Sabbath: God Is Passionate and Compassionate
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 18th of January 2025
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study: Psalms 103:13, Isaiah 49:15, Hosea 11:1-9, Matthew 23:37, 2 Corinthians 11:2, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
Memory Text:
“ ‘Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you’ ” (Isaiah 49:15, NKJV).
Emotions are often viewed as undesirable and to be avoided. For some people, emotions are intrinsically irrational, and thus, the good man or woman would not be described as “emotional.” In some ancient Greek philosophy, the idea of the “rational” man, who is (mostly) either impervious to passions or who rules over his emotions by way of unemotional reason, is prized as the ideal.
Unbridled emotions can be problematic, yes. However, God created people with the capacity for emotions, and God Himself is displayed throughout Scripture as experiencing profound emotions. If God can experience deep emotions, as the Bible consistently portrays, then emotions cannot be intrinsically bad or irrational—for the God of the Bible is perfectly good and possesses perfect wisdom.
In fact, there are beautiful truths to be garnered from the realization that God’s love for us is a deeply emotional love, but always with the caveat that though God’s love (emotional or otherwise) is perfect, it should not be thought of as identical to emotions as humans experience them.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 25.
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I live with passion. Carmel is a passionate woman. It is either full throttle, or exhaustion. Let me tell you about my hiking boots. I have two pairs, a high pair for wet weather and a low lighter pair for dry days. I lost the low pair (that's another story) and I went birdwatching with the high pair in the rain. They leaked. Carmel said, "You cannot wear those!" and threw them in the bin. (My inclination was to get the glue gun out and repair them.) Then she announced we were going shopping for new boots. I would have liked to go by myself but shoe shopping was something that a woman never misses out on. At Anacondas, the outdoor shop, we ran into another woman I knew from birdwatching also shopping for boots. I have to tell you that for the next hour those women virtually had every shoe box in the store off the shelves and were excitedly comparing colours, shapes, sizes, and Chinese manufacturers. Eventually, I got the two pairs of boots I wanted - they were exactly the same size, colour, and brand that I had previously. Just as I was taking my purchase to the counter to pay for them, Carmel spotted a blue pair of outdoor Tevas. This started a whole lot of fitting and discussing and comparison until eventually, she was satisfied that she had exactly the ones to suit her kind of feet and the clothes she wears outdoors.
Now you may think that I would have been far better off going by myself, selecting the same shoes as before. It would have certainly saved time, but the extra time spent with Carmel was a lot of fun and ultimately relaxing.
What has this got to do with a passionate and compassionate God? Sometimes we have this view of a God who speaks oracles in the Olde English measured tones of a deep-voiced orator. Maybe it would do us a lot of good to think of God as a much more fun-loving playful God who loves fireworks. Why would he make a whole universe full of thermonuclear fireworks like an eternal New-Year's fireworks celebration on Sydney Harbour? (You can watch that on YouTube by the way) Sometimes, I think we confuse worship with solemnity. We think that reverence means silence. I once listened to a sermon on reverence in church and I had this wicked thought as I listened. Our God lights up the whole universe with a thermonuclear torch. Does he want to be worshipped by us acting like rows of stunned mullet (Australian for dead fish)? Christianity is another name for passionate action.
How would you apply your statement of "more fun-loving playful God who loves fireworks" to our thinking about God? Would such a god make some jokes that we could laugh at?
Is a sense of humour a God-given gift or a work of the Devil? Obviously there are some things that are very funny but seriously wrong. On the other hand, when God said, "Let us make man in our image ..." I think he was talking about something more than physical likeness. And I think part of the likeness was fun and laughter ... and even jokes.
Do you think that God has the time for jokes? His children suffer in every place of our planet and He has the time for jokes? I heard many jokes about God, many people mock Him… if He asked you to take your sandals off your feet, would you still think that He is making jokes? Do not bring God to our level.
I am not suggesting we should make jokes that mock God or one another.
As I marvel at all of His creations, I think He definitely has a wonderful sense of humor!
I do not understand why you place this statement in our discussion. Does anybody argue or imply that you are “suggesting that we should make jokes that mock God or one another”?
