Today’s Scripture Reading (May 29, 2012): Exodus 10
Maybe one of the scariest thoughts is
the possibility that God really does walk among us. That maybe the act of being
expelled from the Garden of Eden did not mean that God stopped walking with us,
but just that we stopped sensing God and walking with him. And part of the
reason why this is scary is that it leaves us with some things to try to
explain.
One of the perennial arguments against
the existence of God is the presence of evil in this world. So if God still
walks among us, why does God allow evil to exist. But the question is actually
based in a world view that says the pinnacle of our existence is here on earth
and that suffering takes away from our ability to succeed in this life. And
both thought lines are actually wrong, even though, in the midst of the battle,
they do not seem to be wrong.
This life is important, and we are
supposed to make the most of it, but if we really believe what the Bible says,
then death is a promotion. There is something better and forever (and I know
that part of the scary things is that it is also wrapped in mystery) that comes
after this life. The pinnacle, wrapped in mystery, is what comes next. But that
does not mean that we do not try to make this life the best that it can be.
But the second part was also wrong.
When you examine people in this life that we would consider successful, all of
them have faced some serious hurdles in their journey toward the goals that
they had set for themselves. It seems that the path that we can find through
suffering is the path to success – and there might not be another (or easier)
way. And we have to find that path, if not for us, then for our children.
There is no doubt that Israel had
suffered. At times the appropriate response for the people of God might have
been to run away (and actually, on several occasions, they did.) But all of the
trials were forming them into a very special people – one that in modern times
would allow them to exist without a country for over 1800 years, and at the end
of that time to survive an effort by a madman to exterminate them.
And the words of God still stuck with
them. Remember to tell your children of how you came through these times – and of
the actions that I took on your behalf. And you will be special people –
forever. And that is a character trait that we all need to try to emulate.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus 11
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