John3Thirty

In my devotional reading I have moved back into the Minor Prophets. I always joke that these are the easiest part of any Bible to find because the pages are usually still stuck together. It is sad that these are so overlooked by the average Bible reader—seldom read except as part of an organized Bible reading program. The Minor Prophets have much to say to us today about major questions we have in life.

One such question is my philosophical favorite—the question of evil. The question of evil is one that has inspired generations of unbelief from people seeking but failing to find an answer. It is asked in various ways:

“Why do bad things happen to good people?”

“Why would an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving God allow evil to exist?”

“Why would God permit sin, especially some of the more horrendous sins?”

If you think you are the first to ask this, rest assured that you are not alone. If you would like to consider my answer, check out my article here. This question has been asked from time immemorial. In the Minor Prophets we find it addressed in Habakkuk. The prophet starts by asking God why He seems to not listen to calls for help (1:2), and why it seems the law is paralyzed and justice never prevails (1:4). We’ve all felt this way at times and we want to call God to task for it, just as Job did and as Habakkuk does here. God responded to Job by showing his own smallness in asking the question. God responds to Habakkuk by declaring the intent to make things even worse.

God tells Habakkuk that He is going to answer the question of why evil succeeds and good fails, by calling up and bringing forth a far more evil nation—Babylon—to sack Judea and carry God’s people into captivity. In other words, God is going to answer the question of evil by sovereignly calling into service those who are far more evil. An evil nation will prosper and those under God’s covenant are to be scourged by them.

Habakkuk’s response is beautiful: “O Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, we will not die. O Lord, you have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish” (1:12). He sees that God, who is their everlasting Lord, has a different time frame from mankind. While mankind wants an answer and delivery now, God has His own plan, agenda and schedule. God will follow that and not be held to a creature’s standards. The prophet knows that God’s plan includes the eventual delivery of his people and their purification. Habakkuk trusts God to make the right decision and understands that whatever God does is within God’s right to do.

When you look at the world around and wonder why evil seems to flourish and good seems to fail, understand that God is in control. His schedule is working. His plan is succeeding.

I love the interaction of Boaz and Ruth. Boaz has heard about Ruth and what she sacrificed for her mother-in-law and pronounces a blessing on her (2:12 NIV), “May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” He could have stopped there as we too often do. It is easy to proclaim a blessing upon someone, wish them well and encourage them to go with God—key word “go.” When we find ourselves around the sad stories, destroyed lives and distraught sufferers it can be easier to pull away. Of course we don’t want to sound callous so we proclaim some blessing on them, “May God bless you,” or promise, “I’ll pray for you.” We appear spiritual while ignoring their pleas. This is the easy way to handle hurting and suffering around us, but as with most of the Christian life, God seldom expects to take the easy way.

Instead of simply verbally blessing Ruth, Boaz knows that it is up to him to be that blessing for her. He encourages her to stay in his fields, eat his food and drink from the same vessels as his servants. He also tells those who would be guarding his interests to not harm the woman and to secretly make it easier for her to glean (2:16NIV)—“Rather pull out some stocks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up and do not rebuke her.” Boaz understood that God blesses through the actions of His people. While He could miraculously provide for Ruth, God had ordained Boaz as her miracle. In the same way, when God brings people your way, it is for you to help them. For too long the Church has forfeited blessings they could only receive through blessing others. We all get busy and tied up in life; however, this too often masks apathy.  Don’t be the person that says, “Go with God and be blessed.” Be the person that says, “Here I am God, bless others through me.”

Ruth Gleaning

I’ve moved to one of the most beautiful stories of scripture for my devotional reading, the book of Ruth. This story moves me as I think of an old woman and her daughter-in-law reduced to harvesting grain left over in the fields and then go on through the story and discover how God cares for them. The story begins with the heart breaking story of a Jewish family moving to Moab to escape a famine in their homeland. While there the father dies and the two sons take Moabite wives. In time, the sons die. In the world view of Naomi, the old woman, God has greatly stricken her. For what sin was she stricken? She gives no indication of knowing, but insists that the actions of God have been for her harm. It is easy for us to fall into this same pattern. We assume bad things are a punishment from God. This book should dispel that habit.

