God & calamities (2)
Let’s get a few things clear.
When we say God "allows" or "permits" calamities it’s legitimate speech, but it isn’t adequate. The Bible says he sends them. He brings them about.
When we say God "allows" calamities we’re not easing the difficulties people feel. They then want to know why an omnipotent God that could stop them allows them!
When we say God "allows" calamities rather than "sending" them, even the people that agree with that still ask him "why?" because they think he shouldn’t allow them!
When we say God "allows" calamities rather than his "sending" them, people don’t think it any less objectionable, they don’t see him as any more loving! If we could easily put a stop to an elderly person being mugged or a child being raped and we refused to do it, people would think it inexcusable.
The book of Job doesn’t say God "let" the Satan do this or that to Job. Of course he "let" him—but that’s not nearly pointed enough. God sent him to do it! Read the first two chapters and then 42:11.
The book of Job nowhere suggests that God was testing Job’s faith. Of course it was a test—but that’s not nearly focussed enough. He was demonstrating Job’s faith against the satanic slander. The Satan denied it existed and God demonstrated that it did. You’ll note that twice the Satan says to God "stretch out your hand" and do this or that. The whole point of the book is missed if it isn’t God who does what happens to Job. That he used the Satan as his errand boy changes nothing! Job knew who brought the calamity. "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away." And again, "Shall we take good from God and not calamity?" The author of the book said (1:16) that it was the fire of God that burned Job’s possession and in 42:11 he says it was the Lord that brought trouble on Job.
When the trouble was over it isn’t hard to imagine Job saying to God, "You know, for a while there you made it hard for me to trust in you." But it’s easy to imagine God saying to Job, "Isn’t that interesting, you made it easy for me to trust in you."
Non-believers should insist that believers stick to the story as the Bible tells it rather than this ducking and diving.
If we’re going to get mad at God it would be better to get mad at the one who reveals himself in scripture. The God that Job got mad at was the one his friends represented and God said they needed to repent (42:7-9). Those who spoke for God misrepresented him.
Imagine a believer with Noah in his audience preaching and saying, "Only a monster would send a tsunami!"
Are there other things to say? Yes!
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