I Like to welcome you
today to Faith Chapel.
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My name is David Shin and
we'll be spending the next
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few moments together in
a study of God's words but
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before we do so I like
to invite you to bow your
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heads with me as we
seek the Lord in prayer.
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Father in heaven, we thank
you today for the privilege
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and opportunity that we
have to open scripture and
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we ask that your Holy
Spirit come, inspire our
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hearts and our minds,
speak to us we pray, in Jesus
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name we ask these things. Amen.
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The topic our
discussion today is entitled the
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problem of evil, why
would have God of love allow sin
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and suffering and by way of
introduction I like to go to
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the book of Habakkuk.
Habakkuk chapter 1 and
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verse 13, I'll be
reading from the New King James
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version and he frames
very nicely for the topic of
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discussion today. You
are pure eyes than to behold
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evil, and cannot
look on wickedness.
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Why do you look on
those who deal treacherously,
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and hold your tongue
when the wicked devours A
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person more righteous than
he? In essence, this is what
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the prophet Habakkuk is
saying, Lord you hate evil.
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Evil's antithetical to your
character and to your nature
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and your witnessing
the wicked devour the
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righteous more righteous
than he. Why are you idly
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standing there and
holding your tongue.
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To put in the mode
of vernacular, Prophet
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Habakkuk is saying
something like this.
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Lord, just don't stand
there, do something and
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this is a common
question that's posed by many
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people throughout our world.
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If God is all powerful
and God is so loving then
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why does he permit
evil in this world?
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Not too long I was
selling some books in Northern
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New England I came
across this individual and
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he post me this
interesting question that went
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something like this.
David, I can't believe in a
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God of love when there is
so much misery in this world.
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And that question
continued to haunt me
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especially when I had
the privilege of visiting the
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Holocaust Museum
in Washington D.C.,
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on several occasions.
Now if you're ever by the
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eastern sea board and
by the capital, I want to
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encourage you if you
have any spare moments
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to swing by and visit
the Holocaust Museum it
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became a life changing,
a life defining moment for
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me and it's very
interesting the way it's
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set up, you start off in
an elevator. You go up to the
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third floor and
you work your way down.
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And the thing that
struck me the most about this
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visit was the
absolute stark silence of every
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single person on
that third floor.
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No one was saying a
thing because we were so
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shocked and horrified
by the graphic imagery that
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was being presented
before us. There was one
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exhibit that talked
about a doctor, Dr. Mengele who
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was systematically
responsible for the
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extermination of 400,000
Jews in Auschwitz in a 21
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month period. And
under his "care" he would do
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the most brutal
lobotomies experimentations and
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amputations many
times on children.
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As I walked to the
end of the museum they had
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these testimonies,
video taped and presented
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before us on the
screen of individuals that had
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miraculously survived
the Holocaust and they are
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just wiping as we're
recounting the graphic
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scenes, the memories
that they were thinking about.
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And there was this one
lady that got on there and
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I'll never forget her
word she says it was at the
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Holocaust that I stopped
believing in a loving God.
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It was at the Holocaust
that I stopped believing in
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a powerful God in
heaven because she could not
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deal with the conundrum
with the paradox between
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the existence of God
and the existence of evil.
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I came across this
quotation by a former
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supreme court justice
of Israel that said I would
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say in the name of
the Holocaust, that the
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Holocaust is final
conclusive proof that
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there can be no God.
If they were a God he
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would not be a just
and merciful God, but cruel
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and unjust God, a God
of iniquity, a God who does
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not slumber in sleep,
not a God who does not
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slumber in sleep who
watches over his people
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overall to attribute
to God, cruelty, injustice
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and inequity. We if I
may say so should do him the
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favor of denying
his existence. Now many
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people would argue and I
believe rightfully so that
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suffering that evil is
used indirectly by God for the
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purification and
sanctification of his
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people, I believe there
is Biblical support for that
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and I also believe
that sometimes we bring evil
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upon ourselves, depending on the
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decisions that we
make, we live in a cause to
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effect relationship and
there is consequences for
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decisions that we have
to make. But, how can you
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explain the Holocaust?
What purpose would that
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play in sanctification
or purification for the
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Christian or anyone for
that matter in any aspect?