Had these things not happened we would not have the beautiful story of an outsider being accepted into the people of God. Not only was Ruth accepted into Israel, a relative by marriage overlooked her place and condition taking her as wife (another saw this as too much). In time she went on to become the grandmother of the King of Israel. This of course made Naomi the great grandmother of the king, and when Ruth was blessed Naomi was blessed as well. When bad things come our way, it is natural to assume the worst, to complain that God is unfair or to assume he is punishing us. Perhaps he is pushing us along to get us into the area where he intends to bless us. Perhaps his blows are not affliction, but the wind driving us into the land of blessing. When life seems to punch you in the head, take a quick look back to see if God is showing you an area to repent. If there is such, then repent quickly and turn from your sins. However, realize that God is pointing you forward, not back. He is the God who makes what was into what will be. He is working on you, through good and bad. They are not meant to simply grind you into the ground, but to make you stronger.

This week I was reminded that some in the body of Christ can do more harm than good. As usual, these people snuck in where they didn’t belong—the letters section of my favorite magazine. I have been a long time reader of Biblical Archeology Review and understand that while I like the magazine, it is not for everyone. For one thing they publish scholars from various perspectives—Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Atheist. Some authors stand firm for understandings of the archeology that support the scriptures, while others seem to make their life’s work undermining the scriptures. The best authors simply share the details of the archeology, accepting the truth wherever it falls. Into this scholarly world two personages appeared to complain. As fellow Christians, I must love them and pray for such people, but their archetype must be identified so that we can quickly identify their attacks as what they really are. In this way, while praying for them, we can minister to their victims and reduce the damage done.

The first type is the humorless unsmiling Christian who seems to think that cracking a smile is sacrilege and that God is just waiting to cast into out darkness all those who laugh. If you are this sort of person, let me assure you that God has a sense of humor. If you want proof, look at the Platypus.

Platypus

One person wrote a letter to complain about the cartoons in the magazine, declaring that such were disrespectful, blasphemous and nauseating. In response I found myself turning to one of my favorite sections, the cartoon to see what blasphemy was being perpetrated. There was a picture of two old men sitting by a stream, fishing. One man had his line in the water, while the water had backed away leaving a hole where the other man’s line hung in mid-air. The caption read: “Moses! Stop it!”

Moses Fishing

Now I know the writer of this letter will be appalled, but I find it hilarious and enjoy a bit of humor, especially when you consider how humorless many of our churches and people are. At one church I pastored, I included on the back of the bulletin a Christian cartoon weekly to give a little levity. One day I received a letter from a gentle old soul saying she felt the humor was out of place in church and was offended because not only did I put this cartoon on the bulletin, but actually had the audacity to laugh and share funny stories in my sermons. If we, who know the answers to eternity, cannot laugh and enjoy ourselves, then who can? If I know I am going to heaven and that God loves me, it should well up in joyful expression. So long as the humor is not crass, or hurtful then what sin is involved?

The next type is the Christian that sees an attack on his faith behind every tree. One writer questioned the magazines use of the designators BCE and CE for time periods rather than the more Christian BC/AD. He attributed this to giving in to political correctness and seemed to assume the magazine was written solely for Christians and by Christians. So, with this misunderstanding it was easy to conclude this practice was selling out. The problem is the writer did not understand the persons he was speaking to or the audience the magazine reached out to. The writer had mixed a modicum of understanding with a magnum of ignorance to conclude evil intentions. This person was unable to see that since the term AD means “year of our Lord,” a non-Christian might find it easier to deal with the Common Era usage. This is easy to do since many countries, having their own dating systems, still use ours as a common means of communication. For example, this is the Chinese year 4709; the Jewish year 5772; the Korean year 4344. Trade and scholarly study would be impossible if each ethnic group or nation kept its own calendar. A common calendar is more useful and since Europe has for so long been the center of trade, and the practitioners of colonization the European, Christian based calendar is accepted as the common one. This does not insult Christ. Actually it elevates him because it causes the whole world to mark years from the birth of Christ—at least it would if the Calendar wasn’t off by four to six years.

This last person reminds me of the Christians who get offended because a sign or letter at Christmas is abbreviated as X-mas. Much printed ink and sermonic hot air have been spewed against this practice. Shouts of “Keep Christ in Christmas!” ring through the land. They overlook that in Greek the Chi (X) is Christ’s first initial. In the word “X-mas” Christ is still there. So realize, it is good to be zealous, but please know what you are talking about. Otherwise it just gets embarrassing.

