Post by nina2 on Apr 17, 2007 4:45:18 GMT -5
"And Moses returned to God and said: "My God, why have You done evil to this people?! Why have You sent me?! For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done worse to this nation; and You have not saved Your people!'' (Exodus 5:22-23).
And what does God say? Hold on just a little longer and you'll see that it all turns out right at the end. Encouraging words, especially when coming from God Himself; but still no answer for the ultimate Question.
Indeed, the question/protest/outcry, "Why have You done evil to Your people?!" can issue only from the mouth of a true believer. The non-believer, too, may be outraged by the cruelty and suffering our world abounds with, but just who is he outraged at? The blind workings of fate? The oblivious and apersonal god of physical law and evolutionary process? The random arrangement of quarks that make up the universe?
Even people who believe in God are not necessarily driven to confront Him as Moses did. They may not believe that He is truly responsible for all that transpires in the world. They may not be convinced of His ultimate goodness. They may think that it's pointless to protest to Him, since He doesn't really care how they feel about it. Or maybe everything's just fine in their lives, and what's happening to the rest of the world just doesn't concern them.
The true believer, on the other hand, knows that everything that happens happens only because it is ordained from Above. He knows that God is the essence of good and that only good flows from Him. And he also knows that man can talk to God and expect a response to his entreaties. So he cannot but cry out: "My God, why have You done evil to Your people?!"
This is what we must learn from Moses. We must speak to God, confront Him, ask Him: Why is there evil and suffering in Your world? We do not know enough to comprehend the answer; we must, however, believe and care enough to ask the question."
And what does God say? Hold on just a little longer and you'll see that it all turns out right at the end. Encouraging words, especially when coming from God Himself; but still no answer for the ultimate Question.
Indeed, the question/protest/outcry, "Why have You done evil to Your people?!" can issue only from the mouth of a true believer. The non-believer, too, may be outraged by the cruelty and suffering our world abounds with, but just who is he outraged at? The blind workings of fate? The oblivious and apersonal god of physical law and evolutionary process? The random arrangement of quarks that make up the universe?
Even people who believe in God are not necessarily driven to confront Him as Moses did. They may not believe that He is truly responsible for all that transpires in the world. They may not be convinced of His ultimate goodness. They may think that it's pointless to protest to Him, since He doesn't really care how they feel about it. Or maybe everything's just fine in their lives, and what's happening to the rest of the world just doesn't concern them.
The true believer, on the other hand, knows that everything that happens happens only because it is ordained from Above. He knows that God is the essence of good and that only good flows from Him. And he also knows that man can talk to God and expect a response to his entreaties. So he cannot but cry out: "My God, why have You done evil to Your people?!"
This is what we must learn from Moses. We must speak to God, confront Him, ask Him: Why is there evil and suffering in Your world? We do not know enough to comprehend the answer; we must, however, believe and care enough to ask the question."