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I read a book not too
long ago I'm still going
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through it by Dostoevsky
called Brothers Karamazov
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and he makes this
interesting statement he
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says, If all must suffer
to pay for eternal harmony,
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what have the children to
do with it, tell me please?
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What about the
children? What am I to do about
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them? He is arguing
that essentially that we as
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adults, we live with
the consequences of our
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decisions. We as adults
have these things we call
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sanctification and
purification but what
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about the children,
shouldn't God intervene
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when children are
suffering, and he is
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arguing that if he
were God he would intervene.
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Now, we like to pose
this question for us today how
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can we believe in
God when there is so much
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evil in this world and
I believe that we should
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approach it from two
major angles, number 1,
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the Biblical response,
what does the Bible have
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to say regarding this?
And number 2, what's the
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emotional argument?
How should we comfort
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someone who is
currently experiencing loss?
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Now, we need both
because if we just come
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to someone who is
currently experiencing
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loss and come to
them with some theological
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understanding from a
Biblical standpoint, it can
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come across as
lifeless cold and almost
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indifferent to someone
who is experiencing grief
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or sorrow. But, if we
just come to someone with
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emotional support
and don't have Biblical
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evidence, it comes
down to nothing but sure
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sentimentalism.
So, we are going to be
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approaching from
those two major angles, the
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Biblical angle and
the emotional angle.
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Now, I just like to
pause here and say that many
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people would say
David you have no business
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talking about this
issue and I would agree with
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that to a certain
degree because they are certain
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things that are not
revealed in scripture, but
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I also believe that we
did not serve an obituary
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capricious God,
Amen. We serve a reasonable
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God and the trouble
comes when we try to go
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outside the, what he
has clearly revealed in his
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word but we will try
to, in this brief moment,
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we are not going to
be answering all your
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question but we are
going to be attempting to
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answer some of them
and it's my prayer for you
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today that you'll
find some hooks on which to
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base your faith.
Now, before we go to our
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Biblical argument and
to our emotional argument,
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I just like to say
this that philosophically we
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speaking that inherent
within the very question
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is the assumption of
God's existence, inherent
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within the very
question how can you believe in
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God when there is so
much evil in this world?
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Ravi Zacharias who is
a Christian Apologist was
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traveling all over
the country defending
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atheistic worldview to
a sect of the universities
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and after a particular
presentation he opened up
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the floor to questions
to which a young man stood
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up and challenged
him saying Dr. Zacharias,
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how can you believe
in God when they are so
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much evil in this
world, and Dr. Zacharias almost
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immediately said,
young man can you remain
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standing while I ask
you some questions regarding
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your assumptions
and the man said sure.
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He said you've ask me
how can I believe in God
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when there so much evil
in this world. Well, let me
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ask you this, if there is
evil their must be a good,
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am I right? And the man
said yes, you are right.
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If there's good and
evil, there must be a moral law
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that judges that is a
criteria between that good
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and evil am I
right? And the man said yes
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you're right. Well, if
there is moral law that judges
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between that good and
evil there must be a law
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giver which is God and
am I right? And the man
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stood there
dumbfounded saying what then am
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I asking. You see it's
a preposterous question
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when we ask how can
you believe in God when
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there is so much evil in
this world because inherit
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within the very
question is the assumption of
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God's existence,
because from an atheistic
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standpoint of view
from an evolutionary
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standpoint of view there
is no evil, evil does not
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exist. Killing
babies, manning children, the
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Holocaust is
nothing but preference.
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Because if there is
evil there must be a good, if
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there is a good and evil
there must be a moral law
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that judges
between that good and evil.
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And if there is a
moral law there must a God
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that is the lawgiver.
Albert Einstein put it this
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way, in physics there
is no such thing as cold.
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Cold is simply
the absence of heat.
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There is no such thing
as darkness, darkness is
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simply the absence of
light and in a moral sense
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there is no such thing
as evil apart from good.
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Let's proceed to our Biblical
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argument at this time.
I think that we can talk
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about the existence of evil
rightfully so, this question
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that theologians
called theodicy the problem of
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suffering in the
existence of God without going
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to the book of Job.
Now, the book of Job in
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essence we are not going
to be able to go to all the
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new answers of the
book of Job here today.
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But, I just like to say that
it is said by scholars to be
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the greatest piece of
Hebrew literature that has
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been passed down
through the ages rivaling
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that of the English
version of paradise lost
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by John Milton
and also Shakespeare.
