My last story was about the amazing relationships that can spring
forth out of the adversity we often encounter in our lives. Today I will
be exploring just WHY God allows bad things to happen. For example,
what reason could God possibly have for allowing someone to get cancer,
when Almighty God has the power cure it all?
First,
let's go back into the Old Testament and see how God's people, the
Israelites, are doing at obeying their God. They are not doing well.
They are disobedient and stiff-necked. They worship other gods and The
One True God is rather upset with them. So upset that He is going to
hand them over to their enemies.
"20 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, My anger and My fury will be poured out on this place—on man
and on beast, on the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground.
And it will burn and not be quenched.”
"21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat meat. 22 For
I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I
brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or
sacrifices.
23 But
this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be
your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I
have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ 24 Yet
they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and
the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. 25 Since
the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day,
I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up
early and sending them. 26 Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers." - Jeremiah 7:20-26
God's
people eventually repented. Those of them who were left anyway. But
then they drifted away again and God's wrath came down on then . . .
again. This pattern repeats itself again and again throughout the entire
Bible! Sin, punishment, repentance, forgiveness. We never learn. God
used punishment back then to get the attention of His people and to draw
them back to Himself.
God is the same yesterday, Today
and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Why would God change His pattern now? The
only thing different that God has done since then has been for His
punishing His one and only Son to pay for our sins with His death. Yet
we STILL sin. We just can't seem to stop sinning.
God
is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14). He wants our obedience. So much so that
He was willing to sacrifice His Son to get it. Would He use an illness
or some other hardship to draw us to Himself? He has done it throughout
the Bible. Why would He, The Unchangeable One, suddenly change? WE are
the ones who must change.
As we walk through this life
it is our obedience and love that God wants. He will use whatever means
necessary to achieve that. But we are a stubborn people, fighting Him
every step of the way.
It would be easy to close this
story with something warm and fuzzy. There are instances scattered
throughout His word about how loving and forgiving God can be. And He
is. But, if we are truly in the last days like most scholars think we
are, it's only going to get worse. We will continue to frift further and
further away. Until . . .
Only the true church will be saved.
When
Jesus returns and raptures His church, things on earth will REALLY get
bad. Only after Jesus returns and sets up His kingdom on the new earth
will things be different. THAT is when things will get warm and fuzzy.
Until then though we are going to be in for a mighty rough ride, unless
we repent and turn to God.
When Moses encountered God
he repented from his wicked ways on gave himself over to God in
obedience. It cost him much - the kingdom of Egypt. But he gained
everything and led God's people out of slavery in Egypt to The Promised
Land.
It is no different for us today. If we repent and
are obedient to God, He will deliver US to The Promised Land. Why? He
has promised!
"14 If
my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and
pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I
hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14
Moses Stands Firm For God in Front of Pharaoh - The Ten Commandments
Repenting of Sin and Returning to God - David Platt
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