Black & White

I started reading Exodus again this week. I like this book, for the most part. I like reading about Moses, I like reading about God's power and it keeps me in line a little bit. I read chapter one yesterday and something stuck out to me.


The chapter starts with a new king taking over Egypt who was threatened by the people of Israel, the Hebrews. He enslaved them, "and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field" (vs 1:14). 

The king then orders the midwives of the Hebrew women to kill any boys that are born and let all the girls live.


"But the midwives feared God 
and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, 
but let the male children live." vs 1:17

When the king asked them about it, they answered:

"The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.
                                       So God dealt well with the midwives."

(I'm going to go ahead and try to forget that the verb 'vigorous' can be used in regards to childbirth.)

So I'm wondering: Does God allow lying?
Is it okay if it saves and protects people? When are we allowed to break the rules in the name of God? Maybe it seems pretty obvious that murdering children for a jealous Egyptian king is wrong, but there are situations in this same vein that get complicated. "Obey the laws of the land" says the Lord, but does that mean we shouldn't be smuggling Bibles into countries who don't allow them there?  Where does cultural relativism fall into place here?

Paul's letters, specifically the book of Romans, makes it clear that we are to obey the leaders that God puts in our lives. We are repeatedly told to pay taxes and respect authority. Why does God reward the midwives for lying? I don't know, but this is what I think.

God doesn't want us to follow a list of rules, right? That's what I hear. But he gave Moses a list of rules, commandments, for people to obey. But he's far more interested in our heart.

God is not a god of legalism, but a God that desires obedient hearts. He doesn't want us to rattle off Scripture for the sake of following commandments, he wants us to know him. The more we know his heart and his son, Jesus, the easier it is to make the right choice in complicated situations. Jesus told us to go spread the gospel across the world. Does that make smuggling Bibles okay? I don't know.

Wesley Towne used the term "civil disobedience" in a sermon on this topic once. We are to filter all our decisions through God's word and never violate it to obey another leader.  That seems straight forward enough, but it can't be done without knowing God.



Just a thought.

Iron & Wine

Like others, if I experience a few hardships in a row, I find myself flipping through the chapters of Job, seeking him as a comrade. I skip ahead to the end of the book, hoping for some sort of promise that God will never allow such heartache induced by Satan again.

{For those unfamiliar with the book of Job, it opens with God talking with Satan. He points out Job's faithfulness to him and Satan sneers at him, claiming that if his life was hard, he probably wouldn't worship God. He then allows Satan to test him any way he wants, as long as he doesn't kill him. All of Job's families, servants and livestock are killed. He loses all possessions, experiences long-term suffering and still praises God.)

My life is very blessed and I shouldn't dare compare it to Job's. Recently, that book has left me with a heavy question that I can't find an answer to.


                               Does Satan have to receive permission from God 
                                                       every time he attacks?

I have a few thoughts.
            First of all, I'm very curious why God draws Satan's attention to Job in the first place. "Have you seen my servant Job?" he says. Since I believe God is sovereign and far more powerful than evil, I know that Job is in no real danger. However, he did lose everything he had and experience more suffering than any other person mentioned in the Bible.
            What does this say about God? A lot. But to me, it's a reminder that  
                                                                                                   holiness precedes happiness.

Another thought. How often do Satan and God chitchat? Does Satan have to be given permission each time he takes over someone? Every time someone is possessed, every time someone is controlled by him? Part of me thinks that Satan has received power over the earth and over unsaved people to do what he pleases with them. Jesus refers to Earth as 'the other kingdom' as opposed to Heaven, but there is no real Scriptural evidence that I can find.

I know that 'free will' is also part of the answer. Satan isn't exactly forcing our hand every time something terrible happens. People do evil things, make poor choices and cause harm.

However, even if you don't believe in the influence of God, the Holy Spirit or the power of prayer, it's likely that you believe in ghosts, demon-possession or evil spirits. Or at least the producers of Ghosthunters, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Paranormal Activity assume you do. (It's much easier to be convinced of evil power than the supposed power of Jesus, apparently.)


So is God allowing this each time it happens? Maybe. Maybe God and Satan spend more time together than we assume they do. Either way, I want to have the same heart Job does in trial. Moments after Job is told his children have been killed and his possessions have been destroyed, he stands and says:

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." vs 1:20

I love and follow a sovereign God that doesn't need to explain himself. For some, that is exactly why they deny him as a good and loving God. But that is one of the things that draws me near to him.




Just a thought.