The Problem at its Core

Imagine the following scene: Bart is driving down the road in his car when he notices the warning light on the dashboard reading overheated. It is red and flashing. Bart is worried about his car, so he pulls over to the shoulder so he can think about what to do. He knows he cannot drive the car with that red flashing light because he might damage the vehicle. Then he remembers that he has some masking tape in the glove compartment. Bart tears off a piece of the tape and neatly places it over the warning light (sometimes called idiot lights). He immediately feels better and resumes driving, knowing that he solved the problem. Do you think he solved the problem? No, of course not. He only masked the problem. The actual core problem remains. This illustration makes us laugh because we know no one would be this ridiculous. However, in real life, people do this all the time.

A marriage is on the rocks, so the husband spends $5,000 to bring home a new ring to his wife and thinks he has solved the problem. A woman has an addiction to spending money. Her husband is worried that she is mismanaging their money. She shows him some of their debts but keeps the biggest debts secret. A woman confronts her husband for his refusal to talk about their problems. He gets angry, so she gets quiet, and he feels the issue is resolved. It all boils down to a refusal to deal with the core problem. It is a denial of any responsibility and a deflection of the blame to someone else. When things go wrong, we feel compelled to deflect the blame toward someone else and not ourselves.   

This was the case with King Ahab when God sent a drought of 3 ½ years to his kingdom. He blamed the prophet Elijah who had announced the drought. Elijah came out of isolation at God’s instruction and appeared to Ahab. Upon seeing the prophet, he said, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” (1 Kings 18:17). Elijah’s response was quick, “I have not made trouble for Israel,” …  “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals.”

The purpose of the drought was not to make the people suffer for God’s pleasure but demonstrate to them the emptiness and uselessness of Baal worship, the supposed god of the rain, in whom Ahab and his people had embraced. The king and his queen had led the people of Israel away from God’s commands. Ahab represents all sinners in the way he blames someone else and God for his troubles. Ahab never thought about repenting and turning away from his rebellious ways.

Compare Ahab and Job. Job also suffered, but instead of blaming God, he trusted God. He clung to God,

“My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread…” (Job 23:11-12).

Job sees God’s footprints, and he steps into them. He does not turn to the left or the right but follows in the path of the Lord. He does not reject God’s commands but embraces them. In fact, he loves God’s word more than his daily bread. He does not see himself with arrogance; instead, he sees God as sovereign over all, and no one can oppose him. When Job thinks of God and his plans, he stands in awe—awe of God!

Questions About Death and Life

 

We all have to deal with death sometime. During this pandemic, there has been much death, which has brought fear and apprehension. The brokenness of this world is apparent with the spread of this disease. We long for a better place. The scriptures tell us God once created a perfect place which was called Eden.  However, the book of Revelation tells us that God has created a New Eden that will one day be our home. One thing for sure is that death and suffering were never part of his original creation no the new earth; we experience them because they are the results of our rebellion against God. We were never meant to live in a world like this. Instead, were designed to live in an unspoiled world. We are wired to long for it, as Solomon says, “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men” (Eccl 3:11).

When death comes, it brings questions—difficult questions that have allusive answers. These questions are not new. We find them in this Old Testament story.  Elijah, the prophet, had been sent to a poor widow who sustained him during a prolonged drought. God miraculously provided for her so she could sustain his prophet. However, during this time, the woman’s small child grew very ill and died (1 Kings 17:17-18). As the woman helplessly tried to stop death, she saw her little boy die. She voiced two questions. They are questions we still ask when death stalks us. First, “What do you have against me God?” and the second is, “Is it my fault that this happened” (1 Kings 17:17-18)?

When death happens, and we cannot stop it, it often does not feel right. Our mind tells us something is wrong, so we question God, “Why have you done this to me?” We just can’t accept the idea that this is how things have to be, so we cry out?” Then when we do not get an answer from God, we blame ourselves. This tragedy must be my fault. Did I cause this? Was my sin responsible for my son’s death? It is what we, as humans do. We ascribe meaning to what doesn’t make sense. When we can’t figure it out, we usually blame someone but mostly ourselves.

Elijah did not attempt to answer her questions, which is what any wise person should do when confronted with those questions. We cannot answer why. We can only listen and be there for the person. To explain the unexplainable is to make their pain worse.

Elijah took the little boy in his arms and carried him upstairs to his room, where he pleaded with God for his intervention. Elijah voices the woman’s question, “O Lord my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” (1 Kings 17:20). His question is a protest against what has happened. God listened and answered Elijah’s plea, “The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived” (1 Kings 17:22). This was an extraordinary demonstration of the Lord’s power to overcome death. It’s the first time in the Bible anything like this had happened. The God of the Bible is the God of life and death. That had to be quite a scene when Elijah carried the child back down to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!” (1 Kings 17:23).

What happened in this story when Elijah stayed in the widow’s house was the beginning of something bigger and more significant than what appeared to be happening. What God was doing in that place was bigger than Elijah, bigger than the widow, and even bigger than Israel. What God is doing in your life is more significant than you. Ask God to let you see it, especially when you are dealing with difficult situations such as death. If you are willing to trust God, then you will come to see the bigger picture.