Posted on 12/30/2004 12:07:56 PM PST by Lorianne
The ocean doesn't care who drowns in it....
Tsunami, Sovereignty, and Mercy
December 29, 2004
“The waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me. . . This God—his way is perfect” (2 Samuel 22:5, 31).
After the loss of his ten children owing to a “natural disaster” (Job 1:19), Job said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). At the end of the book, the inspired writer confirms Job’s understanding of what happened. He says Job’s brothers and sisters “comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him” (Job 42:11). This has several crucial implications for us as we think about the calamity in the Indian Ocean.
1. Satan is not ultimate, God is.
Satan had a hand in Job’s misery, but not the decisive hand. God gave Satan permission to afflict Job (Job 1:12; 2:10). But Job and the writer of this book treat God as the ultimate and decisive cause. When Satan afflicts Job with sores, Job says to his wife, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10), and the writer calls these satanic sores “the evil that the Lord had brought upon him” (Job 42:11). So Satan is real. Satan brings misery. But Satan is not ultimate or decisive. He is on a leash. He goes no farther than God decisively permits.
2. Even if Satan caused the earthquake in the Indian Ocean the day after Christmas, he is not the decisive cause of 100,000+ deaths, God is.
God claims power over tsunamis in Job 38:8 when he asks Job rhetorically, “Who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb . . . and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?” Psalm 89:8-9 says, “O Lord . . . you rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.” And Jesus himself has the same control today as he once did over the deadly threats of waves: “He . . . rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm” (Luke 8:24). In other words, even if Satan caused the earthquake, God could have stopped the waves.
3. Destructive calamities in this world mingle judgment and mercy.
Their purposes are not simple. Job was a godly man and his miseries were not God’s punishment (Job 1:1, 8). Their design was purifying not punishment (Job 42:6). But we do not know the spiritual condition of Job’s children. Job was certainly concerned about them (Job 1:5). God may have taken their life in judgment. If that is true, then the same calamity proved in the end to be mercy for Job and judgment on his children. This is true of all calamities. They mingle judgment and mercy. They are both punishment and purification. Suffering, and even death, can be one or the other.
The clearest illustration of this is the death of Jesus. It was both judgment and mercy. It was judgment on Jesus because he bore our sins (not his own), and it was mercy toward us who trust him to bear our punishment (Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24) and be our righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Another example is the curse that lies on this fallen earth. Those who do not believe in Christ experience it as judgment, but believers experience it as, merciful, though painful, preparation for glory. “The creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope” (Romans 8:20). This is God’s subjection. This is why there are tsunamis.
Who suffers from this fallen world of natural disasters? All of us, Christians included: “Not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23). For those who cast themselves on the mercy of Christ these afflictions are “preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17). And when death comes, it is a door to paradise. But for those who do not treasure Christ, suffering and death are God’s judgment. “It is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17).
For children, who are too young to process mentally the revelation of God in nature or Scripture, death is not the final word of judgment. God’s commitment to display his justice publicly means that he does not finally condemn sinful people who could not physically construe natural or special revelation (Romans 1:20). There is a difference between suppressing revelation that one can mentally comprehend (Romans 1:18), and not having a brain sufficient to comprehend it at all. Therefore, when small children suffer and die, we may not assume they are being punished or judged. No matter how horrible the suffering or death, God can turn it for their greater good.
4. The heart that Christ gives to his people feels compassion for those who suffer, no matter what their faith.
When the Bible says, “Weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15), it does not add, “unless God caused the weeping.” Job’s comforters would have done better to weep with Job than talk so much. That does not change when we discover that Job’s suffering was ultimately from God. No, it is right to weep with those who suffer. Pain is pain, no matter who causes it. We are all sinners. Empathy flows not from the causes of pain, but the company of pain. And we are all in it together.
Finally, Christ calls us to show mercy to those who suffer, even if they do not deserve it.
That is the meaning of mercy—undeserved help. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27). Therefore, pray earnestly for Scott Purser and his team as they investigate the best way that the Global Diaconate can mercifully respond with the love of Christ to the calamity around the Indian Ocean.
