By Susan Franklin
When unspeakable acts of cruelty provoke us to indignation
should, we question the wisdom and goodness of God? To many people, earthly injustice prompts a
doubtfulness of the existence of God or at least a serious questioning of His
wisdom in not intervening to prevent injustice. Let’s fearlessly take this on.
Further, as finite humans do we have the ability to rightly
judge? Earthly judges fallible. Who is to say that Charles Manson deserves a
hotter place in hell than the prideful, who by sins of omission refuse to help
the poor, widows and orphans as James declared was the sign of a righteous
man. In fact, Manson’s brutally tragic
childhood as the son of a 16-year-old runaway is an example of what happens
when “good” people do not step in to help the helpless. Does the Bible not say “to whom much is
given, much is required?”
Next, consider Job.
Job was a righteous man, yet God allowed Satan to test him by allowing
him to lose all of his children, possessions, everything but his wife and his
own life. Further, he was misunderstood
by his own friends who spoke endlessly to him ad nauseum about how he must have
done something to deserve this. Then,
finally, Job spoke to God and complained honestly about his attempts at righteousness. What was God’s reply? He reminded Job that the Creator, the I AM,
is above men and can do as He pleases.
All our attempts to define who God is and how He should act merely
diminish the power, the wonder and majesty of the One who sits enthroned
above.
Finally, let’s examine what happened after Job forgave his misguided
friends. Miraculously, God restored
Job’s fortune and entrusted him with even more children than he had previously
lost. Once Job conceded that God is God
and Job is not, he passed the test and God blessed him with even more. When Job rose above his tragic circumstances
to honor and worship his creator as God and King of all, he passed the test of
faith.
The small “god” that many Christians worship, the weak,
disinterested, impractical, common little nothing we can define with mere human
words would surely fail to prevent evil if that is all there is. That is, if our mere human understanding is
the ultimate in knowledge and wisdom. But the God of the Bible, the real
Creator-God of Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Moses, who is far bigger and majestic
than we can fathom in every way, has a grander plan in mind and will one day
set all things right when Christ returns in His glory. Sufferings of this life cannot compare to the
glories that await the faithful in eternity.
So. the fact that sin, even violent acts, still go on are
really evidence of God’s mercy and patience with all of sinful mankind. He is not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance. His
eyes are searching throughout the whole earth looking for those who are fully
devoted to Him. He says in Jeremiah
33:3, “Call unto me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things
which you do not know.”
As Job proclaimed, “I know that my Redeemer lives and at the
last He will take His stand on the earth.”
