Sunday: “How Long, O Lord?”
Daily Lesson for Sunday 9th of February 2025
The problem of evil is voiced not only in contemporary contexts but also in Scripture itself.
Read Job 30:26, Jeremiah 12:1, Jeremiah 13:22, Malachi 2:17, and Psalms 10:1. How do these texts bring the problem of evil to the forefront of human experience?
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These texts raise many questions that are still with us today. Why does it seem as though the wicked prosper and those who do evil benefit from their evil, perhaps not always but still often enough? Why do the righteous suffer so much? Where is God when evil occurs? Why does God sometimes appear to be far from us, even hidden?
Whatever we say about these questions and the problem of evil more generally, we should be sure not to trivialize evil. We should not try to resolve the problem by downplaying the kind, or amount, of evil in the world. Evil is very bad—and God hates it even more than we do. Thus, we might join in the cry that rings throughout Scripture in response to the many evils and injustices in the world: “How long, O Lord?”
Read Matthew 27:46. How do you understand these words of Jesus? What do they convey about how evil touched God in the most striking of ways?
On the cross, Jesus Himself voiced the question: “ ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ ” (Matthew 27:46, NKJV). Here especially we see that God Himself is touched by evil, an amazing truth powerfully highlighted in the suffering and death of Christ on the cross, where all the evil of the world fell upon Him.
But even here there is hope. What Christ did on the cross defeated the source of evil, Satan, and will eventually undo evil entirely. Jesus quoted those words from Psalms 22:1, and the rest of the psalm ends in triumph.
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On the cross, Jesus looked forward to a hope that, at the time, He could not see. How can we draw comfort from His experience when we, too, cannot see hope before us? |
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I am jumping ahead a little this morning because I want to start with a quote that resonates with Seventh-day Adventists:
I like Eugene Peterson's transliteration of this Psalm into modern English. The problem with this passage is not the answer, but rather how we transmit that answer to others.
I have become quite interested in Artificial Intelligence - mainly because I am a computer scientist and AI is currently the cutting edge of computer science. One of the things that AI is good at is providing answers but if we are not careful, we overlook the way it arrives at those answers. I used to spend hours understanding algorithms and converting them into computer code. Nowadays AI will write that code for me and I don't even need to understand what it is doing.
I like to think of Psalm 73 as providing a brilliant answer to the problem of evil but it leaves it up to us to show or demonstrate how we came by that answer and why it is relevant. That should provide some discussion for the rest of the week.
I should point out that evolutionists have the converse problem - The problem of good. If we live in a probabilistic competitive universe based on survival, why on earth did we ever think that "good" was important or even relevant?
Maurice - yes, I see the point you are making regarding the problem the evolutionists have with 'finding a place for 'good''. I am curious, do you know any of their answers?
Because everybody knows that we are stronger in groups than we are individually. So that's the tug of war of a reality without God. As a group, it's far better for us to cooperate. But as people within that group, it's best for the individual to 'sin' and not get caught or not to be so punished so that future sins are counter productive. It is, by far, better to live among societies that follow christian values while doing everything possible to cheat that same system/society to enhance your own position. Hypocritical, yes. But many look at following those rules as a 'sucker' play. The sitting President has been open about it, but i think many of the powerful echo those sentiments. This depresses and discourages me every time I consider it instead of God and his goodness, mercy, and tender watch care.
Maurice, You are in good company when it comes to computer science. So was Moses.
He was the first to download "data" to a "tablet" from "the cloud".
When we face trials that seem overwhelming, we can draw comfort from Jesus’ unwavering trust. Just as His suffering led to victory and resurrection, our pain and uncertainty can lead to renewal and growth if we remain anchored in faith. The cross reminds us that even in our darkest hour, God is still present, working behind the scenes, and that ultimate victory is assured.
Jesus’ experience on the cross teaches us that hope is not always about what we can see but about trusting in God’s promises even in our darkest moments. As He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46), Jesus felt the weight of separation, yet He still surrendered His spirit into the Father’s hands (Luke 23:46). This shows us that even when we cannot see or feel hope, it still exists because God is faithful.
