Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

To me, your question brings to mind Matthew 4:5-7, in which Satan tempted Jesus to throw Himself down from the top of the temple in Jerusalem, and even quoted the promise in Psalm 91:11-12 that God would send angels to bear Him up and keep Him from being killed. Jesus replied by also quoting Scripture (Deuteronomy 6:16) and saying, "It is written, 'You shall not put the LORD your God to the test.'."

The starting point of our relationship with God is putting Him in the proper perspective. Yes, He loves us to the point of becoming human Himself in Christ to redeem us by dying in our place. However, He is still infinitely greater than we are, and is to be regarded by us at all times with the utmost respect and reverence.

We are to have faith in Him, but we are not to presume on His love and care for us, as if He "owes" us anything, for He emphatically does not. He loves us out of pure grace (undeserved favor) and mercy.

We are not to doubt or question His care for us, nor (on the other hand) needlessly or recklessly expose ourselves to danger (as Satan tempted Jesus to do) as a challenge to God to protect us. That is what Jesus (and Moses, whom Jesus was quoting) meant by "putting God to the test".

We are also to be properly thankful for the blessings that He gives us, and give glory and honor to Him for them, rather than claiming the credit for ourselves. (Even people as close to God as Moses and Aaron were prevented by God from entering the Promised Land as a judgment against not honoring God properly by claiming the power to miraculously give water to the people (rather than giving the glory to God), and for disobeying God's instructions concerning how the water was to be obtained by striking a rock (and not just once, but twice) to bring the water forth, rather than only by speaking to the rock, as God had directed (Numbers 20:2-12).)

God has chosen to make Himself our friend, but we should never presume on that friendship by thinking that, because of it, God will or must overlook wrongful or foolish acts that we knowingly perform. We should never think that we can "put one over" on God. The responsibility for any negative consequences that we might experience from attempting to do so is ours alone.

March 24 2016 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Danny Hickman Supporter Believer in The Gospel Of Jesus Christ

To be overfamiliar isn't the same as being disrespectful; of course it would be dangerous and consequential to be disrespectful toward God. 

Overfamiliar ~ excessively friendly, informal, or intimate..
That's it; it is to act as if you know someone intimately and are known by that person. If you're only pretending, it can be not a good thing; you can come across as pushy and arrogant.

Case in point: every-so-often, I'll answer my phone and a voice will say, 'Danny?' (in an 'is that you?' tone). Of course, I don't recognize the caller ID or the voice. It's a business, a telemarketer being (here it is) overfamiliar; the salesperson is acting as if we're on a first name basis. I usually correct them quickly: "No, it isn't Danny, it's Mr Hickman." 

The telemarketer does it that way to avoid asking to speak to someone by whom they haven't been given an invitation to call. They're hoping that calling me by my first name will 'disarm' me. (It's called 'being hijacked').

Is that the way we're to imagine God feels when we call upon him? Many people have traditionally taught that God is like an unapproachable king; that he sees us as worthy of death; (we are, but that's not how God thinks and feels toward us). It's the reason a question of this kind exists. God is depicted as being distant and chilly toward us by people who don't really know him very well. He's anything but aloof. 

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). David wrote this; he knew God! 

Paul told the Galatians, "Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God (Gal 4:6,7). 

'Abba Father' is an intimate term; it's the same Aramaic word (ho pater) Jesus used in Matthew 7:11 to say "how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask him."

The whole Bible depicts an approachable God who wants an intimate relationship with his creatures. How we came to think of him as someone we should treat like we do a foreign dictator is beyond me! 

Too familiar? No, God isn't offended when we act as if we know him, and are known by him, intimately.

January 22 2023 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report