Comments for November 14

Is God's anger unjust?

The wrath of God was ready to come upon the people because they had married wives from other nations. What kind of God acts like that? It seems completely out of character for the loving God who loved mankind so much that He gave His son to save them from their sins, doesn't it?

Actually, no. If God were only concerned with saving people, He would have just saved all of mankind without bothering to have His son go through the cross. But He didn't. He let Jesus die.

If God were only concerned with saving lives, He would have made the Ark bigger. Let's put it this way; God was more concerned to save the Elephant, Cow, Monkey and Pig than all of mankind upon whom He brought the flood and drowned them.

Some people can't serve a God like that. If that's you, perhaps you should stop reading this... except I think there is an explanation that's worth considering before you give up on God. While you read this next bit, and put yourself in the shoes of Noah or his wife.

Noah and his family were the only ones not murdering others.

Yes, see for yourself in Genesis, as it progresses step by step:

- Cain had killed Abel

- Cain was cast out and set up his own city, the start of the civilisation that got destroyed in the flood

- Cain's whole family was defined by that one murder - and murder became their hallmark

- Take for example Lamech, Cain's descendant:

  "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
   Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech!

   For I have killed a man for wounding me,
   Even a young man for hurting me.
    If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,
   Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold."

Can you see how proud they were of their murderous heritage? The whole family line of those who rejected God, were defined by murder. Genesis presents only two family lines - that through Cain and through his surviving brother, Seth. Thus one half of the population of the earth were of this alternative religion, based on murder, and the other half did what God wanted - peace and righteousness. The two lines perhaps balanced one another somewhat.

If you've stayed with me so far, now is where we come back to our subject of Israel (God's chosen family line) marrying outside the faith. Here's what Genesis says about the reason for the flood:

"The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth."

How was it that God decided to destroy all flesh, when there was this non violent line of people?

"the sons of God (Seth's line) saw the daughters of men (Cain's line), that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose."

... and it was this that destroyed the line of Seth. Having intermarried for a few generations, the lines were no longer distinct, and the dominant theology - that of murder and violence, threatened to engulf the whole of mankind - all flesh. Genesis is emphatic about what brought about the flood. It was the intermarrying of Seth's line with Cain's line, and the resultant pollution of the whole earth with violence.

Now put yourself in Noah's shoes, or his wife's shoes. You are the only family left on the whole earth that doesn't condone murder. Can you imagine it? You have three lovely young boys. How do they get to school safely? Every day your whole day is spent sick with worry until they arrive back home. This takes its toll on your health. Eventually you take the boys out of school after yet another murder, knife attack, ritual sacrifice or other un-imaginable evil. You start to educate the boys at home - but violence is always at the door. God protects you again and again from destruction by the hands of the people who used to be your own friends or family. Now here's the real shocker, the real twist in the story...

Your dad, a righteous man, a man of power and authority in the community, whose protection you obviously benefit from, marries two new wives... Adah and Zillah. Do you remember them? Scroll up to halfway through this comment and you'll find them there. Yes, Noah's father was Lamech, and this man, one of the last of the righteous line of Seth, married two beautiful women of Cain's line. These women turned his heart from following God. Listen to his triumphant words as he finally accepts their theology:

   "If the great Lamech is going to accept murder - then I'm going to do it properly! If Cain slew one man then I will slay seventy!"

Here disappeared Noah and his wife's last hope. It is this incident that is given to us as the end of the road for God too. Within one more generation Noah's sons or grandsons would give in and marry women like this, or if not, be killed. Put yourself in the shoes of Noah's wife. Will you accept murder to remain safe for a while longer? Will you accept Lamech's offer of continued protection - under the condition that you eventually accept his philosophy? Or will you cling to God and to peace and righteousness and disappear? Have you ever thought of the flood story in such a stark fashion?

God stepped in and destroyed those murderers before they destroyed the last of His family, and you know what, Noah and his wife were so relieved; so grateful for God's action. Wouldn't you be?

Go back to Ezra 10 and let's be in no doubt that the situation was just as stark. Marrying these women meant embracing a religion that condoned child murder in sacrifice to their gods (see 2Chron 28:3). What would you do if you were Ezra? Wouldn't you weep and mourn, and if you were God, would you not be angry?

That marriages between Jews and the inhabitants of the land of Israel had taken place by now indicates that the enthusiasm of the early return had wained in some of the Jews. Doubtless the enthusiasm for the things of God waned as they thought less of the way that God had brought them to the land and more of how they were going to make their way in the land. The world crowded in and pushed the hope of Israel out. This was despite the presence of other faithful brethren. So we see that we each have a personal need to keep ourselves firm in our faith. We cannot rely on the enthusiasm of others.

10:3 Those who 'tremble' at the commandments of God are the sort of men that God will accept. (Isaiah 66:2)

 Ezra’s prayer in yesterday’s chapter is answered in today’s reading.  Ezra had told God that the people had been sinful, despite the fact that the Lord had richly blessed them.  The chapter ends on a sad note, giving the names of all the Levites who had taken false wives. But the end result was that they gave up their non-Jewish wives, and offered an offering to God.

:18 The language of this verse echoes the temptation that Eve and Adam experienced in the garden of Eden.

Isn't it a subtle thing, to fall back into trusting in your own way of doing things, rather than God's? We love regulations, laws, and rules, because we know where we are with them! We like black or white. It seems obvious to us that we should be serving God by them, doesn't it?

In v20 Paul asks the question "Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations - "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,.... according to the commandments and doctrines of men?"

A subtle doctrine had been creeping in to the church. People had been saying that in order to serve God, you had to keep the commandments of God without fail. You had to crush your natural feelings by neglecting the body (v23), and bring them under control by the force of your own will (v21). You had to eat and drink and do the right things, or otherwise you would be judged (v16).

Paul tells them how stupid they are to think such! Righteousness in the eyes of God cannot be achieved! If the flesh is the problem (v11, 13) then how can we make the flesh better by ruling over it by a fleshly mind? How can a fleshly mind make the body any less fleshly? It's ludicrous! Paul says the commandments are of no value whatsoever against the indulgences of the flesh (v23). Have you ever tried NOT thinking about a bar of chocolate when you know full well it's in the cupboard waiting to be eaten? Does it work?

How is one to change to be more Godlike, then? By dying to the flesh (killing it) in baptism with Jesus (v12), you are planted as a new seed. Seeds when watered grow of themselves. This new seed will grow if it holds onto Christ (v19), and the increase is given by God. Nowhere in this process does Paul suggest any vain effort on our part. Rather, this automatic process which is controlled by God himself, will happen simply if we set our minds on things above rather than on earthly things (3 v 1, 2). The one will naturally displace the other. Have you ever tried thinking about someone you love? Now do you remember the chocolate?

TRUST: YESTERDAY - TODAY AND TOMORROW (v.2-7)

Living a life in Christ means realizing that each and every day brings new opportunities to trust God and experience the hand of God at work in our lives. This means accepting Christ as our guide and living by his words. The question we need to ask ourselves everyday is - have we trusted the Lord this day and walked acording to his precepts?