Also, you said earlier, “I think part of the likeness was fun and laughter … and even jokes.” It seems to be only your opinion.” If the Bible teaches it, please let me know where.
In your first comment you said: “Maybe it would do us a lot of good to think of God as a much more fun-loving playful God who loves fireworks.” Maybe or maybe not? How do you know? Is it based on the Bible or is it your opinion again?
Cezary, I don’t want to be distracted into a long discussion about God and humour, but I have no difficulty in thinking that God created fun and laughter for our benefit. I also understand that Satan has done his best to pervert those emotions. Recently I lost a very dear birding friend. We had an ongoing repartee over many years about what we had seen and not seen, and how good our eyesight and imaginations were. Suddenly he was not there but I am left with so many happy memories of those times when we laughed and gave cheek to one another. I shared that with some of my friends today and we laughed a lot and shed a tear or two as well. God has been good to me and the gift of laughter is a very important part of my Christian experience.
Humour is a good medium for getting a serious message across too. Berto, a Chilian born Adventist cartoonist contributed his cartoons titled “Just a Coincidence” almost every week for several decades to the Australian Record in the South Pacific Division. A whole generation of us have lived with Berto’s commentary on us, gently reminding us of both our foibles and our purpose for being here. I am sure the Holy Spirit guided Berto's artistic contibutions to our weekly Church paper.
Cezary, I think the problem is that as humans we tend to see it as all or nothing. If we are sad over something awful happening in the world, we tend not to laugh (though even at funerals we often find ourselves laughing through the tears, so even we can experience both emotions at once). But God is God and can feel all these emotions towards billions of people at the same time. Yes, He can laugh with one and cry with another. He is God, after all, and just because we can't understand it doesn't mean He can't do it.
If we have the capacity for humor, surely God has it even more. Satan didn't create anything. All he does is corrupt what God created. Yes, there is inappropriate humor, but no matter how bad things are, there is a time to laugh (Solomon said as much).
There is a big difference between mocking God and seeing clean humor or joy in something. Do an internet search of "This Little Kid is SO Excited for Church Baptism" and then tell me God didn't laugh over this excited, beautiful little boy.
God created humans in His image and that includes a sense of humor. We can just look around at people and see who has a sense of humor and who has not. The people without a sense of humor tend to be very unpleasant people.
God gave us a sense of humor to take us over the rough places in life. Without a sense of humor we might get depressed in some situations, but a sense of humor allows us to see the ridiculousness of a situation in light of eternity, and we can laugh rather than cry.
Rather than tough times demanding that we not laugh, tough times are the very times that a sense of humor is most needed.
Elijah was a godly man who was not allowed to die, but God took him straight to heaven. Elijah emphasized the ridiculousness of the priests of Baal dancing around the altar Elijah built, cutting themselves and crying, "Hear us, oh, Baal!"
So Elijah said, “Shout louder! Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” (1 Kings 18:27) That is a kind of humor we call "irony." I find many situations in life ironic, and that is one of my favorite kinds of humor.
As Connie pointed out, God's creation also reminds us that God has a sense of humor. Not only did He make some funny-looking animals, but He made animals that clearly have a sense of humor and fun. Otters and porpoises come to mind, but there are many others, I'm sure. I'm guessing that Maurice has observed some birds that have a sense of fun. I know that I have observed a number of different kinds of birds playing like children on swings, except they ride the natural air currents to have some fun.
What a dreary world it would be without a sense of fun and humor. People who cannot see the humor in situations call for our pity.
Our God is not an absentee Landlord! He is not seated on His throne in heaven and disconnected from the affairs of his creation. He is passionate and compassionate in loving and sustaining what He created. He is intimately involved in providing personal care to even small birds like sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31, Luke 12:6-7). God is deeply touched and moved by the painful consequences of sin. God has got empathy for what He created. He has not only a deep feeling for His creation, but He also has a passion for alleviating the suffering caused by sin. Our God is not like a far-distant, indifferent, and absent father. He is a caring Father (Psalm 103:13, Psalm 116:5). God is deeply relational, and his unconditional love passionately moves Him to do something for the wellbeing of humanity. How can one possibly reconcile God’s compassion with the masses who are ravaged by disease, anger, war, natural disasters, and suffering?
