Thought for Today
Exodus 9:27 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.
Numbers 21:7 The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people.
John 9:2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him.
Romans 3:22 . . . For there is no distinction, 23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;
Were the plagues real? Were the serpents real? When we read the Bible, how do we distinguish between prose and poetry, between fact and poetic license? While your mind is set aswirl, also ponder, does it make any difference? For some reason, our Creator God has chosen to reveal the truth of God’s grace and love in sometimes cryptic fashion. It is almost as if God expects us to read, study and think hard about our relationship with God!
There are those days when I almost wish God had given us a 12-step program to salvation. There are days when I would love to be able to take a laminated card from my pocket, scroll down the very short list and find the answer to the question perplexing me instantly. There are even days when I think with envy about being an automaton, “a moving mechanical device made in imitation of a human being.” (internet search) Somehow, being a robot can seem very attractive, never being asked to think or decide anything, merely proceeding along mindlessly (no, that is not my steady state).
But, “Genesis 1:27 God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” So, we are called to determine for ourselves, were the plagues real? Were the serpents real? When we read the Bible, how do we distinguish between prose and poetry, between fact and poetic license? And, while your mind is set aswirl, also ponder, does it make any difference?
Did God punish the disobedient Israelites for their grumbling, saying, "Numbers 21:5 Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food."? Would our loving Creator God punish our sins or the sins of our parents by causing us to be blind?
For me, this is all part of a greater question, “Why does evil exist?” I do not find a direct answer in scripture. In fact, it seems to me that the revealed, inspired Word of God almost deliberately avoids any direct, unambiguous answer.
I thought on this as I read These Days this morning. The author focused on the serpent story in Numbers. In closing, the author wrote, “When we are in the grip of our own serpent terror and negative energy, we can courageously declare our own culpability and then ask for forgiveness and for prayer. Take a deep breath; speak your truth.”
I always strongly encourage speaking the truth and praying. I personally would prefer to always avoid being “in the grip of our own serpent terror.” But I believe this is all part of a greater question, a more important issue.
“Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” The issue is not about the whys and wherefores of good and evil. We know that good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. Things just happen!
I believe that Christians are called to live in the world, in the conditions we find all around us, and to respond as Jesus taught us to live. We are to love and pray for those who oppose us, even for those who persecute us. We are to pray for the bad things that happen to us and to all around us. Romans chapter 12 offers good guidance, especially “8 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Maybe we should regularly sing “They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love,” and ask ourselves, “Will they?”
Stay safe, pray regularly, trust God,
Pastor Ray