Of Complements and Catalysts (God and the Old Testament)
Yesterday I visited the way various people influence our everyday life, speaking of those who are complements, people who are with us constantly perfecting and tempering us, as well as catalysts who are there to cause internal revolution in our very beings, both very good.
Now though, we look at a different paradigm. The all encompassing nature regarding God, and His presence in the Old Testament.
Catalyst
It is impossible to start with the complement portion when we approach the Old Testament, or even New Testament when we see God acting. He acts first as a catalyst, then presides over as a complement. For the purpose of this blog, I am going to fast forward past the creation and flood accounts, moving directly to Abraham. The world God had created has perhaps truly hit the rock bottom of its fall point, we like to think it is now, but really when God has to start all over again by picking a seemingly random patriarch of a seemingly random tribe, we are really scraping. God calls Abraham out, out of Ur, and He commands Abraham to follow. This is the initial catalyst moment of humanity as we know it today. God has begun the process of rebuilding humanity into right position with Him. The foundation of the very faith we live by is set, smoothed, and God's hand is imprinted in our development forever.
Complement
I know, short catalyst segment, but really that is the space of time catalysts normally do take, short, but severe portions of time. The development lies in the complement phase. Which is what we see happen when Abraham chooses to make God the complement to for him and his family, and through the blessings and covenants all of those following Abraham. And the more Abraham trusts in his relationship with God, and loves God, and relishes his presence, the more God helps protect and begin perfecting humanity, a still unfinished process in some aspects. This is an interesting relationship as well, because unlike human complements where we mutually act as the iron sharpening one another, in no way does humanity ever sharpen God, this is a one way relationship. Perhaps this is why the effort takes so long, not because we can't sharpen God, but because we cannot accept the fact that we cannot do anything for God.
Granted there phases as God's children enter into slavery that God acts again as a catalyst inside his complementing nature, freeing his people so that they may again begin to fully rely on him. We observe the transition process as Israel learns that God really is present in the form of pillars of smoke and fire, parting seas, and defeating enemies. They are a confused people nonetheless, needing direction from their leader, Moses the voice of God's words. God never stops the process where he continues to build up and perfect Israel. Israel in the meantime tries to give God a hand by creating idols for themselves, prompting disciplinary efforts from God. This will become quite the pattern for a God who never gives up, and perhaps a blog series of its own at a later time.
God's direct supervision is his complementing in the Old Testament. His use of judges, prophets, and kings are His tools for this process. His judges help represent God in the faces of adversity when others come to harm Israel from the outside, the prophets go to represent God to the people of Israel when they turn against God, and the king represents all the people before God, taking responsibility for there actions and also there protection as a judge himself. Nothing compares though, to God's direct interaction with his people, sending them into exile, and bringing them back to remind them of who they are in Him. This process is what sets up the core of the faith. That we in our identity need to be with God, need to be reliant on his provision, and accepting him as our Complement.
In the next portion of this series we will look at how the Complement and Catalyst concept is made more evident in the New Testament, and its impact today.
Thanks for Reading,
Zach
