Genesis 47:20-21 The land became Pharaoh's, and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other.
Smith focuses here on Joseph's motives for taking the land from his family and making them Pharaoh's indentured servants. Smith points out that it is not clear what Joseph's motives were for this. Further, he says we must be careful about how we judge those motives since we are told nothing about them.
Then he talks about how we must be careful about judging other's intentions or motives when we don't have enough information to evaluate those motives or intentions. Finally he admonishes his readers to consider that others may have information we do not have when they make decisions we criticize.
His comments are all based on human interactions and the motives for them, but I wonder if they apply as well to our desiring to know why God does what he does or allows what he allows. We are so quick to demand why, if not out loud, then silently, in our heads and hearts, a if we had the right to know it all, or even understand it all.
For me, it boils down to how I view God; do I allow him to be the omnipotent, omniscient, all-wise and loving God, or do I shrink him down into something manageable to serve my purposes? As if God owes me an explanation, as if he cannot be trusted.
I think there are some things we will not, we cannot ever understand. And there is more at stake here than God's reputation and God's abilities. We forget that we live in a world infiltrated and scarred by sin. Furthermore, I think we have no idea of the ripple effects of, as Paul says, having "sin in our members."
God designed us to live forever. Sin brought about death, and all that leads to death. Sin messes with our very DNA, scarring it, bending it, breaking bits of it causing all manner of birth defects and illness and tragedy, and the ripple effects of those tragedies.
Rabbi Kushner lost his 14-year-old son to progeria - a disease where the afflicted age prematurely. This loss shook him to his core. As he fought to make sense of it, he came to agree with and quotes Dorothee Soelle who said that "why is the wrong question to ask about suffering. The correct question is, in fact, what we can do about our suffering to confer meaning upon it, to create good from the evil we must each endure." I add, and glorify God by exercising our faith.
As far as humans go, we would be mindful that we should not be quick to judge their motives because we seldom have or know the whole story. Love calls us to give the benefit of doubt, just as we would want it to be granted to us.
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ReplyDeleteI didn't think vs. 20,21 was about the Israelites, but about the Egyptians...However, wiser heads than mine have studied this out. In either case, it's one of those situations where I shrug my mental shoulders and move on. :)
ReplyDeleteAs far as asking 'why' - I am a strong promoter of asking God questions! We are His children and children learn by asking questions. We may not get an explanation of 'why' but we do gain new insights as we come to our Father and ask Him to open our minds and understandings and to give us His perspective of situations and relationships. It's been a bit since I've read Job, but I believe he asked God why numerous times throughout the book.
Maybe the most important thing to remember when questioning God is to come in the right attitude. As a parent, when my children asked questions in an earnest desire to understand things, I was glad to explain; when they asked in a rebellious tone and defiant attitude, they were more likely to receive little explanation, and in some situations, the answer was "Because I said so" because they weren't willing to 'listen' or accept a valid explanation/reason, and to try to explain/reason with them would have been to be caught up in a long argument.
God is the knower of all things - I believe He wants His children to come to Him with their questions. He's big enough to handle them, and as we come with hearts ready to learn and obey, I believe He gives us understanding, even if He doesn't always give us the exact 'reason' or 'explanation.' With Job, He revealed His power and character...and Job repented as he gained anew a fresh vision of God.
That's how it usually works with me anyway. I gain a fresh view of God and His character and love.
I'm shocked sometimes at how quickly I judge others' motives. I immediately put myself above people and think I know best what's going on. And then, when I sinfully question the motives of God, how much worse is that? I liked what Caryl said about attitude - I think that definitely makes a difference in questioning. Am I acting in faith or disbelief?
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