WHY DOES GOD ALLOW BAD THINGS TO HAPPEN?

Why does God allow evil to happen? If God is so great and so good, why does he allow human beings to hurt each other, suffering, and pain?

These are good questions, that many of us will wrestle with before our life's end.  

• One of the answers that comes back on this, is that we live in a sinful world. Sin ultimately is selfishness. I want to do what I want, not what God tells me to do. Sin always hurts others, not just ourselves and when people sin - others - we suffer.
• Another, is that it exists because of our own selves. Much of the time, we suffer because of our own choices. God gives us the freedom to decide how we will act and the ability to make moral choices. This is what sets us apart from animals, but it also is the source of  much pain in the world. Every one of us is capable of making selfish, self-centered or even evil choices. Whenever that happens, people get hurt.

So, we ask - GOD! WHY ARE YOU LETTING THIS HAPPEN?  Let's think about this. 

• God could have eliminated evil from our world by simply removing our ability to choose. He could have made us marionettes on strings that he pulls. By taking away our ability to choose, evil would vanish. Then, what kind of life would that be?  Love is not genuine if there is no other option. God did not want this kind of love, nor did He want to create a people with no ability to choose. Like Him, we want to be loved because people choose to love us, not because they are forced to.
• Evil could have been eliminated by God simply choosing NOT to create the world and us in it. Then where would we be? Not here...that's for certain.

There is a much simpler and more direct answer to this question. Many want to blame God for the evil that exists in the world, and the evil things that happen. Yet, they do not stop to consider...

The light has come into the world, and people who do evil things are judged guilty because they love the dark more than the light. - John 3:19

God could keep the terrorists from completing their missions, tyrants from coming to power, criminals from stealing and murder and much more. He could short-circuit their ability to choose their own will instead of His and impose HIS will on them.  Yet, in all fairness, God  would have to do that to all of us. We aren't terrorists, tyrants, or criminals, but we do hurt others with our own selfish decisions and actions.

In all honesty, in a world of free choices, God's will is rarely chosen! People doing "what we want" is much more common and much easier.  In heaven, God's will IS done perfectly. That's why there is no sorrow, pain or evil there.It is the ONE place where people CHOOSE what God wants because they LOVE HIM!  But this is earth, this  imperfect place, we must choose to do God's will every day. It isn't automatic. That is why Jesus told us to pray, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."

The truth about evil and its existence?  We're far more interested in pleasing ourselves than we are in pleasing God who made us. Eradication of evil and solutions to evil will not come from politicians, drugs, education, et.al. We must look to God and his Word for comfort, direction and answers to our questions. It is you and I who must humble ourselves and admit that each of us often chooses to ignore what God wants us to do.

We were made for a relationship with God, but HE waits for us to choose him. He is ready to comfort, guide and direct us through our grief. But the choice is ours. It is not God's fault, if OUR CHOICE is evil.

Jim

Evangelism at the Well

John 4:1-45

Many have felt that the woman's proclamation of Jesus as the Messiah was not so much prompted by the uncovering of her lifestyle but because of transformed thinking of who the Messiah was. It is a common, but misplaced emphasis because when Jesus confronts her about it, she immediately begins to address the differences between Jews and Samaritans.   Her statement of him being a prophet was born out of how the Samaritans viewed OT prophecy. For her, Jesus was pulling out the Jewish card and she immediately resorts to defending herself and her situation.  The Samaritans believed the Messiah would be a teacher, yet she recognized the truth of who he was because of the prophetic function, which the Samaritans had rejected.

Yet, it is interesting that Jesus did not tell her to go tell the town’s people. She learns the truth and she is motivated to make the proclamation herself. It was this planted seed that lead the Samaritans to seek and find Jesus, which turned into their belief. 

Sometimes we can put too much pressure on people to share their faith without the necessary transformation that motivates them to do so.  The urgency of the great commission should not  be reduced to the proclamation of a message apart from the concern of the individual.  We can dehumanize the gospel by making it strictly about the message.  This is especially true when Christians are responding to the call to act without the internal encouragement of their own heart's renewal. Conversion is not based upon us as a salesman trying to "close the deal." A person responds to the gospel message because God has opened their eyes and hearts to do so.  

