Is He not your Father, who bought you? Has He not made you and established you? (Deuteronomy 32:6)
The preface for this verse speaks to the fact that Israel, though called to be a holy people, very often corrupted themselves thus prompting the LORD to ask, more or less, “Why are you behaving this way with me?” That is followed by the verse above which reminded them they have been brought out of their bondage and established as a nation by their Heavenly Father. The bottom line is, the issues that have arisen among them which caused pain and grief were not of His doing but their own. Spring boarding from this, in the world at large, there is evil and corruption but the blame is not His because, as we read previously, His work is perfect and His ways are just.
From the very beginning, hardship and evil has been the result of man’s unwillingness to follow God’s ways. In short, people are the reason for corruption, suffering and the like, not God. For example, in the days leading up to the flood, Scripture recounts how “God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth” (Genesis 6:12). Their errant actions corrupted the earth and everything in it. When the destruction came, God was not to blame but man. It was true then and it is true now, however, that doesn’t prevent men from blaming God for the misery, privation and suffering brought on the world by their own misbehavior.
I think every parent would agree that the sins of a child are not necessarily an indictment of the parent. Sometimes the child is a wayward prodigal who stubbornly rejects the righteous instruction of a parent, and commits themselves to do as they please. Likewise, the sins committed by God’s people — or the world for that matter — are not a blemish upon God or His goodness. In spite of what men do or the accusations they rail against the Almighty, He is holy, righteous and upright in all of His ways. That being said, what we do still matters because our obedience or disobedience will influence the world’s opinion of our God. So then, let us consider that in this light — He is our Father who has brought us out of our bondage and established us. Why wouldn’t we want to do what is pleasing to Him and, through our lives, present Him to this world in best way possible?
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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