The Great Divorce, written by C. S. Lewis, is one of the most thought-provoking books I have read. Henry B., a mentor and companion on life’s journey, suggested I read this book. I haven’t seen Henry in a couple of years, yet he still wanders through my wonderings. He came to mind this morning as I pondered Deuteronomy 7. It was a twisted train of thought that took me from Deuteronomy 7 to The Great Divorce.
Over the years, my “daily Bible reading” has changed from being a “spiritual discipline,” ridged and demanding, to being an ongoing conversation with a Friend, supple and relaxed. I ask the Author a lot of questions, and if I’m patient, I get resolution. I seldom get a total resolve but at least a place of rest in the expedition. I have an issue on the cognitive level in understanding and accepting God as “Love.” I have also heard this issue used by Believers and non-Believers as a hindrance to receiving the Bible as Truth and trusting God over human reason.
The Old Testament can sound extremely brutal in places. Case in point, verse 16, “You must destroy all the peoples in The Lord your God is delivering over to you and not look on them with pity.” (CSB) My mind says, “Say WHAT?” “How does that match up with Jesus’ teachings?” I ask God.
I have preached on this and similar passages but never felt comfortable or convinced in my explanation of God’s directions. But what I do know about God and accept as Truth from Jesus, is not challenged by what I do not understand and find as hard to accept. I choose to build upon what I do know as Truth and not be undone by what I cannot adequately explain to myself or my generation.
A challenge of this text is the word “peoples” does not refer to individual persons. It means “people group” or “nation.” “Destroy” literally means to “burn up” turning to ashes. I am no longer convinced that God was telling the Israelites to annihilate the peoples by putting them to the sword but to annihilate their culture built on multiple gods and godlessness. God chose to make The Israelites His distinctive people, to reflect His character to all the nations. His purpose could not be achieved if the people accepted as usual or emulated the corrupt culture of the people who were not like His original vision of humanity.
God is a loving Father. But it must be accepted that the source of His love is rooted deeply in his Holiness. His Holiness is present in His Creation. We see in the wonder of the Garden of Eden before the Fall. Security, purpose, and acceptance were the norm in the Garden. Venerability, personal preference, and rejection loom large outside the Garden gates.
We all agree that we live in an imperfect world. But our world was not always imperfect. God, because he is Holy, insists that anything and everyone return to perfection to be acceptable to Him. In His love, He provides a way for “perfection” to consume each human, through Jesus, who is the Christ. The Gospels tell us the story of that happening. The Epistles tell us what to expect as God prepares His people for eternity with Him.
The New Testament is quite clear; our old way of living must reject what is not Holy. The ”old man,” as Paul calls him, must be put off entirely, and the “New Man” be allowed to take full possession of our personal lives. What is Holy and what is unholy cannot coexist. We can follow the Holy Spirit in our sanctification now, or we will witness the demise of our un-holiness when we die or when Jesus comes back. But be assured of this, anything that was not in the Garden of Eden will not be in the New Life.
All of that brought me to The Great Divorce and C. S. Lewis’s description of the intersection of heaven and hell. And that reminded me of the old hymn, “When we all get to heaven.”
Photo – Mine. It looks and feels gloomy today, but remember last summer? There another one is coming!
Baldwin Heirlooms 