People come with bodies, hurts, experiences and needs. Jesus reveals God to us (Heb.1:1-3). In His actions towards people, he taught us that we should engage the whole person.  God cares for the whole person and not merely that a message has been accepted.  Sharing faith should involve sharing life.  This is what Christ modeled for us. 

In many ways,  the gospel message is reduced to a dehumanized sound byte is because we’ve viewed in terms of heaven and hell - not something that is based on God’s redemptive heart for His creation.  We are never told to convert people but to make disciples (Mt.28:18-20).  This  means getting involved with people and not just seeing them as converts.

Evangelism is about making Jesus known. Yet, we can only make him known to the extent that we have embraced Him for ourselves.  When that happens, there should be little need to have to "prod" people to share the gospel. They should want to make Jesus known - because it is HE who has changed them.

Jim

David escaped to the Cave of Adullam | Ferrell's Travel Blog

David escaped to the Cave of Adullam | Ferrell's Travel Blog:

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David escaped to the Cave of Adullam

Posted on September 2, 2011 by ferrelljenkins| 3 Comments

One of the important places on our “bucket list” was the Cave of Adullam. The main reason we had never visited Adullam before is that it requires a long, difficult, walk or a four-wheel-drive vehicle. We made arrangements withHaelah Desert Tours, a company at Aderet, a moshav on the north side of Adullam, for a guide/driver who could take us there. Once we reached the forested mound we enjoyed a wonderful view to the north, east, and south. Our guide, Daphna, inquired first about our interest in the site. How did we even know about the site, she wondered. She is a Sabre, a native-born Israeli, who lives at Aderet.

The view below is to the east where you will see the border between Israel and the West Bank. The central mountain range is visible in the distance.

Daphna, our guide, and Leon look east from Tel Adullam. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

There is a large cave at Adullam. Is it the cave where David stayed while fleeing from Saul. Can’t say, but if it was not this one it had to be another one near by. The next photo was made from inside the cave.

View north from interior of the Cave of Adullam. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Adullam is significant in several biblical accounts. Here are a few.

Judah married the daughter of Hira the Adullamite.

At that time Judah left his brothers and stayed with an Adullamite man named Hirah. There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. Judah acquired her as a wife and had marital relations with her. (Genesis 38:1-2 NET)

The episode of Onan and his failure to fulfill his responsibility to bring up children to his deceased brother (the Levirate marriage; Genesis 38:3-10).

Joshua defeated the king of Adullam during the Conquest (Joshua 12:15), and became one of the Shephelah (lowland) cities of the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:35).

The cave of Adullam is associated with David. When he left Gath he went to Adullam before sending his parents to Moab for safety.

So David left there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s family learned about it, they went down there to him. (1 Samuel 22:1 NET)

In fact, David spent much time at Adullam. I suggest you read the entire account in 2 Samuel 23:13ff.

When the prophet Micah warned Judah about the coming Assyrian invasion he said,

…the leaders of Israel shall flee to Adullam (Micah 1:15 NET)

Just like David did about three centuries earlier.

One more point. Jesus was a descendant of David and Judah, both of whom had an association with Adullam (Revelation 5:5).

What a wonderful experience.

My thanks to Gordon Franz and Carl Rasmussen with whom I have corresponded about Adullam.

Somthing new, something old in Israel | Ferrell's Travel Blog

Somthing new, something old in Israel | Ferrell's Travel Blog:

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Somthing new, something old in Israel

Posted on September 3, 2011 by ferrelljenkins| Leave a comment

No, we did not attend a wedding today. Leon and I are trying to see some places we have missed before. I have traveled here more than Leon, so I don’t like passing up a place he hasn’t visited.

As we left Jerusalem this morning we missed a turn and ended up in one of the new Israeli suburbs called Pisgat Ze’ev Ma’arav (West). This suburb is on the east side of Tell el-Ful (Hill of Beans in Arabic), identified as biblical Gibeah. In an effort to find our way back to the main street to get on the highway to go to the Jordan Valley I saw a side of Tell el-Ful that I had not seen before. I had always seen the tell from the West, but now I was was looking at the East side.

How does one recognize Tell el-Ful? Beans no longer grow on the mound. Prior to the 1967 war, when the Old City of Jerusalem and the area under consideration was in Jordan, the late King Hussein of Jordan was beginning to build a palace on the top of the tell. The uncompleted structure still stands there as a silent monument to a failed plan.

