Di Atas Sayap Rajawali

Ringkasan (dalam bahasa Inggris):

Exodus 19: 1-8

If we read the Old Testament, there are numerous images of God. One of the examples is the use of metaphors. In our current society, the use of metaphors are very much celebrated. Metaphors can transcend or replace the modern way of using prepositions. However, long before the postmodern times, the Bible had already used metaphors. Metaphors teach us to think creatively and imaginatively. In the modern world, creative imagination seems to lack precision. Interestingly, God invites us to use our imagination and creativity when reading the metaphors in the Bible, although there are definitely limitations on this.

In the Bible, God depicted Himself as a Mother Eagle, a mother that cared for her children. However, it does not mean that God transformed into a woman (femininity). Yet, we want to emphasize that there is a certain dimension of femininity, especially in the point of caring. (Read Deuteronomy 32: 10 - 11 for a more complete depiction of God as a Mother Eagle). When we read the Bible, we typically find the masculine depiction of God. We roughly consider that there are feminine aspects of God. In fact, it is hard to exclude the feminine aspect from the image of God. As mentioned in Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” When we read this excerpt, we can see that females are created according to the image of God. Consequently, not only masculinity but also femininity comes from God himself. In the Old Testament, it is true that we call God as our Father. However, metaphorically, God is depicted as a Mother Eagle.

Why then, do we need this femininity dimension? It is because one aspect of femininity is to have the sensitivity to find people who are suffering. In Deuteronomy 32:10, God found His people in a desert land, and in the howling waste of wilderness, and He cared for His people. God was depicted as the Mother Eagle that was compassionate especially to the condition of His people, the Israelites. They were in a vulnerable situation and God showed compassion towards them. Similarly, we can also test ourselves, do we have mercy or compassion when we find people that are vulnerable? People that understand God’s mercy and compassion tend to be more compassionate towards others. People that see the image of God without these feminine aspects will lack compassion.

Yet, does being compassionate necessarily mean that God pampers his children? When a Mother Eagle trains her children to fly, she pushes them out from the nest. She lets her children make their own mistakes, while still watching over them. So it is quite caricatural when we only depict this feminine aspect as being compassionate without any educational / experiential aspects. God’s attention and care towards the people of Israel is immeasurable, it is said in Deuteronomy 32:10 “..He cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.” In verse 11, when the eagle taught their children to fly, there is a process of maturation. So, one part of being compassionate is also growing in one’s maturity. Yet, our challenge is that sometimes we tend to be one sided. On one hand, we tend to emphasize growth without having any mercy and compassion. On the contrary, we could show compassion and care without having any care for growth. As an example, when we share our struggles, we want to be heard. We long for other people’s compassion and understanding but can be defensive towards any rebukes. There are also churches that have a tendency to be one sided. There are churches that only reprimand but do not want to understand the congregation’s struggles and ultimately become a judgemental church. There are also churches that give compassion and mercy but do not dare to rebuke. This is not Christianity, but only humanism.

God has given mercy to His people, Israelites by delivering them from Egypt (read Exodus 19:4). Therefore, God commands the Israelites to obey His voice and keep His covenant. God uses “Now therefore…” in Exodus 19:5 to emphasize that the gracious action of God is prior to God’s commandment. Similar pattern is also found in Deuteronomy 6: 20-21. When a son asks his parents the meaning of testimonies, the statutes and the rules that God has commanded, then the parents must tell them what God has done to deliberate Israelites from Egypt. Thus, it is clear that God’s covenant is not established after Israelites listen and obey God’s voice. Rather, God’s covenant was already established by God Himself when He deliberated Israelites from Egypt.

In Exodus 19, the content of God’s commandment was not yet declared. However, in verse 5, God called His people to obey His commandment. What is the reason for this? It is because God wants to express himself in personalistic terms. This concept is important since the core of Christianity is a personal relationship with God. It does not mean that the content of God’s law is not important. However, without a personal relationship with God, there is no Christianity and the law just completely becomes another religion. Look at the Pharisees who knew very well the contents of God’s Law but they can’t see the glory of God.

How could Israelites diligently listen to the voice of the Lord and obey His commandments even though the law is not yet declared? Israelites were taught to first believe in order to understand. In the modern world, it is hard for people to accept this principle. They want to first understand in order to believe. So, are Christians called to believe blindly? How do we know the voice is from God? In order to know Him, we must depend on God’s ability to reveal himself to us. Reflecting on the story of Abraham and Moses, we can see that even though they have not yet received the law, they were able to obey and have personal relationships with God.

Nowadays, we have received the entire Word of God through the Bible and there are also lots of commentaries about God’s Word. This is an advantage because we can understand God better. Remember, this world is also a preaching world. If we do not hear God’s voice, we will definitely hear another voice, the world’s voice. So, are we becoming more sensitive to God’s voice or are we becoming increasingly more indifferent and following the world? (G.N.S.)