Judges Series - Week 18 - “Do You Trust Me?”

  Fall Fail Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtgM-Rof2rI

Trust falls don’t always work, but it’s this idea of trust that brings us back to our summer Judges’ series, where are doing an epilogue to the book, because it ends on such a low note. So today we’ll be looking at the first of three areas that stem from the ending of Judges, which is found all the way towards the back of the Bible in the book of Hebrews chapter 11. And as we open up to Hebrews 11:1, lets take a brief inventory of the whole book of Judges.

Judges is a book that let’s us look through a snippet of time that deals with three themes of Scripture: God’s faithfulness despite unfaithfulness, his call on his people to obedient lives, and that when we disobey, our sin affects not only us but the world around us. The entire Bible deals with these three themes, but in Judges, we see how they play out through a handful of situations in the life of Israel as a nation. These situations show us a cycle of sin, judgment, repentance, restoration. This plays out again and again through the book, but instead of thinking this cycle is circular in the sense that Israel returns to the exact same spot they started, we’ve talked about how it is more like a whirlpool, as Israel is sinking deeper and deeper into flagrant sin and moving further and further away from God.

So through the this whirlpool of moving further from God and deeper into sin, we see those people God raises up to bring about restoration, get worse and worse as well. The judges’ downward slide in morality mirrors the whole of the nation. And when we get to the worse of the judges, Samson, we finish off the book with two stories about men who are suppose to be the holiest of all from the priestly tribe of Levite, falling into wicked behavior. The book then ends on the haunting phrase, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes (v.25).”

This lets us know that Israel was far from God, steeped in sin, and seemingly without hope.

But there is hope even with sin is walling us in on all sides, and so we turn our eyes to the New Testament and the book of Hebrews 11:1. Let’s read the opening verses together. 

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

The 11th chapter of Hebrews is structured in a way that builds up to the conclusion that starts in verse 39 and carries over through chapter 12 to verse 2. That build up starts with the words we just read. 

What is faith? The writer of Hebrews tells us that it is an assurance of what is hoped for, and it is a conviction of what we cannot see. When the writer gives us this definition, they then turn to give us examples of what this means. Our attention is turned to the people of old. To the people we read about in the Old Testament. The writer starts us with creation and how we have a conviction that God created all there is; not from what already existed like in other creation stories, but out of nothing and by his spoke word. 

It’s here that we begin to move through Old Testament figures. First comes Abel and Enoch who we learn were counted righteous because of their faith. If we were to read their stories, there’s not much there. Just that Abel presented an offering that God accepted, and that he was killed by his brother. For Enoch, we just simply know that he walked with God and was taken up to heaven, not tasting death. This culminates in verse 6 where the writer states, “6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

So faith now is coupled with pleasure. By us trusting in what God has said he has done, and trusting in what he says he will do, we please God. Think about the implication of that. God’s pleasure with us, begins when we simply trust what he says. There are two moments in the Disney animated film Aladdin, where Aladdin is standing with his hand outstretched to the princess and he tells her, “Do you trust me?” The first time he says it to her, it is stern and she has to make a quick decision if she trusts this man who she just met, to save her from the palace guards that she believes are after her. They then proceed to jump off the roof of a two story building. The second time Aladdin says the same statement, it’s in a playful way, which leads to a world wide experience flying on a magic carpet. Both call the princess to trust, both are for her benefit and both lead into greater trust.

God’s metaphorical hand reaches out to us and asks, “Do you trust me?” And when we take it, it brings pleasure to him, and a whole new world to us.

This then leads into an escalation of Old Testament people. From two, Abel and Enoch, to three, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah. These are strange. True Noah built the ark and he did so without grumbling. But Abraham and Sarah both have episodes where is doesn’t seem they are very faithful in there stories. Abraham denied that he was married to Sarah twice, whereas Sarah herself laughed at the very idea that in her old age she could have a son, and so she tried to make it happen through her servant Hagar. Yet, here the Scriptures commend all three on the same level of faith. 

This culminates in verse 13 where we read, “13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

There words, “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God..” are highly important, because it bridges these people who, though, were not perfect, were accepted by God through faith. Faith that wasn’t always perfect, but faith that trusted beyond their own failures. 

