Wait and see that God is good…

   

These days I’m more verbal about God’s purposes for trials. From the beginning, He taught me that He uses them for good. At first I thought that meant ‘feel good’ or comfort, but then learned it was the good of being transformed into the image of His Son:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

That doesn’t always feel good, at least the process. I’m reading the story of Joseph, a story that is such a blessing as long as it is read to the end. Joseph’s life was not comfortable for many years. He’d been pampered at home, and that could have ruined him, but God had other ideas. His jealous brothers sold him into slavery and although he did well wherever he landed, he was mistreated. But he was also aware. In the end, when he rescued his family from famine and his brothers expected retaliation for what they had done, he said to them:

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. (Genesis 50:20)

Without that ending, it would seem that people, circumstances, and even the Lord was against Joseph, but somehow he knew that his Father in heaven had better plans for him. He had been the favorite of his father, hated by his older brothers, a victim of false teaching, put into prison, but wound up second in command of Egypt!

All of this was preparation, as the prophet later said, “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.” (Lamentations 3:27)

This makes me think of my trials when younger. I spent much time in a hospital bed, didn’t get to school with others until grade seven, learned to love being alone, but later married an alcoholic who had many heart-breaking faults. As women often do, I blamed myself and that led me to seek something better. Then Jesus, the greatest ‘better’ came into my life. However, I married an unsaved man without realizing this was not a good idea. I spent ten years wondering if God would ever change Him, not realizing that He was changing me.

There is more in this story, but reading Joseph’s story helps me see what God was doing in all the dark places, in the more than thirty moves, in the trials of raising children, and many struggles learning what it means to walk with God instead of trusting myself, I saw how God was using this for my good.

Now I do not look at trials with fear or dread or suspecting God has forgotten me. I can also urge others to embrace what they are learning or will learn about Him from what He will do in their dark situations. We do question God when His ways seem strange or do not make sense, but that is only because our focus is on the problem rather than on our mighty and gracious Savior. He knows what good He will do even when we cannot see it yet. Instead of praying, “Take this away” it’s a good idea to pray, “Surprise me” and wait. As the psalmist says: “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.” (Psalm 119:71)

PRAY: Jesus, I know that many of Your people are struggling, not only with world events but also personal distresses, relationship issues, finances, all sorts of things. May all be encouraged and look to You, and even learn to say, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2) whether we can see it yet or must wait for a while longer.

Why did God allow sin?

 
Today’s reading from Charnock’s book is so profound that I’m tempted to copy/paste most of it instead of putting it in my own words. In writing about the wisdom of God, this author answers the question I’ve often been asked: Why did God allow Adam and Eve to sin? It ruined everything.

Charnock agrees that sin is “altogether black and abominable” but quickly adds that in His wisdom God allowed it that we might see His mercy and grace displayed in the incarnation and death of his Son for the atonement of sin.

With goosebumps, I stop there and say, “Of course. Without sin we would not see the mercy and power of God. We would only have a small view of His glory and miss His incredible love and power shown in what He did about our sin…

So that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:21)

He permitted Adam’s fall so we could have a fuller discovery of His nature and unbounded goodness. It would not have otherwise appeared. His goodness in rewarding innocent obedience would have been manifested; but not his mercy. Without sin and its production of misery, God’s mercy in sending his Son to save his enemies, could not have appeared.
Nor would we know the power of God in the changing of hard hearts nor His vindictive justice that reveals His wrath against sin. We would not experience imputed righteousness and the glory of knowing it through faith in Christ:

For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face. (Psalm 11:7)
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Without sin, this perfection, whereby God draws good out of evil, would have no reason to happen and been utterly useless.

Instead, sin became an occasion of God glorifying himself as He used it to communicate the knowledge of all these perfections of His nature, which otherwise would not be seen. His justice would have nothing to punish, His mercy obscure, and a great part of His wisdom would remain silent without the presence of sin to order and even use for His purposes.

The OT example is Joseph. God permitted the sin of Joseph’s brethren, that he might use their evil to a good end. Because of his holiness, God never wills sin as an end; but in regard of His great wisdom He wills to permit it as a means and occasion to draw good out of those things which are in their own nature most contrary to good.

