Sterling's Truths for Life #8

Explanation

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The God of the Bible does some really unexpected things. God does not fit into a comfortable. He is not safe. He is not tame. He is good, but if you feel entirely safe and comfortable around your god: Be afraid. Be very afraid.

In fact, if you feel safe and comfortable… have you even read the Bible? I doubt it. There are many places where things happen that just don’t fall into neat categories. People who systematize such things are lying if they say there are neat and orderly categories for all this:

• Noah curses his grandson for the actions of his son. (Genesis 7)
• David’s firstborn to Bathsheba dies for David’s sin. (2 Samuel 24)
• Ananias and Sapphira die at the curse of Peter for merely lying about their cash donation. (Acts 5)
• Meanwhile, Cain is granted a long life after murdering his own brother. (Genesis 4)
• Canaan, an entire nation, is dispossessed and judged for destruction. We would call this genocide today. (Joshua)
• Jesus is descended from prostitutes, adulterers, and those who committed incest. (Genesis, Matthew, Luke, and Joshua)
• Lot’s wife is turned to a pillar of salt for merely looking back at the destruction God wreaks on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19)
• Job has his family, his wealth, and his health taken from him for no better reason than because God chose to do so.
• And so many more…

God does things that are neither comfortable nor safe. He acts in His own best interest and holds His own will above all else. He is named Jealous. He decrees that his Law is perfect and must be followed and also provides a means of escape for those who do not. He may not have originated evil, but He created angels and humans, which lead to great evil all over.

In the world around us, we see abuse, oppression, death, sickness, famine, crime, genocide, murder, rape, war, and destruction all around. Why must we continue to endure such horrors even though Jesus has shed his blood for the forgiveness of sin?

Jesus came and He could have healed everyone, and yet He healed only a small few. Even today, God could save all if He chose. There’s no reason God could not save and heal everyone. He does not. Why not?

God does what He wants for His own reasons.

I love God, but I am not comfortable with Him. He does not fit into any nice, neat box I would make for Him.