And so we get another block of people, Issac, Jacob, Jospeh, Moses, the whole op the people of Israel who crossed the Red Sea, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. WAIT! Did you catch that? Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, those are judges, and not just any judges, those are the judges that weren’t the good ones. Barak is the one who heard God’s call, but ignored it until Deborah took him to task. Gideon was the one who was scared, who questioned God, who made a show of not accepting a monarchy, yet did everything to look like a king. Jephthah wasn’t even called by God to be a judge, yet God worked though him, even when he made a horrific sinful oath, that brought ruin to his family, and which was followed by a civil war. Samson, never had an eye for the things of God, but rather sough after his own desires. Until one day, when divine punishment met with the punishment of Samson enemies, and he had no where to turn except to God, God was still there.

The great judges, Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar, are not mentioned, though they were the best that God used. No the worst of the judges are mentioned. Why? Especially when we look at the others that are mentioned. Issac who was the son of the promise to Abraham and Sarah. Jacob who brought about the twelve tribes. Jospeh who God used to save Israel from a famine. Moses who led the people out of their captivity in Egypt. Rahab, who turn away from her own gods to the God of the Hebrews and who became a grandmother to the Messiah Jesus. Why would these horrific judges be placed alongside of these great people of faith?!

And then to top it off, we read in verse 39 this, “39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”

These judges, who’s stories we read, are now commended for their faith? Did the writer of Hebrews even read the book of Judges? Yes, and their inclusion here, in the chapter that is called the Faith Hall of Fame, gives us an immense insight into who God is. He is the lover of humanity that treats even the smallest acts of faith with great weight. Even in their depravity, even at their worst, the smallest actions done in faith carry with them value to God. 

The value of small faith is something Jesus touches on in Matthew 17:20, where we read, “20 He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.’”

We tend to view faith as needing to be large for God to approve of it. We think that we must have trust that gets everything right. That if we stumble in anyway, we are now on God’s naughty list, as if he were Santa Clause. 

But this is a wrong view of faith. To God, the smallest amount of faith, the smallest amount of trust we put in him, is treated on a massive scale that puts us in God’s Faith Hall of Fame.

The inclusion of such horrible judges, lets us know, we could mess up in monumental ways, ways that could lead to the destruction of relationships a hundred times over. But even the smallest of faiths in the life of someone who does that can still receive the grace of God. Because grace is not based on how good we are for God, it’s solely and squarely based on the goodness of God. 

When Paul writes in Romans 8:31-39, “31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’

“37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

If we have put our trust in God for our salvation through Jesus’ work on the cross, no falter in that faith is so large that God turns away from us. God takes the smallest of faith and turns it enormous. As Jesus stated about faith in Mark 4:20, when talking about what happens when trust in God takes root in our lives, he said this, “But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

So how does this section end? The thought concludes in chapter 12:1-2, “1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Brothers and sisters in the Lord, we are called to lay down sin, to lay down burdens because if God accepts the smallest of faith from people like Barak, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson, he’ll accept it from any who places their trust in him. No matter how deep their sorrow, how destructive their life, how impossible it seems in the deepest of depths, The great love of God reaches out to every person.

For us as individuals, that means when I falter God still accepts me, because of the work of Jesus. For those around us, it means that God can still reach that old curmudgeon, that person who thinks their good with their own goodness, that elderly person who was hurt by a church. God still loves them, he is still reaching out to them, and the smallest amount of faith turns the eternal tide of destiny.

My challenge then for us today is to not give up. In our own lives when the hardships of life seem overwhelming, when we falter and allow sin to gain a hold on us, when we seem far from God, God is not far from us. He can use a little trust, a little faith, to bring about monumental work. He didn’t call us to be perfect to gain his eternal life, he bought eternal life for us to make us perfect. So praise God that he did this for us.

But also, do not give up on that person who is denying Jesus. Do not stop praying for them, do not stop loving them and sharing with them the work of God in your life. If God can save a Barak, a Gideon, a Jephthah, a Samson, he can save them as well.

Let us be encouraged today, that God is working in the smallest of areas, to bring about his love in the lives of his people, and through them, the lives of this world. Amen.

Judges Series - Week 17 - “Consider, Counsel, Speak”

  If you haven’t heard by now, as of Saturday September 8, 2023, the military arm of the Palestinian government, Hamas, attacked Israel, surprising everyone. Last estimates puts 300+ Israeli military and civilians dead with 1,600+ wounded. Civilians have been paraded down streets, taken out of their vehicles, and displayed after being killed by Hamas militants. This attack is significant because it happens to be 50 years since the Yom Kippur nineteen day war. Just this morning, Israel has officially declared war.