When a prayer is answered and God comes through, one can easily touch, see, and feel God’s compassion. Is God’s compassion touched, seen, and felt in perpetual pain and suffering? At some point, Job felt abandoned by God. At times even believers feel abandoned by a caring and compassionate God when pain and suffering become unsurmountable. It is important, in fact, very important to explain God’s compassion from the perspective of His sovereignty. Much can be explained (biblically) why there is so much pain and suffering in the world today, and yet there is a lack of plausible explanation elsewhere. There is so much stuff we do not understand how God works (Isaiah 55:8-9). Even in the terrible “innocent” suffering of Job, God’s compassion and mercy were at work (James 5:11). In the large scheme of events, God’s ways are full of compassion and mercy. All that remains is to have faith in the love and justice of God.
How can we explain God's compassion to those who have not experienced it? What kind of tone or attitude that we need to adopt to those who feel abandoned by God? First and foremost, we need to pray for those who are going through the terrible stuff of this life. Only God can bring some kind of soothing and understanding. Empathy and sensitivity are needed. At times simplistic answers can be contemptuous and offensive. We need to acknowledge that we do not have answers and even understand what is going on. We need to adopt a sense of humility without displaying spiritual arrogance. With humility let us attempt to explain the mystery of suffering. Where we can let us provide tangible support (1 John 3:18). By reflecting the character of Christ, God’s compassion is seen, felt, and touched through us.
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul." (Psalm 23:1-3)
I serve a risen Savior
He's in the world today.
I know that He is living,
Whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy;
I hear His voice of cheer;
And just the time I need Him
He's always near.
God's compassion is available to everyone but some of the times it takes others to point us to the One who is all compassionate.
Will you be an "other" to someone this week???
I do believe as we learned a few quarters back when studying the book of Psalms, God wants to hear our laments, our sorrows, trials, temptations, worries, and more, even our joys, laughter, pleasure, rejoicing, gladness, and our positive responses to His love.
Now our sorrow, trials and burdens, we at least should take them to Jesus, maybe best to Jesus alone. Then we can say when asked, I am great, with a smile on our face, reply how about you? My favorite song down that line is;
2 I must tell Jesus all of my troubles;
He is a kind, compassionate friend;
If I but ask Him, He will deliver,
Make of my troubles quickly an end.
I must tell Jesus!
I must tell Jesus!
I cannot bear my burdens alone;
I must tell Jesus!
I must tell Jesus!
Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.
If you want all four verses just type into your search engine. I must tell Jesus, lyrics.
Can humanity experience emotions unless they were imparted by the Creator? If emotions originate from Him, then they must reflect aspects of the Father who created His children in His image. Accepting this as Truth helps us embrace the concept of a personal God who relates to us in every way.
This idea is powerfully illustrated in Jeremiah 1:1–17, where we see the special relationship between God and the prophet He chose. The passage vividly captures God’s intimate involvement:
"The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you;
before you were born, I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’"
Jeremiah’s initial response highlights human inadequacy:
"‘Alas, Sovereign LORD,’ I said, ‘I do not know how to speak; I am too young.’"
But God’s reply is filled with encouragement and authority:
"‘Do not say, “I am too young.” You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD."
In a symbolic act of empowerment, God touches Jeremiah’s mouth and declares:
"‘I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.’"
This passage reveals God’s passion and compassion. He calls on those willing to endure resistance, encouraging them to carry His Word with boldness. The spiritual battle we face requires warriors with unwavering hearts — individuals unafraid to confront opposition.
Paul serves as another striking example of such boldness. In 2 Corinthians 11:1–30, he passionately appeals to the church in Corinth, addressing doubts about his authority and commitment. Paul’s words express his deep spiritual investment:
"I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him."
Paul’s life demonstrates the sacrifices he was willing to make to protect the faith of those he ministered to. He endured opposition and suffering, driven by a singular mission: to passionately defend God’s people and keep them firmly rooted in Christ.