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It's a beautiful work of
poetry and there is three
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sections like you see in
poetry in the book of Job,
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you have the prolong,
you have the body and you
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have the epilogue near
the end. And you know the
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story if you've ever read
it and I want to encourage
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you if have some
spare moments to peruse
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through the book of
Job, it's a fascinating read.
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And in Job chapter 1
just to summarize, Job is
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experiencing a great deal
of pain and suffering in a
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short period of time.
God and Satan have this
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discussion in heaven
and Job says the only reason
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why Job is serving you
is because you've blessed
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him. Now remove that
hedge around him and he
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will curse you to your
face and Job is permitted
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to, by God to permit to
go through the suffering and
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so under Satan's tutelage,
Job losses everything that
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is near to him, dear to
him, his family, his cattle,
00:11:06.46\00:11:09.40
his oxen, his sheep,
his wife, he is the only one
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that is left alive and
he scrapes himself because
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he receives painful
boils on his flesh and he sits
00:11:16.57\00:11:20.28
there thinking about
his plight. Now, I came
00:11:20.31\00:11:24.00
across this fascinating
modern rendition of the
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story of Job, it's by
a poet called Archibald
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MacLeish and I like for
us to here today identify
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with this story here a little
bit, it's the modernization
00:11:33.63\00:11:36.65
of the story of Job and
he calls his name J.B so you
00:11:36.68\00:11:39.72
know who he is
talking about. He says J.B and
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his wife were
comfortably settled in
00:11:43.09\00:11:45.41
their suburban
home settling down to a
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thanksgiving meal
and roasted turkey.
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Veggie turkey in this
case, whatever. J.B says
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God was on my side
very good to me, J.B's wife
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chirps in yes, God
doesn't give us all this for
00:11:55.76\00:11:58.22
nothing, a good home,
food, father, brother,
00:11:58.25\00:12:01.28
sisters, we have our part
to play, if we do our part
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he does his, he always
has. But then two drunk
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soldiers stumble into
the house with the news that
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J.B's son, two sons
have been killed, next a son
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and daughter are
smeared across the road by a
00:12:15.58\00:12:18.17
drunk driver in a
head on collision.
00:12:18.20\00:12:20.49
A second daughter is
murdered and dumped in
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a near lumber yard.
Finally an earthquake
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destroys all their
financial assets leaving them in
00:12:26.18\00:12:29.65
economic ruin, her
finally woven theology is
00:12:29.68\00:12:33.19
crushed like a
spider web under a boot.
00:12:33.22\00:12:35.17
Sarah hisses, God is
our enemy. Now, in the
00:12:35.48\00:12:40.60
ancient account it's
very similar, he losses
00:12:40.63\00:12:43.24
everything, his
cattle, his oxen, his sheep,
00:12:43.27\00:12:46.04
his children and his
wife hisses at him, curse God
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and die. Now, I just
like to pause for a moment
00:12:50.93\00:12:53.77
and put yourself in
that situation, imagine that
00:12:53.80\00:12:56.75
you've lost your
house, you've lost your car,
00:12:56.78\00:12:58.57
you've lost all your
children and all your
00:12:58.75\00:13:01.29
financial assets in
economic ruin and you've
00:13:01.32\00:13:04.42
been a Bible believing
Christian up to this point.
00:13:04.45\00:13:06.42
Would that shake your
faith? Job had some very
00:13:06.45\00:13:09.51
fundamental questions
regarding God's righteous
00:13:09.54\00:13:12.02
and God's justice in
the proceeding chapters to
00:13:12.05\00:13:15.05
Job chapter 38, but I
like to read to you God's
00:13:15.08\00:13:18.49
response to this whole
plight of theodicy in Job
00:13:18.52\00:13:22.65
chapter 38 verse 1
and 2. I wish I was there
00:13:22.68\00:13:25.91
because God breaks the
silence from heaven with
00:13:25.94\00:13:29.50
a thunder. Job
chapter 38, verse 1 and 2.
