Why God sets the rules governing His interaction with us. Why can we not experience a more intimate relationship with Him?
1) Because He understands human nature far better than we as individuals do. This should come as no surprise since He created us, and has witnessed our behaviour since the beginning of time. He knows we cannot be trusted, and we know how true that is.
2) If He allowed us to set the rules I wonder where that would lead civilization? The answer is clear. Chaos would ensue because we would never be able to reach an agreement, and even if we did the rules would be endlessly broken.
3) So God has given us the 10 commandments to show us how to live more Godly lives, and of course they are endlessly broken. He maintains His distance from us unless we earnestly and respectfully seek His presence when He will give us His time in proportionate amount.
4) Let us assume for arguments sake that He lets us rewrite the rules of engagement. What might be included:
Be required to appear often in person via the media, the Internet, mobile phones, TV, etc., as a kind of celebrity.
Be prepared to accept criticism and respond accordingly.
Expected to be at our beck and call day and night.
He must reward us handsomely when we do something good. We would decide what was good and what was not, and the scale of the reward.
Agree to reveal the source of His power and share it with us.
He must look the other way when we do something bad, assuming anything was still left in that category.
The more wealthy members of society would be able exert influence and to pay for special priveleges.
People unable to pay would be at the bottom of the pecking order.
He would be open to accept bribes.
He would be required to attend meetings where He would be prevailed upon to help further the interests of those present.
He would be called to account for, and remedy, anything that any of us decided was detrimental to his or her interests.
5) So why wouldn't these human devised rules of engagement work?
God would lose all respect. He would become unrecognisable from what He is now.
For example, He would be required to relinquish control. The most powerful in society would pull all the strings, and God would be their servant.
Moral code would cease to exist.
Anarchy would take over. Fairness would go out the window.
Only the most powerful would thrive at the expense of everyone else.
The future would be bleak. People would have noone left to turn to in times of trouble because God pretenders would not take on that role, or have the power, or desire, to accomplish it.
They would all completely change the nature of God, so none of them are acceptable.
6) Are God's rules of engagement perfect? The answer is 'YES'. Could our relationship work any other way?
The answer is a resounding 'NO!'. Has He made Himself clear about how He hopes we will live out our lives? The answer is a definite 'YES', He made sure of that from the very beginning as you would expect! Do we live up to His expectations? I think most people do, most of the time.
So God retains His distance from us only because there is no alternative arrangement that could work on a regular basis. The rules are the result of our behaviour towards Him and our lack of respect for who He is. (e.g. He didn't Create anything!). When He sent His son to Earth we responded by hanging Him on the Cross of Calvary. We most certainly cannot be trusted, or relied upon, and His distancing himself from us is the only way that the relationship can work.
7) In truth the nature of our relationship with God is the result of our own doing. It is not how God wanted it to be but we gave Him no choice.
There is every reason to suspect there may be little hope for the future of mankind in its present form in the long term either. God realised our inadequacies very soon after He set the clock ticking.
The Bible makes it abundantly clear where humanity is heading, so the Bible is not just historically correct (Genesis), it has almost certainly forecast the future correctly as well (The Book of Revelation). The Internet is sadly not helping society by offering widely used games such as Fortnite which, according to some experts, is renowned for being violent, addictive and rage-inducing in children.
As regards the potential for harm Fortnite is not in the same league as 'Call of Duty'. Typical comment:
'In real and strict terms, Call of Duty mobile is NOT suitable for your kids. Blood, gore, profanity, and of course, war, are all big parts of the game. It goes without saying then that if you are concerned about any of those aspects, don't hand the game to your kids to play!'
Unfortunately some children as young as 6 are reportedly playing it. Microsoft have seen its potential to boost their income and have just (19/01/2022) paid 69 billion dollars for it. They appear to be not in the slightest bit concerned about the damaging effect it has on young people although they will pay lip service when challenged to take serious steps to tackle the threat. All the evidence suggests their primary concern is to generate income regardless of any damage that is caused along the way.
Modern parents should give some thought to their ancestors who fought in wars such as WW1 and WW2. So traumatised were many of those that operated in combat zones that they would never speak to anyone of their experiences afterwards, assuming of course they survived and had the opportunity. One has therefore to question the morality of promoting these violent games by purchasing them as if combat was fun to be engaged in! Frankly glorifying war in this way will surely lead to more wars and there will be regrets all round then. Parents purchasing these games should have a chat with people living in the Ukraine right now for a reality check.
We are in danger of instilling a careless regard for humanity in our children and many parents seem to be oblivious to the inherent risks. Of course the games industry is revelling in the ease with which it is able to attract customers, turning in huge profits. Many of these Xbox controlled games are encouraging an overtly violent view of life that is becoming increasingly evident on our streets with knife crime going virtually unchecked. The Internet is also increasingly being used by criminal gangs and little is being done by its developers, or the police due in part to resource shortage, to effectively combat it. The Internet is fast becoming a place to feed addictions of one form or another and this trend is set to continue. Although there are undeniably many positive aspects to the Internet (this website for example) insideous influences are intertwined with the good that are relentlessly eroding our once treasured values, and society seems to be largely oblivious to this. The more society embraces patterns of behaviour that are diametrically opposed to those laid down by God the more fractured our relationship with Him inevitably becomes. The future does not look good!
8) In conclusion, many in society view the perceived distancing of God from us as evidence that He doesn't exist at all, but we hope that our arguments have provided good grounds for casting doubt on such claims. He is real, and deep down even atheists know it. God instilled this intuitive knowledge of Himself in everyone of us and denying His existence is merely an act of rebellion!
What does the Psalmist have to say?
Psalm 139:14
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
Psalm 8:
For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of David.
1
Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory in the heavens.
2
Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
5
You have made them a little lower than the angel
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
7
all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
8
the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9
Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
What does Isaiah 45:18 have to say?
For this is what the Lord says—
he who created the heavens,
he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,
he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited—
he says:
“I am the Lord,
and there is no other.