The Western world is outraged, while countries like Iran, who fund Hamas, stand on the UN floor and chant death to Israel. As believers in Jesus, it might make us wonder is this leading to the end? And the answer is, yes. We are quickly coming upon the end that Jesus spoke about. We are closer today than the first disciples, and we’ll be closer tomorrow than today. Every action, every event that we see, is inching us closer to the return of Jesus. But the abhorrent things that we’re seeing today, is a part of Israel’s history.  

As we come to the end of the Judges, if you have been through the whole summer series with us, you know that Israel’s history is bloody. Both from wars with other nations, and from internal conflicts of their own.

It’s these internal conflicts that brings us to our final week in the book of Judges, where we’ll be picking it back up in chapter 19, verse 30. But even though we’ll finish the last two chapters today, and so closing out Judges properly, we’ll spend two more weeks looking at the aftermath that comes from the book. But as we return to Judges 19:30, let’s look back on where we are so far. 

In the final section of Judges we talked about how the two last stories are about men from the tribe of Levite. These final two stories focus on them, because they are supposed to be the holy men, and yet, their actions show us that they have strayed just as far as the rest of Israel in their dissent in following God with purity.

We saw how both of the Levites went outside of God’s boundaries, and once outside of them, they disregarded the commands of God. For the first Levite, this led to the development of mixing the worship of the God of the Bible, with the worship of other Near-Eastern deities. For the second Levite, it led to the abuse and death of his concubine wife. Both stem from a rebellion against God’s command, and both lead into bigger issues. This why we said that God has given us boundaries that we might thrive, and people that we might stand up for.

With all the pain and suffering that we’ve seen, especially with the abuse and death of the concubine, we took a week to briefly address the question, “why does God allow evil?” In addressing this we talked about how God created a universe in which love could be experience, through the ability to choose. But in such a universe where there is choice to love God, which carries with it obedience to him, there is the choice to not choose God and instead disobey. It’s from this choice to disobey God that evil happens. And so we walked away from last week with the understanding that the question isn’t, “why God allows evil”, the true question is, “why do I?” Taking responsibility for the choices we make that lead to evil, is the beginning of God’s work in our lives. Because when we can recognize that we disobey God, what the Bible calls sin, then God’s work to correct that evil happens in our lives. 

With all of that at the forefront of our minds once again, we turn to the aftermath of the second Levites’ rebellion. In so doing, we’ll be reading the major points of the story as we make our way through the final two chapters of the book of Judges. So let’s read together starting in Judges chapter 19, verse 30.

“30 And all who saw it said, ‘Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak.’

“Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah. 2 And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 men on foot that drew the sword. 3 (Now the people of Benjamin heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the people of Israel said, ‘Tell us, how did this evil happen?’ 4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, ‘I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night. 5 And the leaders of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house against me by night. They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead. 6 So I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed abomination and outrage in Israel. 7 Behold, you people of Israel, all of you, give your advice and counsel here.’”

“8 And all the people arose as one man, saying, ‘None of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his house. 9 But now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot, 10 and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to bring provisions for the people, that when they come they may repay Gibeah of Benjamin for all the outrage that they have committed in Israel.’ 11 So all the men of Israel gathered against the city, united as one man.”

These twelve verses set up the immediate response of the people to the Levite cutting up his concubine’s body and sending it as a message to the people of Israel about the tribe of Benjamin. But when the other tribes and clans met to find out what happened, our Levite friend isn’t fully forthcoming. There is no mention of the men of Gibeah wanting to have sexual relations with the Levite, though the word abomination is used, which indirectly points to it. There is no mention of the Levite himself sacrificing his concubine to the men to save himself. There’s no mention of the old man who did take the Levite in and tried to protect him. 

This Levite is leaving out some key information, as he riles up Israel. This shows us that people were getting up set and going to war over misinformation long before social media. And we see in verse 8, that the Levites words work to get the people upset with Benjamin, of course not without cause.

Yet, notice that Israel decides to go to war with their brothers in the tribe of Benjamin, without asking God what they should do. This is important, because up to this point, since chapter 17, God has not spoken, nor has he seemed to act at all. We’ve talked about the reason for this, being that every action that has been taken since God’s work with Samson has been a purely human work. The new mantra of these last chapters, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes (17:6),” is on full display. They are doing what they want apart from what God wants. And all the evil that happens is based on those choices to live in a rebellious state against God.

