“The midwives however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt told them to do; they let th
In a land ruled by a king whose egomaniacal propensities stood undenied and unchallenged; a realm where the weak were exploited and dissenters eliminated, there lived women who believed themselves accountable to a higher authority than Pharaoh. Were it not for their civil disobedience Moses, Israel’s deliverer would not have been born. In today’s world kingdom, where the secular and material gods strut and swagger, God has his servants, and his people are blessed because of
“I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You sh
In Eden, Mankind was specified in terms of his relation to the Creator. Since the world environment is now compromised through sin, humanity can still experience its creator God, but only within a relationship of salvation. Men and women must need access the infinite creative resources of God, as beings in need of deliverance. It can be well for us only as we approach God deeply conscious of his concern for our plight, and as we never forget what he has done to set us free
“O earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry never be laid to rest.” (Job 16:18).
From the mouth of one man the cry of the world is heard. If a boy lives till he is a man, he will at some point, in one form or another, have learned to sing this the chorus of the human race. Deeds are done in the earth, men and women are victims of such hideous and unjustifiable ill fortune; they cannot bear to think that they will end their days without anything being done to make it right. Our thirst for justice is not a mere evolutionary itch. Its origins are in God who
“Men at ease have contempt for misfortune . . .” (Job 12:5)
The truth of this maxim is well documented. Youth, under the protective sponsorship of parents and elders, feel bullet-proof and hazard everything for good times. People living in developed lands within safety nets of security and health benefits, frequently suppose that misfortune in the world is a rare phenomenon. And, as in Job’s story, men and women yet untouched by disaster feel free to pass judgment on those who are not so lucky. They show their contempt for misfortun
“Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.” (Job 11:6).
So says Zophar, one of Job’s friends. He is sure he knows the secret of Job’s suffering: Job is a man so plenteous in sin that even God can’t keep track of it all. He thinks that the mystery of Job’s ill-fortune is no mystery at all; Job is as guilty as can be—even if his wickedness is not clearly visible to observers. Zophar is typical of far too many religious commentators, who think they can explain events in the lives of others. Suffering is a great mystery. Therefore,
"Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit." (Isaiah 5:2)
Men and women, especially those in agricultural or horticultural tasks, are well-placed to understand something of what God thinks and feels as regards his relationship to human beings. Farmers take care in a range of actions with regard to their plants and crops. Soil preparation, watering, weed control and pruning are some of them. But there are limits to what the farmer can do. Mankind is likened to a plant which has the potential to bear fruit. God hopes for such an outc
“Oh . . . . that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut me off! Then I woul
When I was just a boy, my leg was run over by a horse-drawn wagon. Nothing was broken, and I soon got over it. But at the time, the world was made up of my suffering alone. It would not have made any difference to me if someone had been shot right beside me. My pain filled the universe. Job was so overcome with his troubles that he wanted to find a way to express the sheer magnitude of them to his friends. It is so with all of us—throughout our days. There is never and s
In all their distress he too was distressed
"In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them" (Isaiah 63:9). This verse recounts Israel's wilderness sojourn; a lifetime of trial and duress, danger and anxiety mingled with bursts of joy and hope--a paradigm of human experience everywhere. Does anyone know? Does anyone care that my life is hard? Is my struggle a sight unseen; my cries a noise unheard? Or is there a supreme carer, a divine presence who feels what I feel and travels
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ
How would this verse read if Paul was writing now, in the twenty-first century? Like this, perhaps? 'There is neither white nor black, rich nor poor, gay nor straight, Liberal or Conservative, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.' How do you suggest Paul would write today?
“Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his maker?” (Job 4:17).
Eliphaz' double-barrelled question is rhetorical; he expects the answer to be an emphatic negative. God is ever righteous, and our righteousness and purity is always a poor relation to the absolute virtue of divinity. Our frequent outrage at evil and inequity stands on God’s prior justice and goodness. Woody Allen said that, “God is not very good at his job.” Really? On what basis does Woody make his assessment of the Almighty? With no God, good and evil are equal values, a
