Absentee Landlord
And they say, “How could God know, and is there knowledge with the Most High?” Psalm 73:11 (Robert Alter translation)
Know – Put this verse into the ancient near-Eastern world. Is there any doubt that God knows? Of course not. God knows everything that happens. But in the ancient near-East, God (and the gods) doesn’t really care. That’s the conclusion of the wicked. So what if God apprehends all that happens on earth. He doesn’t really care about all that. He is busy in heaven being God. On earth, He is an absentee landlord.
The conclusion of the wicked is more than justified. Think about the evidence. Wicked men are not immediately punished. In fact, sometimes they aren’t punished at all. Lying, cheating, adultery, murder and all the other mortal sins continue unabated. Money buys immunity. And miracles? Well, they are explained by science. Only the weak-minded hold on to the idea of God’s involvement in the lives of men. Step back a few feet and you will not see any evidence for God in human history. You will see cause and effect, natural law, human will and fate. Nothing more.
Do you object? Do you still want to claim God is presently active? Then explain to me how a God of perfect goodness can allow so much human suffering. Explain to me why innocent children are tortured and die. Explain life’s injustices. Where is God? Explain to me how it is that even I can commit sin after sin, day after day, and nothing happens. I can shake my fist at heaven, proclaim my own sovereignty and there is no reprisal. Where is God now?
Ancient near-Eastern religions absolutely believed that the gods existed and that they were responsible for life on earth. But the gods were fickle and self-absorbed. They didn’t care what men did as long as it didn’t interfere with their contentment. The wicked operated on the belief that God didn’t pay attention to the tiny matters of human existence. Therefore, they were immune from prosecution, not because they were righteous but because there was no judgment. It is exactly the same today. Men still operate as if God doesn’t care. How else can we explain the actions of the wicked? If divine judgment were instantaneous, no wicked act would even be contemplated. But since judgment doesn’t seem to be in the cards at all, the only way to live in the world successfully is to get away with as much as you can – and then buy your way out of the rest.
This raises a question for believers: How do we know that God desires righteousness and punishes wickedness? Most of the time we can’t point to tangible evidence. So how do we know? The answer is a paradigm shift. We trust what God says, even if we don’t see the immediate evidence. That is the same as saying we have faith in Him. The statement that God cares about the actions of human beings is a statement of faith, not a conclusion from the evidence. It takes a change in paradigm to see the world this way. Perhaps that’s why it is so difficult to explain to an outsider. “Come in and look at the world from my point of view. You will see it differently.” Until the invitation is accepted, the wicked seem justified. Perhaps evangelism should begin with despair over the lack of judgment instead of the offer of a wonderful plan.
Topical Index: know, yada’, judgment, wicked, Psalm 73:11
“The statement that God cares about the actions of human beings is a statement of faith, not a conclusion from the evidence.”
Just for fun I’ll argue against that point and say two things
On the one hand, one could argue that to say “God cares” is to say we are “responsible”
Whether we like it/know it or not
And on the other hand, one could argue that there is sunstantial evidence that irresponsible behavior
Produces very bad results in the long run 🙂
The other point I would make in this regard is that although we all have some self destructive desires
When it comes to self destructive desires, we are obviously not all created equally
MICHAEL, WHO ON/IN THIS WORLD HAS ✞NEVER ✞ ACTED IRRESPONSIBLY – THAT IS WHAT JESUS DIED 4 – OUR IRRESPONSIBILITIES IN LIFE & WITH EACH OTHER – ✞SUNSTANTIAL✞ – I LIKE THAT NEW WORD – COMES FROM THE ✞SON ✞ 4 SURE…♥✞♥
B ENCOURAGED Ħ∃ ℐ$ ℛℑϟℰℕ Ħ∀Ḻℒ€ℒṲⒿÅĦ
SUNSTANTIAL
Hi Jan,
That might be what they call a “Freudian slip,” because I did not consciously intend it
But the “error” caught my eye the minute I posted it, then I noticed the sunny little smiley face below it
With the pun on son
Hi Michael,
It would seem that ole’ Asaph would tend to agree with you.
Psa 75:3 The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: (why?)
(because) I bear up the pillars of it. (He designed it to function a certain way)
Selah. (hang that one on your wall and look at it for awhile! OR analyze this!! 🙂 )
It’s a lot better in the Hebrew!!
Job 7:17 came to mind as I read TDW. Job seemed to ask this very same question rhetorically, knowing that he had faith in a God who cared and was involved with mankind – even when the reality of his circumstances seemed to dictate otherwise.
I like the comment about our current evangelism techniques.
My church’s mission statement is: “To lead all people into a growing relationship with God.”
The future vision for our church is a “safe and inviting” worship service that won’t drive anyone away, and then some “meaty” small group settings where people are challenged to grow.
My question to the pastor was: “If we want to introduce people to Jesus, shouldn’t we look at John the Baptist’s message as a POSSIBLE example?”
I thought JtB received a really high endorsement from Yeshua. Shouldn’t we try to flesh out a bit exactly what John’s message was? There is obviously a right way and a wrong way to go about the ‘repent and be baptized’ message — but why not look to some of the prophets for wisdom in reaching the lost?
Our church is unpacking huge boxes of “whys?” this Sunday. (as part of the graphic arts dept. & being nearly the only one who had time to show up, I spent all day Wednesday painting attention-getting boxes in bright colors, with question marks on them. We’re going for the warehouse look for the stage.)
Our pastor wants to open some of everyone’s filed-away ‘whys’, with 3 other sermons to follow, hoping to snag interest of some of the people who only come the formal 2 Xs a year!