Who has not faced the clutches of evil and cried out, “How long, O Lord?” This is a cry of anguish and suffering seeking God’s intervention, justice, and deliverance. It is a cry borne out of frustration from prolonged suffering and injustice. Perhaps at some point, we have desired God to intervene much faster, but deliverance was not forthcoming. This cry is a manifestation of human desperation hoping for help from God. This cry is a testament that some questions have answers only in God.
Through the ages, the question of evil has perplexed human understanding. Several people have tried to explore a nuanced approach to understanding the difficult question of evil without a definitive conclusion (Augustine of Hippo, C.S. Lewis, Irenaeus of Lyons, Alvin Plantinga, and many more). Regardless of their spirited effort to explain evil, the fact remains that evil is a mystery. The Bible presents different perspectives on why evil exists and how God relates to it.
a) Evil as a consequence of Free Will – Evil is an outcome of the choice humans make (including created angels) (Genesis 3:1-19, Deuteronomy 30:19). According to C S Lewis, he called this “The Simple Evil Produced by Rebellious Creatures”.
b) Evil as a tool for God's greater plan of redemption (Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28) – In some incidences, God allows evil and suffering to exist to accomplish His greater plan of redemption. Let it be clear that God does not cause evil.
c) Evil as a result of Satan and Spiritual Warfare (Job 1-2, Ephesians 6:12) – There is a cosmic conflict between the forces of good and demonic forces. This has nothing to do with human choices. Satan can inflict evil on innocent humans. The story of Job is quite illustrative on this point.
d) Evil is a mystery – The question of evil is outside humans’ full comprehension (Isaiah 55:8-9, Romans 11:33). The origin of evil is still a mystery embedded in God’s sovereignty. God’s sovereignty is over and above all things including the Free Will (Romans 8:20-21, Isaiah 45:7, Amos 3:6, Lamentations 3:37-38). It is God’s sovereignty that gave humans the Free Will. When Job questioned God about suffering, he did not receive a direct answer, but God referred him to His wisdom and power (Job 38-42). Finally, Job learned to trust God’s wisdom and power (Job 13:15,
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take” – Proverbs 3: 5-6 (NLT).
A couple of additional thoughts on the subject which believers are already aware of. The Lord knew evil was going to take place before He created any beings with free will, how He would address it, and decided it was worth it. Grace and mercy were elements of His character that his creation was not aware of because there was no need since there was no sin. There was no need to love your enemies because there were no enemies. There was no need for love to suffer long because there was no suffering. So though sin was not His choice, a much deeper quality of God’s love has been revealed to His creation through the great controversy.
Thank you so much for a detailed expository. I have been truly blessed
In your summary all my questions have been answered God bless you.
"...we should be sure not to trivialize evil. We should not try to resolve the problem by downplaying the kind, or amount, of evil in the world. Evil is very bad—and God hates it even more than we do."
Yes! This stood out to me from today's lesson because I have experienced this as one of Satan's more modern deceptions. Instead of questioning what kind of God would allow evil, this new thought leaves the true Biblical God out all together...and evil. There is neither, according to this worldview. For example, here is a quote from Eckhart Tolle in his book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's purpose:
"There is only one perpetrator of evil on the planet, human unconsciousness. That realization is true forgiveness. With forgiveness, your victim identity dissolves, and your true power emerges - the power of Presence. Instead of blaming the darkness, you bring in the light."
See how crafty, the truth mixed in with lies. First off, it's interesting that his book title is "A New Earth...", taken from Revelation 21:1-5 (our memory text this week), where God creates a new earth, not humans. We don't have it within ourselves to "become conscious", in Tolle's words, or to become aware of sin. It's God's Spirit and His Word and His Law that makes us aware that we fall morally short (1 John 3:9; Rom. 3:20). How does Tolle know what consciousness and unconsciousness is?
Then, Tolle denies that there is a deceiver or devil. He says that believing in a perpetrator introduces victim consciousness. Well, Eve did blame the serpent. But, the Bible tells us we are not victims to Satan in the sense of not being able to resist him. It is our own evil desires within us that give birth to sin (James 1:14-15). However, even though evil thoughts arise in our own hearts, there IS a host of fallen angels also encouraging us to listen to these sinful thoughts that come to us and we are to flee from Satan and his demonic lies (James 4:7). It's not just about people growing up, a whole lot more is at stake, as we know. It's about a Great Controversy between good and evil being played out and we are participants in this greater revelation of God and His character.
