and have a heavy and awkward tongue. ¹¹ And the Lord said to him, Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the dumb, or the deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹² Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and will teach you what you shall say. ¹³ And he said, Oh, my Lord, I pray You, send by the hand of [some other] whom You will [send]. ¹⁴ Then the anger of the Lord blazed against Moses; He said, Is there not Aaron your brother, the Levite? I know he can speak well. Also, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be overjoyed, Exodus 4:10-14.

According to the author of Hebrews, God disciplines those who He loves, Hebrews 12:5-6. When you focus on this aspect of love, those who let you do whatever you want as a child aren’t necessarily concerned about your long-term well-being. This is what King Solomon means about training a child in the way that they should go, Proverbs 22:6.

Therefore let us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ (the Messiah), advancing steadily toward the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity. Let us not again be laying the foundation of repentance and abandonment of dead works (dead formalism) and of the faith [by which you turned] to God, ² With teachings about purifying, the laying on of hands, the resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment and punishment. [These are all matters of which you should have been fully aware long, long ago.] ³ If indeed God permits, we will [now] proceed [to advanced teaching]. ⁴ For it is impossible [to restore and bring again to repentance] those who have been once for all enlightened, who have consciously tasted the heavenly gift and have become sharers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ And have felt how good the Word of God is and the mighty powers of the age and world to come, ⁶ If they then deviate from the faith and turn away from their allegiance—[it is impossible] to bring them back to repentance, for (because, while, as long as) they nail upon the cross the Son of God afresh [as far as they are concerned] and are holding [Him] up to contempt and shame and public disgrace, Hebrews 6:1-6.

Another reason that might cause the Lord to go off is when a mature Christian regresses by showing behaviors of their former sinful way of life. The illustration above points to a lukewarm believer who has decided pray for forgiving just prior to indulging into sin once again. Touch love may require intervention so that an addict will be coached back to good health and victory in Christ.

by Jay Mankus