April 17
Does God do Evil? (Part 2)
Shall
a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord
hath not done it? Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his
secret unto his servants the prophets.
(Amos 3:6-7)
Yesterday we learned that God cannot walk with those
who are not in agreement with Him. Therefore, His method of inflicting evil is
to remove His protection and allow those who reject Him to suffer the
consequences of their rebellion. The Israelites had forsaken Him. After much
pleading God is said to have finally forsaken them:
Hear
ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of
Israel. The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is
none to raise her up.... For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: But seek
not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall
surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.... Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live:
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall
be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate the evil, and love the good, and
establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be
gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
(Amos 5:1, 2, 4, 5, 14, 15)
Notice the mercy of the Lord as shown in these passages:
He does not do anything to Israel (the evil or disaster that He permits as a
cause of their rebellion) without first warning them through His prophets, thus
giving them a chance to repent. He gives Israel a chance to turn back to Him so
that He can be gracious to them and offer His hand of protection in spite of
how they have treated Him. What a loving and gracious God!!!
Israel is not actively
being punished by God. He is punishing them by withdrawing His presence and
protection (forsaking Israel).
However, Israel is given an opportunity to turn this whole thing around by
seeking God. If they return to Him then He will protect them. God is the source
of life (John 14:6; Acts 3:15; 1 John 1:1-2). His withdrawal means that Israel
will be open to death and its consequent destruction. Lack of life means death.
Therefore, Israel is encouraged to turn back to the source of life.
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