Another mixed truth/falsehood,... yes, it is through forgiveness that healing comes. Jesus prayed, "Father forgive them for they know now what they do" (Luke 23:34). Tolle and other "New Thought" teachers use this verse, frequently, to support their idea that there is no evil, but only unconscious humans. They take the sting out of evil by claiming there is no such thing, and they say that the "wise teacher, Jesus" showed us this. But we know Jesus died because of evil. Evil, taking on all of our guilt and impurity is what separated His ability to clearly see and communicate with the Father. Our sin killed Jesus.
And it is Jesus' forgiveness that ushers in the light, not ours.... Tolle says "your true power emerges". Big red flag when a teaching talks about self-centered power! We forgive on Earth as He forgives in heaven (Matt. 6:14-15). Ephesians 4:32 tells us that we forgive ONLY BECAUSE we have been forgiven through Christ's sacrifice,... we have no grounds to forgive otherwise. Jesus brings in the light, not us.
There are so many more mixed truths even in this one short quote of false doctrine, but I just wanted to share this because I think in today's world it is so much more subtle than arguments that God is not fair or that God is not doing His job. Many unsaved people today avoid even the word "God", preferring the generic "Source" or "the Universe". This new philosophy has a fake peacefulness to it because it makes evil less than, not something to fight against but just to be patient with as we and others grow. It is a dangerous lie, especially crafted to those with a biblical background by misquoting and downplaying Christ's work as Savior from sin.
Thank you for addressing this. I'm a reader and see works by this author and other 'new thought' proponents often. I have stayed away from these, but have questioned why I have questioned them. Now I know, it is because of the danger of 'half-truths' and thank God's leading.
Yes, Patricia, it is very subtle. I grew up in a Christian home that was like a library with thousands of books. I was shocked as I started looking in some of them …. after my journey away from Christianity and back again…that what seemed like Christian books I’m sure to my parents, are counterfeits that don’t depend on God‘s Word at all for spiritual truth and wisdom…. but use chosen verses taken out of context to add credence to their own worldviews. An excellent YouTube video “How New Age & Word of Faith Misunderstand the Bible (Mike Winger and Melissa Dougherty)” reviews several passages that are misquoted frequently and explains the true meanings.
A text I meant to include in my post when talking about “becoming conscious”, as New Thought writers say, is John 16:7-14 which tells us that it is the Holy Spirit that gives us real holy consciousness and the truth about sin and God‘s judgment. If anyone does not believe in Jesus as God, they are not being led into the truth by God’s Spirit, but are reading books labeled “spiritual” that are indeed, but by another evil spirit.
In one of these false books I found on my bookshelf I was stunned to read that the authors said in the preface that they had been contacted by an angel guide at 3 AM every morning who dictated the words to them. Esther Hicks is another false prophet who says she has been channeling “Abraham” in her writings.
I have my "why" questions, but I do not let them stand between me and God. Instead, I delight in seeking His answers without prejudging Him. This allows me to accept by faith that He is loving, kind, just, and merciful — regardless of how circumstances appear.
God did not come to save the body but to awaken His Spirit within us. The wicked may prosper in ways that benefit their bodies or status in this world, but they are not alive in what truly matters in God's Book of Life. Evil is a powerful force, blinding mankind until God’s Light reveals the darkness - John 1:5. It is a ‘rebellious force’, seeking to usurp God’s authority over Life and destroy its order.
Evil’s harvest is abundant, and many enjoy its fruit, but in the end, it destroys those who cast the seeds, those who plant it, and those who harvest it.
God's seeds of Truth are unnumbered, and those who spread His seed and those who harvest its fruit know how to appreciate its sweetness and bitterness as His Truth leads to Life - true, spiritual health of heart and mind.
Yes, Jesus suffered greatly at the hands of those who chose to crucify Him. Yet in the end, the bitter was replaced with the sweet assurance that God works His marvelous redemption in all who love Him — Hebrews 13:5 (AMP).
Jesus became a human of bone and flesh because, in His infinite love, God wanted us to feel embraced — embraced by a Father who has lived the worst human situation possible: when Jesus took upon Himself all evil from all the ages before and after His death. God continues to suffer with us, even though He is still God. Our cherished hope is that Christ will return and eradicate evil forever!