The view from the east is impressive. The tell can be seen framed between the new buildings of Pisgat Ze’ev Ma’arav (West). I was beginning to fume a bit about missing the road I intended to take until I saw Tel el-Ful (Gibeah).

Gibeah of Saul (Tel el-Ful) from the east. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Several biblical references mention Gibeah as the home of Saul. In fact the city is even called Gibeah of Saul in 2 Samuel 21:6, and Gibeah of Benjamin in 1 Samuel 13:2. Saul was the first king of Israel from about 1050 to 1010 B.C.

William F. Albright excavated Tell el-Ful and found evidence of a fortress. Many think this would have been the palace of King Saul. An iron plowshare was also found in the excavation.

There is a nice photo by Eli Berckovitz of the skeleton structure of King Hussein on Wikipedia here.

Cussing Christians by Scott Williams - ChurchLeaders.com - Christian Leadership Blogs, Articles, Videos, How To's, and Free Resources

Cussing Christians by Scott Williams - ChurchLeaders.com - Christian Leadership Blogs, Articles, Videos, How To's, and Free Resources:

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I’ve talked about this before, but I’m gonna get straight to the point; I am not trying to sound holier than thou, but I’m gonna keep it real as it relates to Cussing Christians. I’m not talking about words like sucks, screwed, freakin’ etc.

Not to minimize those words, but I’m talking about the four letter words and their cussing cousins. There is no need for me to share them, because we’re all grown folks and all have probably heard or spewed them at some time or another ourselves. I personally don’t use them, nor do I judge people who do; however I do feel as Christ followers we have a responsibility to encourage people to do better. Doing better can come in the form of encouraging our Christian brothers and sisters to use better language. The expectations and standards aren’t the same for my Non-Christian friends.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. James 3:9-12

I have been around too many Cussing Christians and Cussing Pastors; all I have to say is we can and should do better. Salty springs don’t produce fresh water and salty words don’t produce fresh fruit if you know what I mean. Do you want to be salty water or fresh water?

2,000-year-old burial box could reveal location of the family of Caiaphas

2,000-year-old burial box could reveal location of the family of Caiaphas:

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This is the ossuary thought to reveal the home of Caiaphas' family. Credit: AFTAU

In Jerusalem and Judah, ancient limestone burial boxes containing skeletal remains — called ossuaries — are fairly common archaeological finds from the 1st century BCE to the 1st century AD period. Forgers have also added inscriptions or decorations to fraudulently increase their value. So three years ago, when the Israel Antiquities Authority confiscated an ossuary with a rare inscription from antiquities looters, they turned to Prof. Yuval Goren of Tel Aviv University's Department of Archaeology to authenticate the fascinating discovery.

Prof. Goren, who worked in collaboration with Prof. Boaz Zissu from Bar Ilan University, now confirms that both the ossuary and its inscription are authentic. The ossuary's inscription, which is unusually detailed, could reveal the home of the family of the biblical figure and high priest Caiaphas prior to their exodus to Galilee after 70 AD. Caiaphas is infamous for his involvement in the crucifixion of Jesus.

Prof. Goren's finding has been reported in the Israel Exploration Journal.

The ossuary marks the spot

Ossuaries have recently been in the news — an ossuary marked with a fraudulent inscription claiming the deceased to be James son of Joseph, the brother of Jesus, made worldwide headlines. Taking this recent hoax into account, it was imperative to establish whether the Caiaphas-related ossuary and its inscription represented a genuine artefact, Prof. Goren says.

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This image shows detail of the ossuary's inscription. Credit: AFTAU

Most ancient ossuaries are either unmarked or mention only the name of the deceased. The inscription on this ossuary is extraordinary in that the deceased is named within the context of three generations and a potential location. The full inscription reads: "Miriam daughter of Yeshua son of Caiaphus, priest of Maaziah from Beth Imri."

The Maaziah refers to a clan that was the last mentioned order of 24 orders of high priests during the second temple period, Prof. Goren explains. While there are some records of the clan in Talmudic sources that detail their lives after they spread into the Galilee in 70 AD, the reference to Beit Imri gives new insight into the family's location prior to their migration. Though it is possible that Beit Imri refers to another priestly order, say the researchers, it more probably refers to a geographical location, likely that of Caiaphus' family's village of origin.

