2.05.2005

to look more closely, there came

Exo 19 has a perfect imagery that begins with a wondrous sentence, v17: "And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God" -- as if a man were bringing out his folks to meet his new fiance. It's an intimate introduction to someone who'd been aiding them all this time. A better analogy now that it occurs to me is of a man introducing a newly-woken patient to the benevolent stranger who'd recently sight unseen given up his kidney to save the patient's life.

At the same time, the imagery continues, and it's of a horde at the base of a smoky, thundrous mountain. Lest we fall into the Jesus-as-my-best-friend trap that befalls many Prots, the people are kept at a clear distance, with clear demarcations, and clear warnings -- for their own good.

Intimate, yes. But still awesome in ways only the Creator of All could be. And that means more firm handshake than hug for the Father. The Son is a different story, one not to be covered here.

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