Not only do they decide to go to war, they do so by taking an oath, an oath that will come back to bite them. 

So the nation decides to go to war with Benjamin, when the tribe of Benjamin doesn’t turn over the men who killed the concubine. It’s then that they decide to ask God for counsel in the matter. In verse 18 we read, “The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, ‘Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?’ And the Lord said, ‘Judah shall go up first.’”

Notice the question Israel asks of God, “Who shall go up first to fight…” The nation already made their decision to fight. They already took an oath that all the men of Benjamin would be killed. So their not asking God for counsel in how to deal with this horrible act in one of the tribes, but rather, how best to deal death to them. What they have done is taken away God’s sovereign right to judge a tribe for their rebellious acts. A right we have seen him administer throughout the the book of Judges.

It’s because Israel circumvents God’s authority to make judgment on Benjamin that God’s response isn’t one of blessing, but almost of indifference and wholly in judgment against their act. God tells the nation to send up Judah. This would make the most sense, because Judah is one of the largest tribes and is well know for their warriors.

But they are quickly defeated, which shows us God’s displeasure on what they have set out to do apart from him. After the defeat, Israel’s tune slightly changes as they ask God if  should go up to fight against Benjamin, with God permitting it, but still in such a way that shows his displeasure for their decision (v.23). After they are defeated a second time, they ask one more time for God’s counsel, except their question and approach has vastly changed from their first attempt.

In verse 26 we read, “26 Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 And the people of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 and Phinehas (fin-a-us) the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, ‘Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?’ And the Lord said, ‘Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.'”

Israel’s demeanor has been humbled. God has brought judgment to them for their actions in circumventing his authority. When Israel acts in worship through offerings, acknowledges that Benjamin is one of the tribes of God, and asks if they should fight or cease, it’s then that God’s judgment turns from them and is directed towards Benjamin. There’s a theme of Scripture that calls us to be humble and defer to God so that judgment may pass us and that God may work as he so chooses. Jesus said it like this in Matthew 7:1-5, “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”

Israel was trying to remove sin from Benjamin, by jumping into sin themselves. We question why God doesn’t more quickly bring about judgment on people when they deserve it, one thing we must ask ourselves, have I done something here to which God must correct me first? God leaves no sin un-dealt with, but must correct his children just as much as he must bring about judgment on the world. The Israelites learn this lesson in this moment, and once they do, God gives them the promise of victory, which, to their oath leaves the tribe of Benjamin decimated.

But remember that oath? Once Israel decimates Benjamin, they realize that the oath they took to destroy Benjamin was one that had lasting repercussions. In their fury to right the wrongs, and in turn subvert God’s authority, they have all but wiped out their tribal brothers. 

That one oath made in sin, then leads to two situations of further sin. This is what chapter 21 covers. The First instance is that they look for a loophole. In verse 8 of chapter 21 we read, “8 And they said, ‘What one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to the Lord to Mizpah?’ And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead, to the assembly.”

The loophole to their oath is that everyone that assembled against Benjamin would not give their daughters in marriage to them, but since this one clan didn’t show up to make that oath, their daughters were able to marry Benjamites. Ah, but in their oath they had to kill all those who didn’t align with them against the tribe. So what to do? Well, they decide to massacre the whole clan, except for the virgin girls of course. So their oath not only led to sin by usurping God’s authority to judge, but has now led to the massacre of both the Benjamites and a lesser clan of Israel. 

But it doesn’t stop there. Not all of the surviving Benjamites received wives. So what shall they do. Well we find out in verse 19 that there’s a celebration every year at Shiloh. During this celebration, the virgin daughters of Shiloh go and dance in the vineyards. So the gathered tribes of Israel tell the spouseless Benjamites to wait for the girls to come out and each of one of them should then take one of the girls for themselves, and the gathered tribes will cover for them when the families of the girls object. The oath of Israel that started in sin leads to the destruction of so many lives. Jephathah the judge who also made a sinful oath, only effected two people, this shows us the expansion of sin in Israel, who’s oath effected thousands. 

These two acts did help the tribe of Benjamin stave off extermination, and eventually God would work to bring something good out of it through one their descendants, because God can use the evil of humans to bring about his goodness. 

But Judges ends with the mantra, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes (v.25).” Letting us know, that what just happened was not God’s desire, but the desire of sinful humans, and leads into the establishment of Israel’s monarchy.