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. (Genesis 50:20)

The NT example is like it, but with implications for far more than one family. This was for all of humanity:

This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. (Acts 2:23)

The devil inspired men to kill Jesus yet God ordered it to accomplish His own design of redemption in the death of the His Son. The devil had diabolical ends, and God overpowers his actions to serve His own divine ends. Divine wisdom uses sin to accomplish His will.

PRAY: Because my sin did this to You, Jesus, I abhor sin, even though it still draws me out of fellowship with You. Yet because of God’s wisdom, mercy, and grace, You continually draw me back to Yourself, using everything for good in my life. You are utterly amazing to use the sin that I hate as a means whereby I am able to know Your great love and grace.

An Important Understanding

Read Jeremiah 49–52

From today’s reading, I can see more clearly that God can use even evil events for our good, yet holds those who did evil responsible for their actions. These chapters prophesy what will happen to various people groups who mistreated the people of God.

THE AMMONITE king Milcom dispossessed Gad, and settled in its cities. God said, “Milcom shall go into exile, with his priests and his officials” and declared, “Who will come against me?’ Behold, I will bring terror upon you, from all who are around you, and you shall be driven out, every man straight before him, with none to gather the fugitives.“ Yet in mercy He said, “Afterward I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites.” (Jeremiah 49:1–6)

The Lord rebuke EDOM for their short-sightedness. “Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished?” Then He declared their fate:  

“If those who did not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, will you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you must drink. For I have sworn by myself . . .  that Bozrah shall become a horror, a taunt, a waste, and a curse, and all her cities shall be perpetual wastes . . . . For behold, I will make you small among the nations, despised among mankind. The horror you inspire has deceived you, and the pride of your heart, you who live in the clefts of the rock, who hold the height of the hill. Though you make your nest as high as the eagle’s, I will bring you down from there . . . .” (49:12–18)

As for DAMASCUS, they will be “confounded . . . melt in fear . . . troubled like the sea that cannot be quiet . . .  become feeble” turning to flee in panic. Her young men will fall, soldiers destroyed, and the city will burn. (49:24–27)

KEDAR & HAZOR will be destroyed by Babylon, attacked when they dwell securely. All will be plundered and no one will dwell again in Hazor. (49:28–33)

ELAM is told by the Lord of hosts: “Behold, I will break the bow of Elam . . . . scatter them to all those winds, and there shall be no nation to which those driven out of Elam shall not come. I will terrify Elam before their enemies and before those who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, my fierce anger . . . . . I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them, and I will set my throne in Elam and destroy their king and officials . . . . But in the latter days I will restore the fortunes of Elam, declares the Lord.” (49:35–39)

The longest section is judgment on BABYLON. Their gods will be “put to shame” and her land made desolate. When that happens, God’s people will seek the Lord, realizing their sin after being attacked by Assyria and Babylon. Therefore, God will punish these nations as His people are restored. He says, “Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his name. He will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon . . . . For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the Lord of hosts, but the land of the Chaldeans is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel . . . . “I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea before your very eyes for all the evil that they have done in Zion.”

Thus says the Lord of hosts: “The broad wall of Babylon shall be leveled to the ground, and her high gates shall be burned with fire. The peoples labor for nothing, and the nations weary themselves only for fire.” (50–51)

Israel and Judah were guilty and did not deserve His love and care, yet He is righteous and just in judging and punishing sin, yet willing to restore all who repent. He who judges and punishes sin, is always willing to restore those who are willing to come back to Him.

God used the pain these nations caused to discipline for His people, yet He held them accountable for that pain. He used their evil for good, but they were responsible for the evil they had done.

Further, all He said would happen did happen. Babylon took God’s people captive. They were chastened and learned not to worship idols. He dealt with those whose actions caused those hard lessons, yet also showed mercy — to some of them. But He never abandoned His people. Later, a king of Babylon “graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison . . . spoke kindly to him . . . .” took him out of prison “and every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table . . .  giving him an allowance for his needs until he died.” (52:31–34) Even while being chastened, God meets the needs of His people.

Think of the wisdom of God; He allows evil for reasons often unknown to us, yet never stops wanting His very best for those He has chosen!