Job 1:1ff-
1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 3 and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.
4 His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, "Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." This was Job's regular custom. Job's First Test
6 One day the angels [a] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan [b] also came with them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"
Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."
8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil..."
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13 ...One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 15 and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
13 16 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
13 17 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
13 18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
13 20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said:
13 "Naked I came from my mother's womb,
13 and naked I will depart. [c]
13 The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
13 may the name of the LORD be praised."
13 22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing...
Perhaps, but he did call Him most everything except late to dinner.
Having seen a plague or two, I'd charge Him with indifference, if He actually gave a damn.
but, this is a 'Hurricane Live' thread.
This is not a 'Smugly Post Your Three Favorite Pages of the Bible' thread.
No one here is charging God with wrongdoing. Nothing God does is wrong, because He is perfect. It is man who does wrong, and doing so brings consequences, because God is also Justice.
I am always tickled by people who are scandalized by any hint that a terrible disaster is done by God. The story of Job shows that while Satan inflicts disaster, God permits it for His own reasons. And God's ways are not our ways.
While some people find it offensive to hear that God allows pain and suffering, I find it more offensive that such people, by their reasoning, are implying that something can happen that is against God's will. If a disaster is not God's will, how does it manage to happen? Is there someone more powerful than God who can make something happen against God's will? Satan may inflict pain and suffering, but it is God who permits it according to His will.
All that happens, be it good or bad from our point of view, is the will of God -- otherwise, it simply wouldn't happen at all.
Can you please post that over on the daily prayer threads?
Thanks in advance.