Judges ends, not on a high note, but on a kick to the stomach. How could God’s people allow such evil in their midsts? From the holy Levites who participate in establishing cults, to husbands sacrificing their wives, to entire nations usurping God’s authority in judgment, taking matters into their own sinful hands and causing mass destruction?

I think the words of chapter 19 verse 30 are extremely important to listen to, so that we might answer this question. “…consider it, take counsel, and speak.” These words are not fully responded to by the nation of Israel. The call was sent out to considered what had happened to the concubine, but they didn’t seek the counsel of God, and without that counsel, they spoke out of their own desires, which led to thousands of deaths and hundreds of families broken apart.  

These words of, “consider it, take counsel, and speak,” should give us pause in all circumstances. Too often we are rash with our words and actions, just like the nation of Israel. How many times have I flew off the handle, because I didn’t take a moment to consider what has happened, to take counsel from God and holy people, and then speak from a place of understanding, not out of sinful rage? 

The answer is, too often. I have been and probably would have been in lock step with the rest of Israel because in the heat of the moment, only those who are prepared will not be burned by sinful choices. As God’s people, we are called to his counsel room. To consider things in the light of God’s kingdom and to speak with a kingdom tongue. That is what God is calling us to today. Especially as events that we see in the news reflect the words of Jesus that point to his return. We are to seek his kingdom’s wisdom above our own, to consider kingdom goals above our own, and to speak with kingdom words that are not our own.

This is why Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Brothers and sisters, my challenge for you this week is to take these three words, consider, counsel, speak and make them a prayer in your life. In all circumstances pray these words before you act. It would sound something like this, “Lord before I take action, what would your advice be in this situation. Let me consider all aspects before moving forward, and let me speak in a way that brings you glory and others to know you.”

Let us be a people who seek after the Lord in ways that bring godly change around us. So that we would be known as people who are not given over to selfish and sinful desire, but are above reproach and live holy lives, pointing others to Jesus’ return as the world marches towards that fated day. Amen.

Judges Series - Week 16 - “Where’s God in This?”

 The most difficult question that I believe every Christian has to wrestle with is not, was the tomb empty? Was their a resurrection appearance? Not even did God create the universe? All these questions are becoming increasingly clear. New Testament scholars agree that the tomb was empty. They agree that, at the least, the disciples had encounters with Jesus after his death, and more and more scientists are rethinking their naturalistic positions on the origin of the universe thanks to things like the Fine Tuning argument.

These questions are not as difficult as they have been in the past, because of what we know of the evidence today. No, I believe that the most difficult question the Christian faces is, in light of the overwhelming evidence that there is a God, why then do we have evil in the world? In our Judges series, we come face-to-face with evil and we must ask the question why?

Why did God allow this concubine to be brutally abused to the point of death? Why did he allow the these evil men to exist? Why did he allow the Levite to make her a concubine? Why did he allow Jephthah to make a vow that led to him to sacrificing his daughter? Why did he allow the Canaanites to sacrifice their children to Moloch? And those are just some of the brutal moments we’ve read about in the book of Judges.

This question of evil, or what theologians call Theodicy, deals with the idea of, if God is all-good and all-powerful why then is there evil in the world? As atheist Sam Harris stated in his debate against Christian apologist William Lane Craig, “Given all this that your God does not accomplish, in the lives of others. Given the misery that is being imposed on some helpless child at this instant. This kind of faith is obscene. To think in this way is to fail to reason honestly, or to care sufficiently about the suffering of other human beings.”

Harris’ words are cutting, and if you would hear his final argument, it would hit you in the heart, because few in our culture wants the suffering of others, and fewer still want the suffering of children. Yet in our world, that’s what we see. Suffering abounds. From the famine stricken countries, where children are seen walking around as skin on living skeletons, to the massive Tsunamis that kill tens of thousands of people. 

As Christians we must wrestle with this idea of, why do these horrific things happen, especially when the Bible tells us that God is loving, mighty in power, knowing all things. The question must be wrestled with.

And the answer that I’ve come to is, God can’t win in this situation. What I mean by that is, not everyone will be satisfied with the answer, and so God won’t win them over.

