Blessed When in Mercy

There are many ideas about how God interacts with people. Some believe God is so holy he is unable to come in direct contact with humans. Angels and Demons are the messengers enacting God's will according to the values stated in the Old Testament.

When we pray Angels are the messengers communicating our hopes and fears to God. The evil or pain of a person places a void of darkness around a person so Demons become unstoppable. Angels able to break through or send messages those still protected by the light.

It is odd to think God, an omnipotent being could not surpass a barrier of unrest. Theoretically, Angels could be a creation to deal with a problem outside God's control; however, there is definitive proof in the Old Testament that God can see and interact in anyone's life despite pain, fear, sin or evil.

Abraham was not a holy man. Reading Leviticus, he constantly stumbles with the Ten Commandments and various sins. Sarah is his half Sister. She has the same Father, different Mother. They con Princes out of money by introducing Sarah as his Sister. Then embarrass the Prince when exposing the full truth. Sarah is also his wife.

They are vain and know themselves to be the most attractive people. Their character is not overly blessed by today's standard, yet God is in constant contact with Abraham. Abraham is blessed. He rises to become a wealthy man who changes his name from Abram to Abraham.

I believe this shaky reality between Abraham's actions and deeper understanding of mercy, truth, goodwill and desire to be a better human is what makes God present in Abraham's life. Anyone can experience and acknowledge God in their life even if they are sinners.

There are biblical reasons to believe God is never in contact with people. During the time of Moses, two children suffered God's wrath when witnessing him in the tabernacle. Lot was forced off his land and his wife turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back to see the destruction of Gomorrah.

With these events, interactions with Abraham, Judges and Prophets of the bible were overshadowed. It is clear the most Holy comes in contact with sinful humans or at least the less holy Angels believe in God's rules and beliefs.

The Ten Commandments and various laws explaining the Ten Commandments is important to reach a comprehensive understanding of the stories in the Old Testament. It is not just long lists that are unimportant to interpreting the Bible.

Unfortunately, between the translations of translations and wide body of theological debate for hundreds of years, the Old Testament might be pseudepigrapha for Christians. It should be read with an understanding that premises are misleading.

From the time God appeared to Abraham after he decided to chose an Heir from his staff, to the time God challenged Abraham to sacrifice his own son, there are clarifications from reading the long lists of sins that mark ways to avoid breaking Commandments. These lists exist, primarily, in the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

A person could read the story of Kane and Able to understand events. It describes Kane as a murderer. Human sacrifice is not correct. Hesitation in Abraham when commanded to sacrifice his Son is the potentially the only separating factor between Abraham and many other people of the time. Most ancient people engaged in human sacrifice and worshiped pagan Gods. The offer of sacrifice to gain something better was normal. This normal preoccupation with Gods is why none of them felt God was really with them.

Instead, the values and deep understanding of mercy and wanting to be a better, less wrathful, human is what drew God to Abraham. We as people are also able to witness God in our lives without bursting into flames or turning to pillars of salt.

It is easy to focus on the first generation of Israeli's denial of access to their homeland in the times of Moses. Moses himself died before he gained the desired goal of years in the desert. The next generation prospered. It also as easy to see sinful people with flaws interact with God. These interactions are positive. These blessings are available to everyone and anyone.

With a sense of hope and mercy, a bad life story can become a great life story overflowing with blessings. The Lord's Prayer in the New Testament recommends to forgive our debts and debtors. We should chose forgiveness, a part of mercy, to not judge or to avoid suffering from judgment. With this method we focus on our lives and how to improve it; instead of, gaining more Demons from unproductive and wrathful behavior.