In spite of all this they still sinned; they did not believe in his wonders. (Psalm 78: 32)

The psalmist, again, sings of an angry God. "He was full of rage" and "he was full of wrath."

Despite all of God's blessings the descendents of Abraham continued to sin. Here the Hebrew for sin is chata'.

In response to the sins, according to the psalmist, God became angry, withdrew his blessings, and sent punishment.

It can seem so. This is how it seemed and seems to many people of faith.

This is not what I hear in the last sermon of Moses, or in the poem of Job, or in the teachings of Jesus. Certainly we live in a world of troubles. Sin substantially increases the likelihood of troubles. But these troubles are not due to God's anger.

Chata' gives us a wonderful understanding of sin. It means to miss your target, to lose your way, to take the wrong path, to lose oneself or, most provocative for me, to miss oneself.

When we leave the path of love, when we separate ourselves from God, when we actively participate in and amplify strife and error we will soon find ourselves in serious trouble.

But God is not angry. God is not sending these troubles. Rather, God keeps showing us how to turn-around and return to the path. The dissatisfaction, emptiness, and anxiety we feel is often the voice of God helping us to recognize the bad turn we made.

God continues in relationship. God continues to offer blessings. Even as I stumble along where any idiot knows not to go, God is there, tugging at my arm - my memory - my best sense of self to come back to the path.