DTEB, “Playing with God”

Recently, my daily affirmation was about working with God. “Today, by God’s grace, I am working with my Heavenly Father on myself, my relationships, and other assorted little tasks. I am enjoying working with God. It is the best way to get better acquainted.”

One of my twelve-step sponsors made a provocative comment (as he often does about my reports and affirmations) about my idea that working “. . . is the best way to get acquainted with God.” My sponsor replied, “So is playing with God.”

I had never really thought about playing with God. Playing at being God—yes. Unfortunately, I have often been unclear about the distinction between me and deity. But playing with God? Hummm . . .

However, I have to admit that playfulness is part of any good human intimate relationship. Whether it’s married couples or good friends, there is a playfulness about relationships. Why not in our relationship with God?

I suppose that there are at least two reasons (in addition to my sad attempts to act like God) why I was reluctant to think in terms of playing with God.

First, the expression “playing with” can be used pejoratively. It can be used for everything from teasing someone (“He’s just playing with you”) to having intimate physical relations with someone without any real love or commitment (“He’s just playing with you”).

Of course, if we are merely teasing God or wanting “benefits” (Christians often call them “blessings”) without any real commitment to God, that is not a good way to “play” with God. The expression “playing with fire” comes to mind. Not a good idea!

The second reason why I wasn’t too sure about the idea of playing with God is that I couldn’t think of any portion of Scripture that spoke of us playing with God. At least, I couldn’t think of anything initially. And then it hit me: Proverbs 8:30-31!

These verses are part of an extended praise of personified wisdom.

“then I was beside him, like a master workman,

             and I was daily his delight,

                        rejoicing (playing) before him always,

rejoicing (playing) in his inhabited world

                        and delighting in the children of man.”

(English Standard Version. The parts of the verses that are placed in parentheses and italicized represent another possible translation of the Hebrew word.)

Did you notice that wisdom plays with God and also with human beings? And if Wisdom plays with both God and us humans, then guess what? We are the playmates of both Wisdom and God!

Do not misunderstand what I am saying. We have a serious God. And God most definitely deserves to be taken with ultimate seriousness.

But perhaps we need to balance taking God seriously with the idea of a playful God. After all, who would want to spend all of eternity with a God who was never playful? That would be my idea of hell.[1]

[1] Carew and Price have some wonderful observations about the word “play” (or “delight”) in Proverbs 30:30-31. They note that, in these verses, the Hebrew word for “play” or “delight” is in the middle of a chiasm (i.e., an A-B-Bʹ-Aʹ arrangement. (Think of the Dr. Seuss’ book that starts off with the chiasm,

“I am Sam

Sam I am”.

See! Understanding these technical, literary terms is easy-peasy!)

More importantly, Carew and Price point out, “This chiastic arrangement serves to emphasize wisdom’s exuberant joy. . . . As the instrument of and witness to creation, wisdom personified takes exuberant joy in God’s creation.” (New International Dictionary of Old Testament Exegesis and Theology, volume 4, p. 207.) Exuberant joy: yes!