Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham. And the Lord made his people very fruitful, and made them stronger than their foes, whose hearts he then turned to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants. (Psalm 105: 23-25)

The Hebrew scripture presents God in various ways. In many of the Psalms, Exodus, Job, and elsewhere God is the ultimate choreographer. "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1: 20-21).

But there are also important stories, such as Esther, where God inspires, informs, and perhaps even transforms, but the actors clearly make their own choices and produce their own outcomes. Which is it?

If Jesus is God's most important intervention, what does this example suggest regarding God's role?

The intevention began quietly and in an unexpected way. Jesus gave priority to being in relationship with God and with one another. His teaching was clearly compelling to many, but it was also entirely possible to reject or neglect the teachings.

For the intervention to be effective many had to take risks and make sacrifices. People were persuaded to risk and sacrifice by a variety of means, but it remained their free choice. They were engaged, not manipulated.

The intervention - because it allowed for free choice - was not consistently successful. Whether it was the rejections of the Lakeside Ministry, or the multiple misunderstandings of the disciples, or the denials of Peter, God's intervention suffered set-backs.

It seems to me that while God almost certainly has the power to impose, God has chosen to exercise restraint. Through this restraint we have the ability to choose. God intervenes to encourage better choices.

Perhaps God was once a choreographer. But God has become more like the director of an extemporaneous play. God is a very helpful guide. What we do with the guidance is our choice.