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Friday 11 May 2012

Providence & People Bent on Evil


Why doesn’t God stop evil people from carrying out their wicked plans?  When we hear details of crimes committed, we may wonder why God did not intervene.  It’s not that he is not powerful enough, for he is almighty.  It’s not that he doesn’t care, for he is full of compassion.  Maybe a true story can help.
   King David, well known for being a godly man and writer of many psalms, was guilty of adultery and murder.  We might ask,  “Why did God not stop him?” 
   If you read 2 Samuel 11 carefully, you will notice that things happened which could have turned David from his evil intentions, but he pressed on.*  There was a servant’s question, “Isn’t this woman the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” to probe his conscience. The faithful actions of Uriah when called home from the battle should have put David to shame, but he decided to put this trustworthy soldier into the heat of battle so he would be killed, thus making his widow available to add to the king’s harem.  I believe God is intervening all the time to prevent harm, but a person bent on evil hardens his heart and ignores such things.
   What was the aftermath of all this?  When confronted David realizes how far he had strayed from God’s ways, resulting in Psalm 51, a prayer we can all pray when we have seriously messed up our lives.  In the depth of David’s evil, we see that God’s grace is deeper still.  This woman Bathsheba becomes the mother of King Solomon and carries on the line of promise that is leading to Jesus as the “son of David.” 
   As prevalent as evil is, we are not left to ourselves.  God is at work turning peoples’ hearts to what is good and right.  He sees the big picture and can use even the worst events to bring people to realize how much they need him.

*Thanks to Pastor Darrell Bierman, who pointed this out in a sermon on this passage.

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