While reading the book of judges one theme runs throughout, “At that time Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” Israel was a peculiar nation led by priests, with each person in a covenant to obey God’s law. Their King was God and they were to need no other. Yet, as we read the book of Judges we are reminded of how sinful people can be.

How bad things were is displayed in the latter chapters of the book. In chapter 17 and 18 we meet Micah. Apparently Micah had taken a sum of eleven hundred silver shekels from his mother, which he returned to her after overhearing her declare a curse upon whoever took it. She responded by declaring a blessing over her son and consecrating the silver to YHWH. So what does she do with her newly consecrated silver? Does she take it to Shiloh to give to the Lord? No. Does she donate it to a local Levite or a local priest? No. She gives a portion to a silversmith to manufacture idols. These were put in Micah’s house as a makeshift temple. Eventually they lead a Levite astray to be their personal priest.

The final example is of the Benjamites in Gibeah. We see a replay of the story of Sodom except a woman is raped to death by the crowd. This event leads to war between the tribes and the alienation and near destruction of an entire tribe. This story is hard to read and very discouraging, but starts with the same words seen throughout the book of Judges, “In those days Israel had no king.” It seems to be assumed that with a strong king Benjamin would never have ill-treated the Levite.

A similar condition can be said to be present among God’s people today. There are similarities and differences. First, we are similar in that we have no overlord in the church deciding all issues of doctrine and practice. Such was attempted at one time in the person of the pope, but this resulted in far more heresy and abuse than it was intended to stop. Lord Acton’s adage—“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”—was well proved by those sitting on the “throne of Peter.” This actually shows that a human king cannot restrain the evil within men (The papacy was a human effort to establish Plato’s Philosopher King). Today, as in their day, each man does as he sees fit—this includes both genders. As a result we find ourselves in a vile society where evil is called good and good is called evil. But there is a difference.

We are different in that the Holy Spirit comes to live, personally, within each of us who calls on the name of Christ. He teaches us; restrains us; liberates us; guides us. The Holy Spirit has been given as a seal guaranteeing our acceptance by God and as the tool making us acceptable to God. Through reliance on the Holy Spirit we can know the truth and walk in it. The next difference is the presence of God’s Word. The ancient Israelites had so few copies of the law that at one point they will discover the law while remodeling the temple (2 Kings 22) and the king, upon reading it, will be saddened to discover how far they strayed from it. Today we have the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, cheaply available. They are so available that we no longer see them as being special. Availability has bred indifference.

Today, as then, we are free to do as we see fit. No morality police reins us in; no moral courts make decisions for us. We are free to believe what we want and to live accordingly. While most of us celebrate this freedom, we must remember it can produce evil as easily as good. However, we as the church have God living in our hearts, the word of God instructs in righteousness, and our king rules from the throne room of heaven. As a result we can live a life pleasing to God and beneficial to ourselves and our fellowman. So spend time in the Word and learn to discern and listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit guiding you in life.

Much ink has been shed over the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart in Exodus. While the Calvinist has no problem seeing God acting to assure Pharaoh would not listen, those who hold to a certain view of free-will see this as unfair to Pharaoh and not in keeping with a just, loving God. While I am not going to take the usual tack here and join in this fray, I will share some thoughts on the interchange between Moses and Pharaoh. Out of this I am sure you will conclude that, Calvinist that I am, I see no problem with the idea that God would sovereignly ordain Pharaoh’s disobedience, so I might as well admit that up front. For those who interject a cry of foul and unfair I will point to the words of Paul (Romans 9:20f NIV): “But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?” For now lay aside these thoughts as we look at the events, as recorded.

In Chapter 7, God lays out his plan to Moses. Moses and his brother Aaron are to go to Pharaoh and tell him to release the children of Israel. God will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will not release them until terrible plagues have cost the Egyptians dearly. Before you judge the events too harshly, look at the next passage (Ex 7:5) where God gives his reason: “And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.” God wants to demonstrate the truth about himself to the people of Egypt as the true God; the one God; the universal God. He must strike their gods—which the plagues accomplish. The greatest obstacle between YHWH and the Egyptians is the “Son of Ra,” Pharaoh himself.

