Basic HTML Version
squarely! For too long theologians
have hcmmed and hawed on this
question. They have produced
answers that are nonanswers. Or
they have c hanged the subject.
The suggestion that God is all
good, but just not powerful enough
to prevent calamity, is only one of
the attempted explanations. Sorne
in religion counter with: "God is
indeed all-powerfu l. But our suffer–
ings are due to the fact that God is
not totally good."
Others dismiss the enti re subject
as a "mystery," something we can't
understand in this life. There are
sorne who seek to get around the
question by denying · the existence
of evil in the firs t place. If there is
no evi l, they must reason, there is
nothing for which to blame God.
In any case, none of them are
able to give an adequate explana–
tion as to why the God they profess
to worship cannot be seen!
lt
is little wonder atheism and
agnost ic ism nourish.
lt
is little
wonder even sincerely religious
people have doubts concerning this
most basic of all questions: Why
does God apparently stand aloof
whi le humanity suffers? Why does
he allow pain and evil ?
In short,
why does God hide
himselj?
How lt All Began
We rteedn't be
10
doubt. We can
know.
The Bible makes no secret that
God does indeed respond to certain
circumstances and sit uations by
withdrawi ng
himself- hiding
him–
self, if you picase. "Truly You are
God , who hid c Yoursel f," ex–
claimed the prophet lsaiah (lsa.
45:15, Revised Authorized Version
throughout).
In the mids t of grievous physical
aflliction, the patriarch Job once
used a similar term when he sought
to learn why God was hiding from
him (Job 13:24). And, " Why do
You stand afar off, O Lord ?" is the
question posed in Psalm 10:
t.
"Why do You hide Yourself in
times of trouble?" " How long,
Lord?" asks another psalm, "W ill
You hide Yourself forever?" (Ps.
89:46; 13: l ).
Yes, how long and why? Count–
less times in the anguished course
of human history such questions
40
have been echoed in response to
c~lamities,
pain and sutfering.
There is a reason. It all began
with the first human beings–
Adam and Eve. After God had
created them and placed them in a
splendid garden setting, the Cre–
ator God talked with them in per–
son. He was right there, g iving
them instructions on how to live
happy a nd successful lives. He
taught them about an eterna! law.
Humans were not just created
and then left to fend for them–
selves,
to
determine for themselves
what is right and what is wrong.
1
nstead , the C reator God personal-
Humans were not
just created
and then left to fend
for themselves, to
determine for
themselves what is
right and
what is wrong.
ly gave to them complete informa–
tion about the right way to live.
Living God's way produces happi–
ness, peace, health, prosperity and
eventually leads to eternal life.
But rejecting God's way, doing
what
seems
right to tbe natural rea–
soning, brings miscry, sickness, war
ánd everything evil ( Prov. 14: 12).
h
is God who defines what is r ight and
what is wrong. To place confidence
in human reason alone is folly.
Adam and Eve had to make a
choice between two ways of life,
symbo1ized by two trees described
in Genesis 2 and 3. They relied on
their human reason. Even if you
have had little interest in religion,
you probably are fami liar enough
with the often-referred-to account
to be aware that Adam and Eve
c hose the wrong tree. They
sinned- transgressed God's spiri–
tual law- rejected God's govern–
ment.
Notice a s ignificant point ,
though, that most overlook. Adam
and Eve immediately knew they
had disobeyed. Guilt and shame
welled up within them. The next
t ime the C reator carne
in
person to
talk to them, " they heard the sound
of the Lord God walking in the
garden in the cool of the day, and
[notice it!] Adam and his wife
hid
themselves from the presence of
the Lord God among the trees of
the garden" (Gen. 3:8).
So who was the first to hide?
Not the C reator God!
lt
was the
humans he had created who first
hid from him.
lt
was they who
wanted to establish and maintain a
distance- a separation- between
themselves and God .
The tree of which Adam and Eve
ate symbolized humanity's desire to
t ry to define for themselves good
and evil- by reasoning, by experi–
ence, by experimentation. Call it
the way of trial and error. Call it
the schoo1 of hard knocks, or self–
wi ll . Whatever you call it, humani–
ty has followed that way ever since
and it is that very way of life that
has produced all the grief, sutfering
and woe this world has known.
And God allowed it! He said, in
effect: "AII right, you won't listen
to what 1 say. You want to do
things as you see fit. You want to
hide from me? 1'11 h ide myself
from you instead . Go ahead , then.
Build your civil izations, form your
societies your way.
1
will step into
the background for 6,000 years and
give you the chance to 'do your
thing.' Only
1
warn you, you are
going to regret the results. With
cvcry cry of anguish and pain, with
every tear and heartache, with
every act of greed , cruelty a nd
injustice you and your descendants
inflict upon each other, you are
going to regret the results of the
direction you have chosen.
" You- mankind in general–
wi ll call out to me, but
1
will not
answer until fi nally you come to
thc end of your rope, to the very
point of destroying yourself and all
life on earth with your own inven–
tions. Then
1
will step in and save
you from yourselves."
The
PLAIN TRUTH