00:13:29.53\00:13:32.39
Reading from the
New King James version,
00:13:33.46\00:13:35.52
the Lord answered Job
out of the whirlwind, and
00:13:35.87\00:13:39.18
said: "Who is this
that darkens counsel with
00:13:39.21\00:13:43.58
words without
knowledge?" Can you
00:13:43.61\00:13:45.64
imagine God speaking
to you and you've just
00:13:45.67\00:13:47.99
suffered this plight
and you've asked God some
00:13:48.02\00:13:50.50
very difficult
questions and God comes to you
00:13:50.53\00:13:52.77
says who is this
that darkens counsel with
00:13:52.80\00:13:56.60
words without knowledge, I would
00:13:56.63\00:13:58.10
have felt very
small at this point when
00:13:58.13\00:14:00.19
transcendent,
powerful, omniscient God of
00:14:00.22\00:14:02.75
heaven comes down and
asked me this question
00:14:02.78\00:14:05.62
and notice what God says
in verse 3. Job chapter 38
00:14:06.01\00:14:10.65
verse 3 he says, Now,
prepare yourself like a
00:14:10.68\00:14:14.49
man and I will question
you, and you will answer Me.
00:14:14.52\00:14:20.13
Now, Jesus uses a
similar approach in the
00:14:20.95\00:14:23.05
New Testament.
You remember when the
00:14:23.08\00:14:24.53
pharisees came to him
with a question, he would
00:14:24.56\00:14:26.82
respond when another
question, the genius of
00:14:26.85\00:14:29.60
this is that questions
do two things, number 1 it
00:14:29.63\00:14:32.58
forces the
questioner to challenge his own
00:14:32.61\00:14:35.14
assumptions. And number
2 it creates an entry point
00:14:35.17\00:14:38.22
for discussion and so
Jesus our God proceeds in
00:14:38.25\00:14:41.84
Job chapter 38 to start
questioning Job and we're
00:14:41.87\00:14:44.84
not going to read all
of it, but we're just gonna
00:14:44.87\00:14:46.35
through a portion of
this 48, 38 verse 4 through 10
00:14:46.38\00:14:50.16
for the sake of time.
Job chapter 38, verse 4
00:14:50.19\00:14:53.73
through 10, "Where
were you when I laid the
00:14:53.76\00:14:56.37
foundation of the
earth? Tell Me, if you have
00:14:56.40\00:14:58.76
understanding.
Who determined its
00:14:58.79\00:15:00.87
measurements?
Surely you know! Or who
00:15:00.90\00:15:03.89
stretched the line upon
it? Or to what were it's
00:15:03.92\00:15:07.14
foundation facade?
Who laid the cornerstone,
00:15:07.17\00:15:09.80
when the morning
stars sang together and the
00:15:09.98\00:15:12.30
sons of God shouted
for joy? Or who shut up the
00:15:12.33\00:15:16.77
sea of its door, when
it burst forth and issued
00:15:16.80\00:15:19.71
forth womb; When
I made darkness as a
00:15:19.74\00:15:22.01
garment, thick darkness,
when I fixed My light up
00:15:22.04\00:15:25.18
on it, And set forth
the bars of its doors.
00:15:25.21\00:15:28.47
Now, if you get a
chance read through the rest of
00:15:29.16\00:15:31.36
this chapter and if
you count them there is a
00:15:31.39\00:15:33.63
series of 64 consecutive
answers that Job has no
00:15:33.66\00:15:39.58
response for. To which
Job responds later, come
00:15:39.61\00:15:42.71
to think of it, there is a
lot of things in life that I
00:15:42.74\00:15:45.62
do not understand,
yet I accept. Now many
00:15:45.77\00:15:49.04
theologians are
frustrated by the book of Job
00:15:49.07\00:15:51.33
because there is no
explicit answer, but this is
00:15:51.36\00:15:53.94
God's answer, he's
saying Job, do you have to
00:15:53.97\00:15:56.17
comprehend and
understand everything
00:15:56.20\00:15:58.35
before you accept it?
Now, I'll be the first to
00:15:58.58\00:16:01.25
admit that there is a
lot of things that I do not
00:16:01.28\00:16:03.27
understand. I
don't understand the
00:16:03.30\00:16:05.13
astrophysics of how
the Universe began, but
00:16:05.16\00:16:07.92
I accept it. I don't
understand the quantum
00:16:07.95\00:16:10.17
physics of how light can
behave as a particle wave
00:16:10.20\00:16:12.69
depending on type of
experimentation done on
00:16:12.72\00:16:14.76
it, but I accept it.
