Weekly Devotional 6-26-17 Blame Wrongly Placed
Many times when a tragedy occurs such as by multiple deaths by storm, accident, disease, or the evil works of some person(s), the question is often asked, “What is God doing?” Just recently, for instance, a certain pastor addressing the murder of several persons said, “I don’t think we’re meant to understand everything that God does because He is God and we are not.” Perhaps he meant that we cannot always understand why God allows tragedy and that would be right. However, if he was placing blame on God, in any sense for the murder of these persons, he was greatly amiss.
James, the half-brother of the Lord Jesus, and the leader of the early Jerusalem church wrote, “13Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. 16Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:13-17 NKJV). James’ testimony of God, and his testimony about man, was not his own testimony, but God’s (2nd Timothy 3:16). His testimony was and is that He cannot sin or tempt anyone toward it. He is unchangeable. He does not remove Himself from His goodness.
Concerning storms of nature, they are the result of the cataclysmic change of the earth when its topography was changed during the flood of Noah. Concerning diseases, they are resultant of the molecular break down of life’s cellular structures. Remember, God warned Adam that in the day he disobeyed God the process of physical death would begin (Genesis 2:17). Concerning accidents, that is just what they are, accidents. Concerning murder, it is the result of sin; the rejection of God’s authority over one’s life. God does allow all of these things. He could prevent them, but because they occur, He obviously does not always prevent them. We have no way of knowing how many times God has prevented certain things, but to say that God caused a certain storm, caused a person to have a certain disease, caused an accident or motivated a person or persons toward murder is a charge that should never be made. God is a God of love. He is in the process of restoring the world to its pre-sin condition when there were no storms in nature, no disease, no accidents and no murder. The Apostle John was told of these wonderful things in the revelation given to him by Jesus, God the Son. He testified; “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God, Himself will be with them and be their God. 4And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4 NKJV).
Surely, one might ask, “What is He doing in the interim? What about all the people that have died over these many centuries, from Adam’s time until present which numbers in the billions? What benefit is a future restoration to them?” The answer is that man is an eternal being who has a future. When he dies, and he is right with God, he will be part of that new creation. For now, when the righteous man dies his spirit is transported immediately into the presence of the Lord (2nd Corinthians 5:6), and his body will be resurrected to newness of life. Consider the Apostle Paul’s testimony concerning this in his first letter to the Thessalonians. “13But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NKJV).
God, therefore, is not to be blamed for the tragedies that man suffers. Rather, He is to be praised for His wonderful work that brings man into His presence.
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Transforming Power; The Work of God on Behalf of Man
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