The images were horrific. No doubt you have seen the images from the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Innocent civililans were executed in their homes. Women were raped. The elderly and children were slaughtered. Men, women and children were taken hostage, some were paraded around Gaza in cages, others were stripped naked and beaten and spat upon by the crowds. 

It was Israel's 9/11, but on a scale per capita much larger than ours. Israel is a country of 9.5 million people. The death toll of 1,400 (and counting) would be the equivalent, in the U.S. of between 25,000-30,000 Americans dying in a single day. The entire country of Israel has understandably been traumatized (and there will likely be long-term trauma from all of this), and has resolved to once and for all deal with Hamas and those who would seek to commit genocide on the Jewish people. Israel declared war on Hamas. 

Please note: Israel did not declare war on Palestine. They have declared war on Hamas. As the military buildup in Israel has grown to some 350,000 soldiers, to the north, Hezbollah (as well as Iran) are making threats. Israel is truly surrounded, but the people are resolved to do what they must do to protect their people and bring stability to the region. 

The United States has dispatched warships to the area as well as aircraft and other 'personnel.' News today stated that British Special Forces may join in to help try to rescue hostages. 

Last night, a rocket hit a hospital in Gaza. Hamas said that it was a strike by Israel. Israel says it was an errant rocket fired from within Gaza that accidentally hit a hospital. Video and surveillance cameras seem to back up this claim by Israel. Israel has repeatedly stated it is unacceptable to target civilians. The challenge in all of this is that Hamas has historically (and the intelligence community backs this up) stored rockets and ammunition in schools and hospitals because of the 'CNN Effect,' knowing that if Israel strikes a target where a rocket was fired and it turned out to be not only a military operations base, but also a hospital or school, the public will be appalled by the images on television and demand that Israel stop fighting back. 

It is a terrible mess. 

No one wants to see civilians suffer, neither in Israel or Palestine. However, on this current trajectory in which evil must be confronted, there will be more civilian casualties on both sides, and, the possibility of this war spilling over into the region. 

Christians must be in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem, the peace of Israel and for peace for the region, but we must also pray that such evil will be dealt with. God puts governements in place to wield the sword so that a society can experience peace and justice (Romans 13:3-5). Christians must also pray above all that the gospel would advance in that region. When hearts and minds are transformed by the Risen Christ, such darkness is shattered. We must fervently pray for the Christians in Israel and Palestine, that they would be courageous, bold and faithful witnesses in this time. We must pray that people will come to saving faith in Christ.

These 'musts' are easier for Christians to understand than the question of evil, particularly the kind of dark, evil brutality we have witnessed, and the Christian belief that God is both Good and Sovereign. Namely, the question is this: if God is both Soveign and Good, then why would He allow such evil?

The options (would appear) to be:

1) God is Good, but not Sovereign. Meaning, He does not approve and is angered by evil, but does not have the power to deal with it.

2) God is Sovereign, but He is not Good. Meaning, God is in control but is indifferent to human suffering. 

3) There is no God. (I'll address this argument in a later post).

Scripture is clear that God is Sovereign (Isaiah 45:7-9, Daniel 2:21, Proverbs 16:33, Job 42:2, Romans 8:28, Ephesians 1:11 for starters).

Scripture is equally clear that God is Good (Psalm 25:8,9, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 145:17, Nahum 1:7, John 3:16, 1 John 1:5, again, for starters). 

So, what are we to make of the presence of evil in this world in light of God, who is both Sovereign and Good? I want to encourage you to consider the following realities:

One: The Scriptures clearly explain the world and why things are the way they are and why we are the way we are. Humanity has been living east of Eden since our first parents rebelled, and sin had negatively impacted everything from creation to every person alive. We all have a sinful nature. It is naive an unbiblical to believe that we can experience some kind of utopia here on earth while it is populated with sinners who...sin. 

Two: God does not make anyone commit evil acts, rather in His permissive will, He does allow them to happen. No, we do not always get answers (ask Job). However, God has a way of taking what someone means for evil and turning it around for His ultimate glory and the ultimate good of others (see Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28 for starters).