And in the same way God is
00:16:14.79\00:16:17.54
saying with what you do
know about my character,
00:16:17.57\00:16:20.43
my nature and my
essence, trust me for the
00:16:20.82\00:16:23.99
things that you
cannot comprehend and the
00:16:24.02\00:16:26.36
things that you
do not understand.
00:16:26.39\00:16:29.97
God is saying, I died
for you at the cross trust
00:16:30.00\00:16:33.26
me with the things
that I have not revealed
00:16:33.29\00:16:36.34
clearly unto you. At
the end of the book you
00:16:36.37\00:16:40.10
will see something very
interesting, it says that
00:16:40.13\00:16:42.40
God blessed the later
days of Job more than his
00:16:42.43\00:16:47.72
beginning, that's a promise.
Because whatever plight,
00:16:47.75\00:16:50.85
whatever suffering,
whatever evil you may
00:16:50.88\00:16:52.86
have to endure this
side of heaven. God is saying
00:16:52.89\00:16:55.40
that when you stand on
that sea of glass that he
00:16:55.43\00:16:57.82
will provide those
answers and that you'll
00:16:57.85\00:16:59.79
say heaven is cheap
enough. You'll look back
00:16:59.82\00:17:03.62
on eternity past and
I believe someday Jesus
00:17:03.91\00:17:06.87
is gonna come and you
will have those answers
00:17:06.90\00:17:10.09
for you. So, you see
very clearly here today that
00:17:10.12\00:17:13.39
number one that
indirectly within the very
00:17:13.42\00:17:15.38
question is the
assumption of God's
00:17:15.41\00:17:17.47
very existence and
number two that God is
00:17:17.50\00:17:20.20
telling us to trust
him with the things that we
00:17:20.23\00:17:22.69
cannot comprehend and
the things that we cannot
00:17:22.72\00:17:26.64
understand. Let's
proceed to our emotional
00:17:26.67\00:17:30.61
argument here today.
Clifford Goldstein in his
00:17:30.64\00:17:33.81
book God, Godel,
and Grace quotes this
00:17:33.84\00:17:37.30
philosopher and he says
this words that in the final
00:17:37.33\00:17:41.22
analysis one
experiences oneself. Isn't that
00:17:41.25\00:17:46.24
profound that as we go
through this life we are
00:17:46.27\00:17:48.69
islands of human
experience, we bleed our
00:17:48.72\00:17:51.42
own blood, we sweat
our own sweat and we only
00:17:51.45\00:17:54.53
experience our own
suffering, where one
00:17:54.56\00:17:56.97
man's sorrow is one man's pain.
00:17:57.00\00:18:00.14
My mother was
telling me this account,
00:18:00.81\00:18:02.71
I had a younger
sister who was born
00:18:02.74\00:18:04.06
prematurely and she
was relating to me this
00:18:04.09\00:18:07.36
experience she had, here
was this preemie that was
00:18:07.39\00:18:09.79
born and an intern was
trying to get an IV into
00:18:09.82\00:18:13.28
her arm and my
sister's arm was very small, her
00:18:13.31\00:18:16.42
veins were not very
visible and as this intern
00:18:16.97\00:18:20.93
is trying to get this IV
into her arm he is missing
00:18:20.96\00:18:24.33
and missing and
missing, keeps poking her, and
00:18:24.36\00:18:26.16
poking her, and my
sister is just screaming with
00:18:26.19\00:18:29.81
vengeance and my mom
said that she just wished
00:18:29.84\00:18:33.46
that in that moment she
could stretch out her hand
00:18:33.49\00:18:36.41
and fuse the neurons
and transfer that pain from
00:18:36.83\00:18:42.10
Linda to herself,
my sister to herself.
00:18:42.13\00:18:45.46
And she says there
was no possible way, there
00:18:45.57\00:18:47.90
was no way to cross the
synaptic clefts to transfer
00:18:47.93\00:18:51.34
the pain that my
sister was feeling to herself.
00:18:51.37\00:18:53.73
There is no possible
way friends and I know that
00:18:54.89\00:18:57.06
you can relate to this
as you are watching the
00:18:57.09\00:18:59.28
events of 9/11 and
those twin towers were burning
00:18:59.31\00:19:02.17
and you saw those
people on their top floors that
00:19:02.20\00:19:04.67
were suffering pain and
sorrow, I know that in my
00:19:04.70\00:19:07.99
own heart I felt, I
felt, I felt their pain, I felt
00:19:08.02\00:19:11.89
anguish within my
heart, but it was only my own
00:19:12.67\00:19:16.04
pain and suffering.