In our society of equality before the law and democracy we don’t grasp details of monarchy quickly. In a theocratic monarchy, where the monarch is not only chosen by God, but seen as a god in his own right, there is one will that matters, and in Egypt that will was Pharaoh’s. YHWY demonstrated to the Egyptians the futility of worshipping false gods, those of flesh or those of stone. So why would God make such a demonstration to the people of Egypt? God intended to take his people from Egypt and plant them in Canaan—they would border the Egyptians in a land long contested by Egyptians and Hittites. Imagine you are a nation holding a minority people as slaves. The slaves secure their freedom against your will and a few years later you find they have settled within easy reach of your army. For the sake of His people God must make the Egyptians fear Him and them. In such an autocratic society, as Egypt, one touches society by touching the king. If God wants to teach the Egyptians a lesson he must teach it through their king. For the sakes of Israelites and Egyptians, God must harden the heart of Pharaoh. This is confirmed in Ex 9:16, where God raised up Pharaoh for the specific purpose of showing His power to the world.

Before you conclude that such an act would still be unfair, let’s look closer at the hardening itself. In each of the first miraculous signs and plagues (Ex 7:8-13, 14-24; 8:1-15) we see Moses demonstrate power to Pharaoh (staff turned to snakes, water turned to blood and the plague frogs) and each time the Egyptian magicians were able to mimic the miraculous act and then we read: “But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard.” While this example from Ex 7:22, shows Pharaoh’s heart being hardened by seeing his magicians doing the same deed, understand that Pharaoh’s hardness of heart was already a fact, but these actions confirmed, justified and intensified the hardness. From this point on the magicians are outdone with ever more dreadful plagues, but still Pharaoh’s heart remained hard.

While God sovereignly hardened the heart of Pharaoh for the sake of his people, the people of Egypt and the people of the world, Pharaoh played a part in this. He trusted his magicians, with their tricks and incantations. He chose to be deceived by them and to close his ears and eyes to what God was showing. Most amazingly he chose to believe his own press. He chose to keep believing his own divinity no matter how bad things got for him. It was not until the death of his own son—heir to the throne and of equal divinity to himself—that he would bend his will to that of YHWH. The true God had won the battle.

By the end of Exodus chapter four, Moses has fled from Pharaoh; taken a bride in Midian; spoken to God on the sacred mountain; met his brother in the desert and returned to Egypt, to deliver his people from bondage. In the last passage of that chapter (v31b) we read, “And when [the Israelites] heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.”

We see these people asking questions about God that we ourselves sometimes ask. As they suffered four hundred years of bondage it was natural to wonder if God cared about their suffering, or even heard their prayers and petitions. To understand this relief, we must understand their fear. They did not have the benefit of thousands of years of monotheistic thought and divine revelation as we do today. They would have only the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph to hold on to. At the same time they were surrounded by various polytheistic cultures. We know the Israelites had themselves resorted to worship of some of the local deities because they carried their images with them in the Exodus. Upon their victory in the land Joshua had to charge them to choose which god they would serve. The concept of one universal God was as alien to them as the concept of child sacrifice is to us today.

At this time they were not true monotheists and their fears about God hearing and caring (according to what they would have understood) were well founded. They were at best henotheists (believers in local deities or tribal gods) at this time with YHWH being seen as their tribal deity or a deity of Canaan and Haran. The idea of local gods meant that some deities were bound not to a people, but to a local geographic region. Their sovereignty was limited to this region alone and those who lived in the region had to learn to please this deity, regardless of whom they served elsewhere. We see this, many centuries later, when the Assyrians move foreigners into Samaria to replace the displaced northern tribes. The newcomers approached the locals to learn of the god that was worshipped in that area and adopted that worship as their own—thus was born Samaritan Judaism. The Israelites in Egypt would wonder if YHWH had authority in Egypt; is it possible his powers stopped at the border of Egypt? Is it possible that God did not live in Egypt and therefore couldn’t even hear their petitions? Of course they knew of the Egyptian sojourns of Abraham and Joseph, but four hundred years is a long time.