In the merciful hands of Almighty God,
Pastor John
We are born to fill the void in heaven made when Lucifer and his troops were cast out.
Ideally, we should be living for our after life and not be taking this natural life as all there is or a poor reflection on God.
And Paul states in Romans that even nature groans under the fall, and awaits the redemption of God's people.
God did not make the Thai authorites refuse to issue a tsunami warning so as not to spook their domestic tourist industry. God did not put up the large warning system which now surrounds Alaska, Hawaii and the West coast of the U.S. The deaths of tens of thusands was not preordained but rather made inevitable by flawed and in some cases greedy (as in the case of Thailand) decisions by men.
Liberals say this can't be God's judgment because kids were the victims. They need to be reminded from the scriptures that God judged Eqypt by killing all the first born children. Liberals hate the concept of devine judgment. Unfortunately, without judgment, there is no end to sin.
Even if it's for a sh!tty reason like a bet with Satan himself. God needed a time out for that whole thing.
The Lord is normally moving in mysterious ways.
Why? Who's helped by this person's "feeling connected?"
"Liberals say this can't be God's judgment because kids were the victims."
When kids are "victims" I believe it's to their ultimate benefit. If they're under the age of accountability when they can make a conscious decision to accept or reject salvation, then I believe they become immediate residents of Heaven. It seems cruel, and it is to their parents and loved ones because of the void left in life on earth, but maybe God was calling some little ones home to be with Him.
If we pray for them, perhaps they will find some comfort in knowing our hearts.
Those of us who are trying to do the same? He's a writer, he's not hurting anyone.
Okay. If his emotions make you feel better about your emotions, cool.
The only American island (DG) was unharmed!!! Surely this should be a sign from god.
Jesus declared God was the God of the living, not the God of the dead.
The mortality rate of the world is 100%. The number of humans who are the Creator's and who are ultimately accountable to Him is also 100%.
Death is only a vehicle to the glorious presence of the Sovereign. Hope for that grand reunion is (should be) the light of life.
Maybe you should read the book of Job rather than listening to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". God didn't "bet" with Satan. God had every confidence in Job's faithfulness, and waddayaknow! God was right! Somebody indeed needs a "time out", but I'm pretty sure it's not God.
As an aside, I take exception to the small but noticeable outpouring of articles this week from people who claim that the south Asia tsunami somehow proves that God is not merciful (or, that there is no merciful God). The thing which makes this event so horrific is its scale. But every day, people die from minor natural disasters and accidents. What about the person who drowns swimming, or the family that loses a loved one in a fire? Every tragedy is essentially personal. Over 100,000 people were apparently killed in the tsunami, and we're all horrified by the photos and film footage, but the greatest impact of loss is felt by the individual family who lost a parent, or brother, or child in this natural disaster. I have no satisfying answer to the question, "Where was God?", when trying to address the grief of the individual or family who lost a loved one. I might as well answer the question, "Where is God?" in trying to make sense of the cancer my father is currently battling. The fact that we even call such events "tragic" speaks of the value we give to life and people's well-being -- a value which is itself sparked by God, I believe. The fact that we feel sorrow at the loss of life -- whether that number be one, or 100,000 -- proves, to me, that God is there.
This much is certain, I believe: there is something wrong with our world. Events happen which don't make sense, and the horror and sorrow we sense at the loss of life is evidence to me that death was never meant to be part of the equation of life. Something is wrong here. But the Bible speaks of God's plan to set it all right some day.
I don't mean to wax philosophical. My only point is that it's absurd to try to give cosmic significance to an event simply because of its magnitude. The loss of one person by disaster or accident is a loss of infinite significance. The agnostics and out-right God-haters who are using the tragedy in south Asia to promote their crusade of unbelief are trivializing the loss of one child, one parent, one spouse in every other isolated tragedy that occurs everywhere, every day.
He he he,
That is one of my least favorite stories...I do agree.
(like how about, just walkin' on by when Satan starts in on ya...but noooo, you had to prove somethin' ;)
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