There is no way to cross the
00:19:16.40\00:19:20.03
synaptic clefts to transfer
pain from one individual
00:19:20.06\00:19:23.86
to another and but
there was one place,
00:19:23.89\00:19:26.71
one moment where the paradigm,
00:19:27.04\00:19:29.16
a personalization of
pain shifted. There was one
00:19:29.66\00:19:32.76
place where the
paradigm of the privatization of
00:19:32.79\00:19:35.79
deterred, was
deterred and upon one man was
00:19:35.82\00:19:39.02
laid the corporate
guilt, the corporate agony and
00:19:39.05\00:19:42.68
the corporate pain of
the entire human race.
00:19:42.71\00:19:45.59
And that was Jesus
Christ at the cross and
00:19:46.02\00:19:48.85
Gethsemane. Now I've
done a lot of heinous
00:19:48.88\00:19:51.49
things in my life,
I've done some things that
00:19:51.52\00:19:54.25
I'm shamed of and I
can remember coming home
00:19:54.65\00:19:57.08
at night and I know
that you can relate to this,
00:19:57.11\00:19:59.08
laying on my bed and I
felt the guilt, the force of sin
00:19:59.11\00:20:04.01
upon my shoulders.
Multiply that by a trillion,
00:20:04.04\00:20:08.00
multiply that by a
million, multiply that by every
00:20:08.77\00:20:12.84
single person that ever
existed or ever exist, will
00:20:12.87\00:20:16.62
exist and place them upon
the son of God and that is
00:20:16.65\00:20:20.69
what Jesus experienced
in Gethsemane at the cross
00:20:20.72\00:20:23.89
for you and me. And you
can go to your friends and
00:20:24.21\00:20:27.53
say this, I don't know
why this is happening to
00:20:27.56\00:20:29.97
you but I can tell you
this with a surety that my
00:20:30.00\00:20:33.71
Jesus, my Jesus in
heaven understands Amen.
00:20:33.74\00:20:37.33
My Jesus bore the force
of sin upon his shoulders.
00:20:37.79\00:20:42.46
My Jesus went to the
cross for you and me and
00:20:42.76\00:20:46.26
you can know that we
don't have a high priest
00:20:46.29\00:20:48.92
that cannot be touched
with the feeling of our
00:20:49.25\00:20:52.33
infirmities. I like to go
to this passage in Hebrews
00:20:52.79\00:20:57.18
chapter 4 and verse
15. Hebrews chapter 4, and
00:20:57.51\00:21:02.69
verse 15. For we do
not have a High Priest who
00:21:02.72\00:21:06.12
cannot sympathize with
our weaknesses, but was
00:21:06.15\00:21:09.66
in all points tempted like
as we are, yet without sin.
00:21:09.69\00:21:14.79
We do not serve a God
that is detached, that is a
00:21:15.42\00:21:18.66
aloof, that is away
from human emotion, he
00:21:18.69\00:21:22.03
understands. And I
don't understand friends why
00:21:22.06\00:21:25.21
God permits some
things to happen.
00:21:25.24\00:21:27.16
I don't understand
all the nuances of why God
00:21:27.59\00:21:30.40
permits certain things
to happen in this world, but
00:21:30.43\00:21:32.87
you can know with a
surety that my Jesus in
00:21:32.90\00:21:36.07
heaven has a high priest
that can relate, that can
00:21:36.10\00:21:39.65
empathize with your
human emotion and you
00:21:39.68\00:21:42.51
can go to God knowing
that he relates to you today.
00:21:42.54\00:21:46.14
So, in nut shell
today we've summarized that
00:21:46.72\00:21:49.17
philosophically we've
shown that inherit within
00:21:49.20\00:21:51.87
the very question, why,
how can you believe in a
00:21:51.90\00:21:54.32
God of love when there
is so much evil in this
00:21:54.35\00:21:56.11
world, is this
indirectly assuming God's
00:21:56.14\00:21:59.31
existence, because when
there is evil there must be
00:21:59.34\00:22:02.17
a good, if there is
good and evil there must be a
00:22:02.20\00:22:04.28
moral law that
judges, that is the criteria
00:22:04.31\00:22:06.84
between that good and
evil and if there is a
00:22:06.87\00:22:08.81
lawgiver that must
judge between the two.