The ossuary is thought to come from a burial site in the Valley of Elah, southwest of Jerusalem, the legendary location of the battle between David and Goliath. Beit Imri was probably located on the slopes of Mount Hebron.

A genuine among fakes

In the Laboratory for Comparative Microarchaeology, Prof. Goren conducted a thorough examination of the limestone box, which boasts decorative rosettes in addition to the inscription. "When a rock is deposited in the ground for millennia, it is affected by the surrounding environment and affects the surrounding environment," he notes. Processes such as erosion by acidic ground water and the accumulation of calcareous or siliceous coatings, biological activity such as the development of bacteria, algae, lichens, and the nearby activity of flora and fauna lead to a coating of the stone. Most of these features are impossible to replicate in the lab.

Conclusive evidence of these natural processes was found not only on the stone of the ossuary, but also above and below the inscriptions. "Beyond any reasonable doubt, the inscription is authentic," says Prof. Goren.

Provided by Tel Aviv University (news : web)

A sacred Christian site identified by archaeologists

The Siloam Pool: Where Jesus Healed the Blind Man

A sacred Christian site identified by archaeologists

Biblical Archaeology Society Staff   •  05/25/2011

In 2004, the stepped remains of the ancient Siloam Pool, long thought to be located elsewhere, were uncovered near the City of David. According to the Gospel of John, it was at this sacred Christian site that Jesus healed the blind man. Photo: Todd Bolen/bibleplaces.com

The Siloam Pool has long been considered a sacred Christian site, even if the correct identification of the site itself was uncertain. According to the Gospel of John, it was at the Siloam Pool where Jesus healed the blind man (John 9:1–11).

Traditionally, the Christian site of the Siloam Pool was the pool and church that were built by the Byzantine empress Eudocia (c. 400–460 A.D.) to commemorate the miracle recounted in the New Testament. However, the exact location of the original pool as it existed during the time of Jesus remained a mystery until June 2004.

During construction work to repair a large water pipe south of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, at the southern end of the ridge known as the City of David, archaeologists Ronny Reich and Eli Shukron identified two ancient stone steps. Further excavation revealed that they were part of a monumental pool from the Second Temple period, the period in which Jesus lived. The structure Reich and Shukron discovered was 225 feet long, with corners that are slightly greater than 90 degrees, indicating a trapezoidal shape, with the widening end oriented toward Tyropoeon valley.

The Siloam pool is adjacent to the area in the ancient City of David known as the King’s Garden and is just southeast of the remains of the fifth-century church and pool traditionally believed to be the sacred Christian site.

Artist’s rendering of the Siloam pool, the Biblical Christian site where Jesus healed the blind man. Photo: Jason Clarke

What was the function of the Siloam pool during Jesus’ time? Because the pool is fed by waters from the Gihon Spring, located in the Kidron Valley,  the naturally flowing spring water would have qualified the pool for use as a mikveh for ritual bathing. However, it could also have been an important source of fresh water for the inhabitants on that part of the city. One scholar has even suggested that it was a Roman-style swimming pool. Whatever its original purpose, the Siloam pool where Jesus healed the blind man is an important Christian site, and its discovery represents a watershed moment in the field of Biblical archaeology.

As with many sites in the Holy Land, the origins of the Siloam Pool reach back even further in history—at least seven centuries before the time of Jesus. Judah’s King Hezekiah (late eighth century B.C.) correctly anticipated a siege against Jerusalem by the Assyrian monarch Sennacherib.

To protect the city’s water supply during the siege, Hezekiah undertook a strategic engineering project that would be an impressive feat in any age: He ordered the digging of a 1,750-foot tunnel under the City of David to bring water from the Gihon Spring, which lay outside the city wall, inside the city to a pool on the opposite side of the ridge. In the years that followed, “Hezekiah’s Tunnel” continued to carry fresh water to this section of Jerusalem, and different pools were built here over the centuries, including the Second Temple pool that Jesus knew.

Based on “Issue 200: Ten Top Discoveries.” Biblical Archaeology Review, Jul/Aug Sep/Oct 2009, 74-96.