The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.
Dawkins, “The God Delusion”
Dawkins is obviously not a fan. So, let’s have a look at this.
It is all over the old testament, less so in the new testament. God does something hurtful or destructive. I’m not talking about a parking ticket here. I’m talking about a catastrophe: famine, pandemic, flood, invasion, exile, banishment…..you get the point. God intentionally does something that causes us great pain, even death. And we really don’t like it. Some of us, like Dawkins, declare God to be an enemy. But, if you look closer, the hurtful things that God does clearly come in two flavors:
The bad things God does to his “people”, both Jew and Gentile.
The bad things that God does to those who are harming his people.
In each case, the bad thing is about the same. The difference is in what follows the plague, flood, invasion, famine, etc. When God harms those who are hurting his people, he walks away and leaves the wreckage behind……forever. The countries that abused Israel in the old testament have never fully recovered…..even to this day. On the other hand, when God does something painful to his people, the harm has an end and is followed by a blessing. This is a key distinction.
The disasters that God visits on the enemies of his people are a punishment. There is no healing. There is no redemption. The disasters that God visits on his people are always followed by rapproachment…….healing and renewal of the relationship. This, I think, is the lesson of the book of Job.
The point here is this: “how should we react when tragedy strikes?”
And, as usual, the answer is: “it depends”. It depends on where you stand in your relationship with your creator.
If you have no relationship, if you are God’s enemy, if you are not one of his people…….then you have several options:
Go to war with God….like Dawkins. It’s a heady experience. You may even become rich and famous. But, you will lose. Just ask the Egyptians or the Assyrians or the Babylonians.
Reassess your allegiances. Consider the possibility…….that you are on the wrong side of the fence. Unlike football, when it’s late in the 4th quarter and you’re down by 49 points, you can switch teams. This is the essence of the gospel……God’s greatest gift.
If you are one of God’s people, it is a bit more complicated. Sometimes bad things just happen and God is not behind them……..but sometimes he is. So when disaster strikes, you need to consider the possibility that God is trying to steer you away from something that you are doing or that he is trying to steer you toward something that is better for you and for him.
Just like a good parent, God wants happiness and success for you……in the long run. This is the essence of parental discipline and love. This is the essence of God’s discipline and love.
I have seen my share of disasters. Was God behind them? I don’t know……..and I don’t care. What I do know is that there is a prize waiting for me. So I will use the tragedies that come my way to grow my relationship with my creator. Someday, we will meet. And then I will understand. Meanwhile……..I will trust.
I punished them, and hid my face in anger,
yet they kept on in their willful ways.
I have seen their ways, but I will heal them;
I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel’s mourners, creating praise on their lips.
Peace, peace, to those far and near,”
God in Isaiah 57: 17-19