“Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think that you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong.” These words were spoken by one of the characters in what is quickly rising to the top of my list of favorite novels – Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. As I ponder the veracity of this character’s philosophy, I’m finding that it colors my conversations, my relationships and even how I read Scripture. Take the following verses as exhibits A, B and C:
“He (King Uzziah) did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.” (2 Chronicles 26:4-5)
What’s the conclusion you might draw? God gives prosperity and success to those who follow and obey him, right? Uzziah wasn’t the only one who followed this pattern.
“Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the LORD his God.” (2 Chronicles 27:6)
And what happened when the kings didn’t follow God? Like so many, Uzziah had a change of heart and God’s favor shifted…
“But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God…and King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house – leprous, and excluded from the temple of the LORD.” (2 Chronicles 26:16, 21)
It’s a fairly consistent pattern in the books of history in the Old Testament: God rewards and protects those who do the right thing and he punishes and exacts a great price from those who don’t. Ok. There’s one premise. How about the contradiction? Have a look at this:
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.” (Job 1:6-8)
Sounds good. I wouldn’t mind of God bragged on me like that a little, would you? But we know the story of Job. Here are a few of the “rewards” he receives for his obedience: all his livestock were stolen and his servants murdered (1:14-17), all his children died (1:18-20), and he had painful sores from his head to his feet (2:7). Hmm. I smell a contradiction. Exhibit B leads me to believe that obedience to God and finding favor with Him have no power whatsoever to protect us from hardship. Well, which is it?
If we all took some time to examine our lives we’d probably come to a similar conclusion: sometimes I get what I deserve and sometimes I don’t. There are seasons when this works to my advantage and times when it’s to my chagrin. Real life can prove either theory, depending on whose life you’re looking at and what point you’d like to prove. So does this mean God is random in his assignation of tribulation and exultation in His children’s lives? I often find that when the mystery of God has me scratching my head, His physical incarnation in the person of Jesus is a helpful model. What does He say along these lines?
In the gospel of John, Jesus’ disciples ask him a question regarding a man who had been blind from birth: Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? (John 9:2) Supposition: suffering is a result of sin. The righteous have no trouble. Jesus’ response sheds a little light on our contradiction when He says, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned…but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:3) Obviously, Jesus isn’t saying that no one in this family has sin in their lives at all. We know that there is no one righteous, not even one; all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:10, 23). But it is important to see that He is saying that their sin did not cause the hardship in their lives. God allowed suffering in their lives (and Job’s, and in ours) in order to better showcase His mercy, power and healing that comes in times of distress.
Does it seem like the contradiction remains? Let’s check some of the underlying premises. I think part of the tension is relaxed when we realize the following:
1) God’s heart for His children is ultimately and perfectly good all the time. We can trust that the presence of painful circumstances is neither outside of His awareness or His control. So if there is suffering, He knows about it and He cares. This truth can make our pain seem less random, as we try to discern the source.
2) God’s Presence is greater than having answers. Whether we are the authors of our own misery or the evil of the world has encroached upon ours, running to God in dark times always beats running away from Him. I am finding this to be true in the sickness or death of loved ones, loneliness, and undefined longings or disappointments. I echo the heart’s cry of the psalmist, when he says: “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1)
3) We cannot earn God’s blessing or protection. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) There is no way to protect ourselves from life’s worst case scenarios except by not living life at all. And that is the opposite of what God calls each of us to do.
God’s activity in this world is not limited by our understanding or participation. However, He is a God of relationship and wants to communicate His love and power to us and those around us. And He will do so by any means necessary. And I can trust Him and rest in His plan.
• Look at the following verses and compare them to your life experience. Do you see contradictions? Are there any premises that may need to be examined?
• How do you press into God when times are tough? What verses have comforted you? What has been your experience in running toward God or running away from Him when you are in pain?
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