If God created us, as the Scripture reveals, to have the ability to choose to follow him, which is goodness and righteousness and leads to eternal life, or choose to disobey him which is choosing not to follow him, being what is called sin, which leads to death. Then we question God, why would he do such a thing knowing that sin would lead so many into destruction? And if the answer is, because love is a free choice and God loves us, and gives us that ability to love in return, then God is accused of being complacent in the actions of his creation. 

People would then say God should just override that sinful choice and make people love him, or at the very least, not make the choice that hurt others. But then, if God did that, he would then be accused of forcing his love upon others, committing the same evil that he was trying to prevent. And so God can’t win in the eyes of someone who won’t accept the answer.

But then there are others that say, God shouldn’t have made a world in which people could choose to disobey him. Yet in such a world love couldn’t occur, because real love is choice. To force someone to love is to abuse them as a person. You might have a facade of love, but no real love occurs, because it wasn’t chosen by the person to be extended to the other. We could then accuse God of abusing his creation, not allowing them to have a choice. And so God can’t win in the eyes of a person who takes that stand.

So what can God do? To do anything at all means that God has to make an initial decision on how to proceed with his creation. God has the choice of creating a universe where love is either real or an illusion. Because evil comes down to the choice of love. God choose to create a universe in which his image bearers could make a choice for love. By giving them that choice, however means that both good and evil could be chosen.

And in so doing, sin can enter the world, and when sin enters, l death follows. And now we have the world we do. Sin’s infectiousness can be seen in all facets of the world around us. On the micro level of human interaction, we see sin’s infection through the abusive language we use, or the inner thoughts of deceit we contemplate. Personal sin, then effects others, through broken relationships of abuse and neglect. On the macro level, we see not just how sin infects our society, with the injustices, but also how that sin infects the very planted we live on. Humanity is not just infected, but through our sinful acts, creation itself has been distorted, and so the hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, floods, and all the intense and destructive events that destroy on a massive scale all have their roots in the sinful actions of humans. Because in Geneses 3, when the consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin are laid out by God, both the humans and the planet they live on, fell under the curse of sin.

So why is there evil, it stems, not from God himself, who acts in goodness, but by the actions of human beings. But even here, to the one that doesn’t want to take responsibility for themselves, God can’t win. He gave us the choice, it’s his fault, and we’re right back where we started, blaming God for not overriding our bad choices, which in turn destroys love.

But what we see in our world is a world of choice, and because of that choice, we see both good and evil. And the Bible doesn’t shy away from this choice and it’s ramifications. The Scriptures show the horrors of our choice of engaging with sin. From the men at Sodom paralleled with the men of Gibeah, who desired unnatural sexual relations with men, and who in turn abused women when they couldn’t get what they wanted. To Amnon and the raping of Tamar his sister. To the slavery of the Israelites, and the sacrificing of children to Canaanite deities. And the murdering of children by the hand of the king of Egypt and his parallel in Herod the king of Judah. The Bible doesn’t shy, nor gloss over, the horrific actions of God’s image bearers. The Bible doesn’t show us perfect people, who never act unlike the people that surround us today. That’s why the writer of Ecclesiastes states his famous line, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun (v.1:9, ESV).” And Paul echos this sentiment when he writes in 1st Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man (ESV).”

Yet though we’ve taken our ability to choose and corrupted this world, God has not abandon us. In Genesis 6:5-6 were told that, “5 The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thought of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he has made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain (NIV, 1984).” But even though God is grieved by our choices, he still works to bring us out of the eternal consequences of those choices. In every instance of evil choice, there’s a choice to turn back to God. When the evil of the world became so great, and God decided to use a flood as judgment, he gave an ark as a choice to escape the coming judgment, but only eight people got on. Later on when the nation of Israel was enslaved to the Egyptians, God sent a judgment of taking the first born child of the Egyptians and gave the choice to both the Israelites and their enslavers to put lamb’s blood on their door posts, so that the judgment might passover all those who obeyed God, but many of the Egyptians didn’t obey, most notably the Pharaoh. Again and again throughout the ages of human history, for every choice of evil that is before humanity, the choice to follow God’s path is laid out by God himself. The greatest of these choices is whether to follow Jesus, God himself come down to be the final great choice to follow God or not. Jesus is ark of Noah. Jesus is the lamb’s blood on the doorposts.

God does not gloss over evil, giving punishment for it, yet at the same time giving the choice to turn away from that evil, receiving forgiveness of the choice to sin, and saving us from the punishment that our evil choice has garnered. 

