IndigoChild5559
Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
How often have you heard people saying there are two Gods in the Bible, the "fearsome" God of the Tanakh (OT) and the God of love in the Christian portion?
Jews refer to God as Avinu Malkenu, Our Father Our King. In fact, during these High Holy Days of autumn, this prayer becomes especially dear to us.
I would argue that either Our King or Our Father alone without the other is entirely unbalanced. We must have both sides in order to experience the fullness of HaShem.
It's not just that both sides are in the scripture (and they are -- this nonsense that the God of the Tanakh is all fear and no love is baseless). It's that fear without love is horrifying, and love without discipline is sick.
In the metaphor of Father, we have a God who is on a higher plane than us, an who wishes what is best for us. He therefore sets boundaries for us, and consequences if we deviate from the rules, as any good parent does. In saying he is King of the Universe, we acknowledge his awesome power -- and his restraint. He does not wish to punish, he wishes for our repentance so that he can forgive. But truly, he holds the very fabric of the universe together -- and can destroy it in a moment should he wish. That kind of power has to be respected. In reality, human beings fall flat on our faces when we encounter the much lesser power of angels. How much more overwhelming would we feel in the presence of the Almighty? Yet we also respond to his love. Those who study such things say that "worship" is when we feel fear and joy simultaneously.
Jews refer to God as Avinu Malkenu, Our Father Our King. In fact, during these High Holy Days of autumn, this prayer becomes especially dear to us.
I would argue that either Our King or Our Father alone without the other is entirely unbalanced. We must have both sides in order to experience the fullness of HaShem.
It's not just that both sides are in the scripture (and they are -- this nonsense that the God of the Tanakh is all fear and no love is baseless). It's that fear without love is horrifying, and love without discipline is sick.
In the metaphor of Father, we have a God who is on a higher plane than us, an who wishes what is best for us. He therefore sets boundaries for us, and consequences if we deviate from the rules, as any good parent does. In saying he is King of the Universe, we acknowledge his awesome power -- and his restraint. He does not wish to punish, he wishes for our repentance so that he can forgive. But truly, he holds the very fabric of the universe together -- and can destroy it in a moment should he wish. That kind of power has to be respected. In reality, human beings fall flat on our faces when we encounter the much lesser power of angels. How much more overwhelming would we feel in the presence of the Almighty? Yet we also respond to his love. Those who study such things say that "worship" is when we feel fear and joy simultaneously.