00:22:08.84\00:22:11.34
That indirectly you're assuming
00:22:11.55\00:22:13.52
the existence of
God. And secondly we are
00:22:15.06\00:22:16.03
seeing in the book of
Job by this account that when
00:22:16.04\00:22:19.34
Job lost everything and
that when he went to God
00:22:19.66\00:22:22.50
asking him these
questions in Job chapter
00:22:22.53\00:22:24.95
38 he poses to him 64
consecutive questions that
00:22:24.98\00:22:29.70
are not indirectly asked,
indirectly saying, trust me
00:22:29.73\00:22:33.48
with the things that
you cannot comprehend and
00:22:33.79\00:22:36.84
the things that you
cannot understand. And finally
00:22:36.87\00:22:40.50
we've seen in Hebrews
chapter 4 verse 15, that
00:22:40.53\00:22:44.64
we don't have a high
priest that cannot be
00:22:44.67\00:22:47.79
touched with the
feeling of our infirmities.
00:22:47.82\00:22:49.91
But, was in all points
tempted like as we are.
00:22:50.24\00:22:54.05
There is one of my
favorite statements that
00:22:54.99\00:22:57.18
goes, goes along these
lines that is written in
00:22:57.21\00:23:00.84
Steps to Christ and
she says, "keep your wants,
00:23:00.87\00:23:03.51
keep your joys, keep
your cares and your fears
00:23:04.00\00:23:07.01
before Lord. You
cannot burden him; you cannot
00:23:07.04\00:23:10.63
weary him. He numbers
the hairs of your head
00:23:10.66\00:23:13.43
and is not indifferent to
the wants of his children.
00:23:13.46\00:23:16.54
The Lord is very
pitiful, and of tender mercy.
00:23:17.13\00:23:21.13
His heart of love is
touched with sorrow and
00:23:21.68\00:23:24.24
even are by our
utterances of him.
00:23:24.27\00:23:27.13
Take to him everything
that perplexes the mind.
00:23:27.53\00:23:30.86
Nothing is too great
for him to bear, he holds up
00:23:31.21\00:23:34.70
the worlds, he rules
over all the affairs of the
00:23:34.73\00:23:37.88
universe. Nothing
in anyway concerns our
00:23:37.91\00:23:40.72
peace is too
small for him to notice.
00:23:40.75\00:23:44.51
There is no chapter in
our experience too dark for
00:23:45.08\00:23:48.30
him to read; there is no
perplexity too difficult for
00:23:48.33\00:23:51.55
him to unravel. No
calamity can befall the
00:23:51.58\00:23:54.55
least of his children,
no anxiety can harass the
00:23:54.58\00:23:57.88
soul, no joy can share,
no sincere prayer escape the
00:23:57.91\00:24:02.73
lips of our Heavenly
Father of which he is
00:24:02.76\00:24:05.62
unobservant, in
which he takes no immediate
00:24:05.65\00:24:08.46
interest. He healeth
the broken heart and bindeth
00:24:08.49\00:24:11.80
up their wounds."
The relations between God
00:24:11.83\00:24:15.31
and each soul, now listen
to this part, "the relations
00:24:15.34\00:24:17.71
between God and each
soul are so full and so
00:24:17.74\00:24:21.53
distinct as though there
was not another soul upon
00:24:21.56\00:24:24.75
the earth to share his
watched care, not another
00:24:24.78\00:24:27.32
soul for whom he
gave his beloved Son."
00:24:27.35\00:24:31.00
This statement is
saying and is so profound that
00:24:31.41\00:24:33.85
God's relationship
with you. God's relationship
00:24:33.88\00:24:37.75
and interaction, his
intimacy is so distinct,
00:24:37.78\00:24:41.04
so profound that is as
though there is no person
00:24:41.07\00:24:44.57
in this world expect
you and him. And you can
00:24:44.60\00:24:47.72
know friend that when
you've lost a loved one,
00:24:47.75\00:24:50.05
you can know that
when you're experiencing
00:24:50.26\00:24:52.24
sorrow, sin and evil in
this world, that you have
00:24:52.47\00:24:56.42
a Jesus in heaven that
understands you, that has
00:24:56.45\00:24:59.98
gone to the cross and
borne the force of sin
00:25:00.01\00:25:03.93
upon his shoulders.