There are times in our lives when darkness is so great, we want God to give us an answer. We see this in the Psalms rather often: 'How long, O Lord?' or 'My soul is in anguish O, Lord!' 

We see the prophet Habbakkuk asking questions of God as he learns that the despised and wicked Babylonians will indeed conquer his people. 

The challenge for us is that we see dimly, in part. We are finite, God is infinite. Our 'wisdom' is fallen, and God's wisdom is eternal and perfect. God makes it clear that His ways are not our ways nor are His thoughts our thoughts...He is God. We are not (Isaiah 55:8,9). We may think God owes us an explanation for why things happen, but He does not. The hidden things belong to Him. And in this, He is still absolutely Good and absolutely Sovereign. It is okay to cry out to God and to ask 'why, Lord?' In this act of faith as we pursue God in prayer and in the Word, His Word and Spirit will, in His own time, comfort us and give us insight we normally would not have otherwise. It is okay to take your pain and your questions to God. That said, we must always remember: we are seeing but a speck of the entire picture. God is doing billions of things we cannot see in answer to our prayers and He is actually orchestratinga all history to a climactic point. This leads to the next point.

Three: God's Word is very clear that He is moving history to that point where there are redeemed people from every nation, tribe and tongue, and then the end will come. Jesus spoke clearly about trials and tribulation, and, a Great Tribulation. The day is coming when God will ultimately and with complete finality, judge all evil. There will be no more war, sickness, death, pain, trauma....those who belong to Christ will reign with Him forever and ever. 

In the meantime, we should expect trouble and trials, and God's Word does not exclude Christians from trouble or trials (see 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 for example). 

Four:(and we need to get to Good News): Our God personally intervened into our situation to do for us what we could never do for ourselves, and it cost Him everything. God the Son left the splendor and glories of heaven, took on flesh, was born of a virgin, fully God, fully human, and in his brief 33 years of living, was very acquainted with sorrow and grief. He was despised and rejected by His people, by His own creation. Read Isaiah 53, a prophesy of Christ written 725 years before the Incarnation. 

God personally came to deal with the problems of Satan, sin and death--with evil. He came to give His life as a ransom for many. The spotless lamb of God, willingly laid down His life for you and me, enduring the most horrific death imaginable (research the procedure for crucifixion as well as what happens medically to the crucified person). Not only did He suffer immeasurably in the physical and emotional realms, but spiritually He suffered in ways we cannot imagine: Our sin (your sin and mine) were applied to His account, even though He had never sin, and God the Father poured out His Holy, Righteous Wrath against sin (our sin) on Jesus Christ. So, when Jesus cries out 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' not only is this the only time He refers to His Father as 'my God,' it is above all, a cry of anguish: from eternity past, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit (one God in three persons) existed in perfect love and unity and harmony. At this time, however, fellowship was broken as the Father turned from the Son. Jesus became a curse for us. He endured the wrath of God for us. 

Why is this important? By virtue of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, He is making all things new as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is Sovereign and Good over this broken and fallen world that is racing toward that day when God says 'Enough!' and Christ returns. 

It is also important because in Jesus Christ, we have a sympathetic High Priest who understands our human condition and what it means to be tempted (but not give into it), and what it means to suffer and to wonder 'My God, My God....why have you forsaken Me?' 

We can come to Jesus in our confusion and pain because He gets it much more than we ever will. 

In this mean time, God is not being passive, He is actually giving His wayward creation time to repent and to turn to Him. Read 2 Peter 3:9. God is giving people time to repent and to come to faith in Him. He is being patient, showing incredible grace and mercy to humanity because He would be perfectly just in judging humanity in full right now. 

There is so much more I could add, but this is already the longest Blog entrty I have made to date. My challenge to us is to go the God in prayer, to go to His Word, to call on Him, to be the ambassadors He has called us to be, and to shine the light of Christ in a world that is plunging further into darkness. 

God is Good. He is Soveriegn. He is over all things. He is near. He is sympathetic. He calls out to all to turn to Him. 

May the God of all Peace comfort our souls as we walk through the days ahead, confident, not in ourselves, but in our Redeemer!