The other side of the question, “Does God care?” has been asked all through history and is common for us today. In their world the gods did not care for man. They performed for man because man did sufficient acts to appease them and earn their favor. The gods could be capricious and cruel. In the Babylonian flood story, found in Gilgamesh, we see this capriciousness when the gods caused the flood to destroy all humans because people are too noisy, making it is difficult for the gods to sleep. This is their view of deity. Moses brought word of a very different sort from their God—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God cares and hears.

We today ask the same questions: Does God care? Does God hear? We go through situations of life and we wonder if God even knows what we are going through. Is he even there, or has He withdrawn himself. Even when we know better, we still question. If we understand that God hears and knows about our suffering, we question whether He cares. If He cared, He’d act. Wouldn’t He? We understand that if our child were suffering we would do whatever it took to alleviate that suffering and as God’s children we expect the same from Him. Of course we overlook the times that we permit or even inflict certain forms of suffering on our children for their own benefit.

In times of suffering what we require is not deliverance but the knowledge that God cares and hears. Knowing this, we can withstand anything; resist anything; suffer anything. God loves you; His word assures you He hears and cares. Prepare for suffering, tribulation and deliverance—all three are the birth-right of God’s children.

“Consider it pure joy, my brother, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4 NIV.

All her adult life, since the first night of her marriage, Leah had to compete with her sister for the attention of her husband. While Rachel received the love of Jacob easily and without effort, Leah—knowing her place in the family—struggled for attention and love.

She had every right to expect the privileges of being the first wife (this was centuries before the law required a husband treat multiple wives equally). This along with his own natural larceny contributed to Laban’s insistence that the first daughter marry before the second. She was to be the first bride, with pride of place. Besides this, it seemed God had decreed she was to be the first wife—He gave her a son right away while her sister was unable to conceive. Was it Jacob’s upbringing in a home where mom and dad each had their own favorite child that caused Jacob to forget tradition and favor Rachel? Was it simple male insensitivity?

Though we will never know why, we can see the result. Leah gave every effort to win her husband’s affection. Rachel didn’t have to try, since she was the favorite. Leah could have become despondent and bitter. She could have decided that without her rightful place as the first wife, she would make Jacob’s life difficult. She didn’t respond this way though. Instead she kept working for the love she sought. In the end, culturally, Leah won.

Without getting bogged down in the minutia of afterlife studies and what happens to us after death, realize that that this subject was not as developed in the time of Jacob and Leah. Much has been revealed about the afterlife since the time of Leah and Jacob. The patriarchs thought of the afterlife as leaving this life and going to God in Sheol (the grave). Scripture tells us (Gen 49:31) that Jacob was to be buried with Leah, while Rachel was buried on the road to Ephrath (Gen 35:19). Leah’s bones would rest by Jacob forever, while Rachel was buried far off from the family tomb. Leah was finally in her rightful place. After a life of obediently seeking the best for her husband and family, in the end, she won; she was victorious over her sister.

This week’s reading brought me to Potiphar’s wife. Her husband was Captain of the Guard. As such he would be responsible for protecting the body of the pharaoh and empowered to kill, imprison or enslave anyone who might be a threat to Pharaoh. She would have been very aware of her husband’s status, because his status defined hers. The power he wielded established their social standing as a couple and hers as a woman and wife.

We see that she was used to getting what she wanted in the affair with Joseph. She was not a woman to take no for an answer and she was going to get Joseph into bed whatever it took. When she realized this was not going to happen and it appeared her husband might find out she accused Joseph so he was imprisoned. At this point, so far as she knows, the situation is under control.

Imagine her surprise when not many years later this young man, brought from prison, is elevated to be second only to “the Son of Ra.” Her husband would now be responsible to Joseph and responsible to guard his person as well. When we read that they placed Joseph in a chariot and had those before him bow, we overlook that it would have been Potiphar’s men who would have gone before and commanded the people to bow.

This woman whose husband gave her great social elevation suddenly finds the slave she mistreated elevated above her husband and as a result elevated above her. She must have understood the power that Joseph now wielded. One wonders if she feared retribution from Joseph. Would he have her husband executed or imprisoned? Would he seize their property? Would she be publicly exposed?

Fortunately, he was a man of God, who saw God at work in the background. This makes it easier to put up with mistreatment and injustice. When we are in bad times, the knowledge that God is in control and working his will and plan in our lives makes it possible to hold on and to keep moving forward without getting bitter or seeking revenge.