Other encounters with God

Q. Is Mack’s meeting with God in The Shack similar to encounters other people have had in the Bible or in history?
• Job: “I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.” (Job 42:5-6)
• Abram at Moreh in Shechem: “the Lord appeared to Abram and said ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’" (Genesis 12:7)
• Abraham and the three visitors: “The Lord appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day. 2 He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground.” (Genesis 18:1-2)
• Lot and the visitor to Sodom: “When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the Lord was merciful.” (Genesis 19:15-17)
• Jacob and the ladder (Gen 28:10-22), the Wrestler: "... I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." (Gen. 32:22-32), and the Voice (Gen. 35:9-15)
• Moses burning bush: “There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.” (Exodus 3), Mt. Sinai – dense cloud, thunder, and lightening (Exodus 19:9,16), God’s back (Exodus 33:18-23), Moses on Mount Sinai: “Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with Moses and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God...’" (Exodus 34)
• Face to face encounter: "Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend..." (Exodus 33:11) "He [God] said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; with him I speak mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in dark sayings, and he beholds the form of the LORD..." (Num. 12:6-8)
• Group encounter with God: "Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they beheld God, and they ate and drank." (Exodus 24:9-11)
• Balaam’s and the talking donkey: “Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.” (Numbers 22)
• Joshua and the armed warrior: “When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, ‘Are you friend or foe?’
‘Neither one,’ he replied. ‘I am the commander of the Lord’s army.’
At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. ‘I am at your command,’ Joshua said. ‘What do you want your servant to do?’
The commander of the Lord’s army replied, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did as he was told.” (Joshua 5:13-15)
• Samson’s mother: The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. “(Judges 13)
• Gideon: “Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites.” (Judges 6:10-12)
• Samuel and the voice in the temple: “Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. ‘Here I am. Did you call me?’ Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, ‘Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’ So Samuel went back to bed. And the Lord came and called as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel replied, ‘Speak, your servant is listening.’” (1 Samuel 3:7-10)
• Elijah: “Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.’” (1 Kings 19:6-8)
• Ezekiel: “On July 31 of my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.” (Ezekiel 1:1)
• Daniel: “As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)
• Isaiah's Commission: “I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.” (Isaiah 6)Zebedee’s vision in the temple
• The disciples: “No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.” (John 1:18)
• Baptism of Jesus : “...heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." (Luke 3:22)Stephen’s vision of Jesus
• Saul on the road to Damascus : “... suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9)
• Paul caught up to the third heaven: “I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord. I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know.” (2 Corinthians 12:1-3)
• Revelation of St. John: “... His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last..." (Rev 1)
Extra-biblical encounters with God
• Blaise Pascal: From about half past ten in the evening until about half past twelve. Fire! God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, Not of the philosophers and scholars. Certitude. Certitude. Feeling. Joy. Peace. God of Jesus Christ. (in a note found after his death)
• Anthony Bloom: “While I was reading the beginning of St. Mark’s Gospel, before I reached the third chapter, I suddenly became aware that on the other side of my desk there was a presence. And the certainty was so strong that it was Christ standing there that it has never left me. This was the real turning-point. Because Christ was alive and I had been in his presence I could say with certainty that what the Gospel said about the crucifixion of the prophet of Galilee was true...” (Introduction to School for Prayer)
Q. Do you believe it is still possible for us to have a personal encounter with God today?
• “Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:1-3)
• ““Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” (Revelation 3:20-22)
• “‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy.’” (Acts 2:16-18)
Q. How much confidence (or faith) should we put in Mack’s insights into who God is and what he thinks?
• “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)
• “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.” 1 Corinthians 4:2-4)
• “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12-13)
• “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ Let anyone who hears this say, ‘Come.’ Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life. And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.” (Revelation 22:17-19)

The Great Sadness - the story of Mack's loss

1. Mack’s loss of his daughter Missy resulted in "The Great Sadness," a suffocating burden of grief, guilt, and pain. Can you relate to his disappointment? What events in your own life, or the lives of friends and family members have made you doubt God's love - maybe even his existence?


How have you responded to these disappointments with God?


2. What was your relationship with the church during this difficult time in your life? Did other believers help or hinder you? In what ways?


3. Would you be willing to share your faith journey with the group?


4. In your opinion, what was the significance of the Legend of the Indian Princess? (pg.27-31)?


The sacrifice of the Indian Princess required by the Great Spirit in the legend, and the sacrifice of Christ by God, made Missy think both were ‘mean.’ Have you ever thought the God of the Bible is mean? If so, why?

5. Let's look at an example in the Bible where God seemed cruel to better understand how God might deal with us. Please turn to the book of Job 1:8-12.

The Lord asks Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.”

Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!”

“All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan destroyed Job's wealth and family.

Job 1: 20-22 Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. He said,

“I came naked from my mother’s womb,
and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had,
and the Lord has taken it away.
Praise the name of the Lord!”

In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.

Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?

What if these tragedies had happened to you? Could you have responded in worship?

In your opinion, what gives a believer the confidence in God to respond this way?

6. It gets even worse. Please turn to Job 2:3-10

Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.” Satan replied to the Lord, “Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life. But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!”

“All right, do with him as you please,” the Lord said to Satan. “But spare his life.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence, and he struck Job with terrible boils from head to foot. Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.”

But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.

In Job 19:25-26 he says, “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God!”

Job's friends thought God was punishing him for sin. His wife thought he was being a religious phony. In spite of this, Job continued to trust God. In your opinion, what made Job's faith so resilient?

What can we do to keep or faith from crumbling?

7. During Job's intense suffering, God was silent. Like Mack, Job also experienced a 'great sadness.' He cursed the day of his birth and expressed his anger at God's unfair treatment. Finally, in Job 38-41, God responded to Job. As you glance through these chapters, how does God's response to Job compare with his response to Mack in The Shack?

Do you think God's response to Job was harsh? In James 5:11, Jesus' brother writes, "We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy." Why do you think James viewed God's response to Job as 'full of tenderness and mercy?"

8. In Job 42:1-6, after God had finished challenging Job, he replied to the Lord: “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me.

You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’ I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

How does Job's response to tragedy compare to Mack's?

9. Based on Job's story, how should we respond to life's disappointments and tragedies? How can we do this without feeling phony?

10. If you had the opportunity to meet with God like Mack, what would you ask him? Based on our study today, how do you think he might respond?