There is story told of a
00:25:04.19\00:25:08.55
man by the name of Elie
Wiesel in his book Night.
00:25:08.58\00:25:11.94
It's New York Times
bestseller and in it he
00:25:12.29\00:25:15.42
accounts this very vivid
story, he lost his entire
00:25:15.45\00:25:18.79
family, he was a Jew
and the Nazis had taken over
00:25:18.82\00:25:22.73
his part of the
country. Him and his father were
00:25:23.03\00:25:26.27
shipped off to this
concentration camp and it
00:25:26.30\00:25:29.03
was during the war that
Hitler knew that the Nazis
00:25:29.06\00:25:32.59
defeat was eminent.
They began retracting their
00:25:32.90\00:25:35.38
forces, going from
concentration camp to
00:25:35.41\00:25:37.84
concentration camp and
instead of letting these
00:25:37.87\00:25:40.38
Jews go they went on
infamously what was call
00:25:40.41\00:25:43.56
the death march. And
Elie Wiesel was in this
00:25:43.99\00:25:47.40
particular camp, a
transaction point and a
00:25:47.43\00:25:50.44
young man was
condemned to be hanged
00:25:50.47\00:25:52.88
on the gallows and
you can imagine in your
00:25:52.91\00:25:55.45
mind's eye that all these
prisoners are being forced
00:25:55.48\00:25:59.52
to watch this execution
with anticipation, with
00:25:59.83\00:26:03.60
disbelieve and this
young boy whose continence
00:26:03.63\00:26:07.00
Elie says was like that
of an angel was condemned
00:26:07.03\00:26:10.64
to be hanged for a
small infraction and when the
00:26:10.67\00:26:13.97
trapdoor was sprung
this young boy was on the
00:26:14.00\00:26:17.74
gallows but his weight
was insufficient to bring
00:26:17.77\00:26:20.37
instant death and so he
was struggling breathing
00:26:20.40\00:26:23.27
his last there on
the gallows and these
00:26:23.30\00:26:26.25
prisoners are
chagrin, they cannot imagine,
00:26:26.67\00:26:29.73
they're floored
by witnessing this
00:26:29.76\00:26:32.47
terrible event. And
Elie says an inmate behind
00:26:32.50\00:26:36.40
him was stammering
with fecundity and passion
00:26:36.43\00:26:40.75
under his breath.
Where is God? Where is he?
00:26:41.13\00:26:46.53
Where is God? Where
is he? And he was just
00:26:46.96\00:26:50.77
chanting with passion
these statements in the
00:26:50.80\00:26:53.95
midst of an execution and
as I was reading this thing
00:26:53.98\00:26:56.39
I said what a profound
question of theodicy to
00:26:56.42\00:27:00.14
ask in the midst of an
execution taking place in
00:27:00.17\00:27:04.05
the midst of the Holocaust.
And Elie says in his book
00:27:04.08\00:27:08.15
that he thought about
that statement, he thought
00:27:08.23\00:27:10.05
about the irony that
he was witnessing this
00:27:10.08\00:27:12.41
execution of an
innocent boy that did not
00:27:12.44\00:27:14.51
deserve to be
hanged. He was witnessing the
00:27:14.82\00:27:16.90
Holocaust, the
extermination of six
00:27:16.93\00:27:18.62
million Jews and as
this man was stammering
00:27:18.65\00:27:21.48
behind him, where
is God? Where is he?
00:27:21.51\00:27:24.60
Where is God? He
says that within himself
00:27:24.86\00:27:28.78
resonated these
words "right there on the
00:27:28.88\00:27:32.74
gallows" where else would he be.
00:27:32.77\00:27:35.34
Elie by implication is
saying that God is with us
00:27:36.80\00:27:40.50
in the midst of
sorrow and suffering.
00:27:40.94\00:27:43.23
And it's my prayer
for you today that you'll
00:27:43.69\00:27:45.82
place your confidence,
that you'll place your trust
00:27:45.85\00:27:48.53
implicitly in our Lord
Jesus Christ and may God
00:27:48.56\00:27:52.34
grant you the
peace for you today.
00:27:52.37\00:27:55.25