Page 122 - Job

At least not always.
This is the mystery of providence. Let me just digress from Job for a
moment here. As a matter of fact, in my study of Luke I found an interesting
verse. Turn to Luke 13 just for a moment where Jesus gave this wonderful
illustration. Luke 13, beginning at verse 1,

“Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to
Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their
sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these
Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they
suffered this fate?” Verse 4: “Or do you suppose that those eighteen on
whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than
all the men who live in Jerusalem?
Why did that tower fall and kill those eighteen people? Because they were
more wicked? Jesus says, “I tell you no.” Why does that airplane crash?
That God would have judgment on those that were in it? Jesus said, “I tell
you no.” Matthew 5:45 says, “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and on
the good, and He sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

God has established certain laws of nature. He can change them, but He
seldom does. If anyone, whether they are Christian or non-Christian, violates
those laws they are going to be hurt. Fire, gravity, sea currents, exposure.
These are laws of God. God does not exempt His children from suffering.
Recently, you remember down South there was a Bible school. There was a
dam, and the dam broke. God did not stop that water just because a Bible
school was in front of that dam, and many people lost their lives.
Here is what God does without violating the free will. Someone might
choose to build under that dam or stand under that tower or get on that
airplane. Someone drives their car and gets hit by a drunk driver. Someone
else gets cancer or some other disease. Here is what God does. What part
does God have in it? God rules and overrules. “All things work together
for good”. He changes the curse into a blessing. He turns it around for
good. He uses those things to perform His own will. He works out His
purposes. But we are not puppets. We are not marionettes. He is not
pulling strings. People are not run by remote control. He is not guiding us
that way. Romans 8:28 is true. “And we know that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose.” Christians love to quote that scripture and hold on to it as if it
could reverse some bad experience they’re going through. But as often is
the case they fail to read one more verse which brings light and puts into
context the meaning in God’s Kingdom and purpose. Romans 8:29,

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