God has not abandon us to the choice of evil, he has and all ways will present us with the alternative of his goodness. This is why Jesus spoke these famous words in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” That is the choice that is rooted in love, that God gives humanity the option of choosing him or not. To choose the path that leads to life eternal in joy and peace, or to life eternal of separation from God which leads to suffering. 

But to the person that doesn’t like that answer, the answer that matches what we see in the world right now, God can’t win. God won’t win us over, when we want to blame him for being given the choice. God can’t win when we want to choose something other than him and not face the consequences of that choice. But God’s not out to simply win, he’s out to transform. Paul wrote to a slave-master these words in the letter to Titus, “3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life (3:3-7).”

God wants us to experience the best things he has made, but that experience is rooted in the choice of love. To love God by choice is true love on our part, and being given the choice to reject God’s love is true love on God’s part.

The answer to why is their evil in the world when God is all-good and all-powerful, is that humans have the choice and God won’t over power us, because choice is rooted in love and he would be unloving if he forced us to choose. In reality, this question seeks to shift responsibly from us to God, and so the counter question, the real question is, “why do I allow evil in this world?” Why do I not stand up for the oppressed as God tells me to (Psalm 82:3)? Why do I let injustice prevail (Isaiah 10:1)? Why do I let hate, and envy, and selfishness reign in me and through me bring destruction to the world (Romans 6:11-23)? If we really want to deal with evil in this world, we need to start with the evil I produce through my own actions, and the only way that can be dealt with is through the working of God’s Holy Spirit in us. And the only way we can receive the Holy Spirit is to make the choice to accept Jesus as our Savior.

Accepting Jesus as Savior is accepting that I have chosen evil. I have chosen my own way instead of God’s. I have chosen to sinful desire and wicked thoughts over God’s desires and his thoughts. And those choices have not only added to the evil that surrounds me, but is leading me to an evil end, where God will finally correct all evil in the lake of fire, which is an eternal judgment and punishment for the evil we chose. But Jesus on the other hand chose the things of God as he walked this earth. No judgment was warranted on his life, like it is on ours, and yet he was killed by the very people he came to save, and because of that willing death, he opens the path to choosing eternal life. And as the Scriptures says, “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).’”

When we encounter instances like we did last week, where the men of Gibeah and the Levite priest’s action led to the abuse and death of an innocent woman, and we are faced with the question, why does God allow such things, the better question is, would we have allowed it? If we say, I would never, then we must look at our lives and if we are letting injustices happened, if we are allowing past hurts to hurt others now, if we are making choices that are evil, then we might not do the same actions, but we participate just as much in evil as those people did. The world of the judges isn’t a world unique to the past, but it is alive and well today, and the choices we make as individuals can either add to it, or bring about the alternative. 

We are being called to choose the goodness of God. That choice is based in the love God has for every one of his image bearers. In a world that choses the things that stand against God, our choice to follow God’s word is the only thing that brings light into the darkness that oozes from evil choices. 

So my challenge this week is two fold: If you haven’t, the choice of choosing Jesus as Savior stands before you. This is the central choice to turn to God and embracing his love for you. Our choices apart from God lead to the ever increasing evil in this world; we have no one to blame for that evil except for humans seeking their own selfish desire. But Jesus not only paved the way for us to make good choices, he also pays for the evil choices we have made. Sin is dealt with on the cross, because once we sin, we can’t make enough good choices to fix it. But until we choose to accept Jesus as our Savior and move forward following him, our choices will continue to add to evil in this world. So the choice is before you, God is calling you to choose good, which begins with Jesus. 

For those who have accepted Jesus as your Savior, take a real look at the choices you have made in the last week. Take a piece of paper and make two columns, one of sinful choices and one of godly choices. In the godly choices column, put the things that you have chosen to do that God has said to do that you can back up from his word. In the sinful choices column put everything else. An example, in the godly column I could put, I encouraged a brother in their struggle. In the sinful column, I chose to hold anger against that politician or gossip about that neighbor. 

In doing this let us not sugar coat our choices, making excuses on why we did it, but just accept the personal responsibly that we did it. Then take the paper before God and rip it in half. Take the sinful column and praise Jesus for the sacrifice he did to pay for those sinful choices, asking the Holy Spirit to transform you to make the choices he desires.

Let us be people who choose the goodness of God, because in doing so, we choose life, we choose joy, we choose peace, and we choose eternity in a future where sin no longer infects, and God’s love is fully experienced. Amen.