I believe I have mentioned before that I took a class on church history in college. For one assignment, I was asked to summarize the history of the church in a rather brief essay. For my submission, I received a remarkably low grade compared to what I normally earned in my papers. Why? My professor, a stout evangelical, did not like that I included some of the church’s embarrassing acts, such as the Crusades and the Inquisition. I had attacked the church… by merely including details that were omitted in the course textbook.

The church is far from perfect. It has never been perfect. Like every individual being, it has fallen short of God’s grace. Being set apart does not negate this fact. David sinned. Jeremiah sinned. I have certainly sinned. And so has the church. History requires honesty—whether we like the truth or not. The church has done many great things in the past two millennia. But it has also committed horrendous acts. Israel, likewise, is a great nation. However, it is far from perfect. And in Amos, we find that, like the church, Israel has committed horrible deeds.

My last post differs from everything I have posted on Living by the Logos. I did not address the problem of suffering. I addressed the “problem,” if you will, of being set apart. I (briefly) addressed the prophet Jeremiah’s calling and mentioned not one word about suffering. This was intentional. I composed the previous post the way I did to set the stage for this post. Without a doubt, God calls people and sets certain people apart. But it is not always honorable, as we will see with Amos and the nation of Israel.

Do two walk together
    unless they have agreed to do so?
Does a lion roar in the thicket
    when it has no prey?
Does it growl in its den
    when it has caught nothing?
Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
    when no bait is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
    if it has not caught anything?
When a trumpet sounds in a city,
    do not the people tremble?
When disaster comes to a city,
    has not the Lord caused it? Amos 3:3-6

The simple answer to each of these questions is “no.” Shalom M. Paul believes the questions are incorporated to display “the irresistible nature of cause and effect.”¹ I personally believe the last question is designed in such a way to demonstrate that even disasters are the result of God’s will. To paraphrase, if a city suffers, has not God set it apart to do so? Has not God set Israel apart to suffer because of its misdeeds?

As I discussed in earlier entries to the project, particularly concerning the oracles against the nations, Amos upholds the prophetic view of suffering. This prophetic view simply holds that God inflicts suffering upon those who are disobedient to him. If God punishes, then the punishment due to a particular people is inevitably God’s will. I doubt any believer wants to agree with me on this. We do not want to believe that harm, whether deserved or not, is something that God causes to fulfill his purpose. But, in the book of Amos and other prophets, it is indubitably God’s will to make people suffer.

“Can two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” (3:3). A few years ago, when I was in rehab for alcoholism, I did a quick reading of Amos. This is one of the verses that I highlighted. A simple question, yet something of the wording really struck a chord with me. In that moment, I was being punished. I had sinned. Waking up one morning after a night of heavy drinking to find myself naked on the floor, covered in cuts and bruises, and having to admit that I, indeed, had a problem. In that moment, I experienced a degree of suffering I had never known. I had no choice but to continue my rampage of drinking or humbly admit that I needed help. Lots of it.

Can I walk with God unless he and I have agreed to do so? Laid up in that clinic, I knew that I was trying to walk with God, and yet I had not agreed to. There was no mutual consensus. I wanted to walk with God my way, not his. And what was the result? I suffered. It was a tremendous struggle to overcome my addiction to alcohol. But I could not have recovered without that suffering. It was, I believe, God’s will to make me suffer so that I would correct my mistakes.

And for Amos, the nation of Israel had sinned. They took advantage of the poor, they desecrated the temple, and neglected the faithfulness God had shown them. And when judgment day came, they did not receive a happy Pureflix resolve. God did not simply bless them, leading them to realize what they had done. He, through Amos, announces that he will smite the nation and, as a result, humble them. And thus, God’s will is to crush them, “as a cart crushes when loaded with grain” (2:13 NIV). The nation’s pain and misery is God’s will. As a result of their sins, this is what they are set apart for.

Jeremiah was called. He was set apart to do great things for Yahweh. And so was Israel. But Israel was also set apart to suffer because they violated their divine laws. The church may be set apart. Indeed, when it was instituted in the New Testament, it was certainly set apart. It faltered in the Crusades. It faltered in the Inquisition. And it most certainly has faltered in the modern world, for a list of reasons I cannot even begin. It is not a holy place. It has no protection from God’s wrath. It is a very human institution, much like Israel in Amos’ day.

As I have discussed in this project, Israel received a greater punishment than its neighboring nations. Why? Because God set it apart. God selected Israel to accomplish his will. God gave Israel the Law, and stomped on it in Amos. He set the church apart, too. God is not going to rapture the church. If and when the end comes, the church will not escape his wrath. It will face the brunt of such fury.

1. Shalom M. Paul, “Amos 3:3-8: The Irresistible Sequence of Cause and Effect,” H AR 1 (1983) 203-20.

What… is your quest?

What… is the capital of Assyria?!

In case you are wondering, I just cited from my all-time favorite movie. No, it is not Star Wars (yes… you are my father, I know). No, it is not Die Hard. It is not Good Will Hunting, it is not Forrest Gump, it is not The Godfather. It is most certainly not Monty Python and the Holy Grail… oh wait, yes it is. Ni.

With the exception of the third question, these questions I ask at the beginning of this blog are rather easy to answer. For simplicity’s sake, Assur was the capital of Assyria. By process of elimination, these questions are easy to answer. What is your name? It should not take you more than half a second to answer that. What is your quest? This one might require some thought but, again, it should be fairly easy to answer. Every person reading this, and every person breathing at the time I write this, should be able to answer those two questions. The capital of Assyria, well yes, you may need to do some research on that. But for as long as you can remember, you know your name.

It’s all in a name

My name is Luke. When I started this website in July of 2022, I did not wish to reveal any information about me. In fact, I went by my inverted initials, S.L. Thirteen months ago, had I encountered the “Keeper of the Bridge” in the film I’ve referenced, I would have been cast down into the pit. At the very first question. I have been cast down into quite a few pits in my life, but not for answering that my favorite color is “Red… no, blueeee!”

If a stranger were to ask me, “What is your name?,” more than likely, I would casually respond, “Luke.” I am almost certain you would answer with your real name as well. But if the stranger skips the small talk and asks you, “What is your quest?” What will you answer? I can think of at least a few replies in this very moment. “To live a happy life,” “To have and support a family,” “To serve and honor my God,” or “To make sense of this very thing we call life.” In my personal opinion, each of these answers contains a degree of truth. Yes, I want to live a happy life. Yes, some day I hope to have and support a family. Of course I want to serve the God of my understanding. But what is my quest?

Let’s skip the medieval jargon. I’ll ask it plain and simple: what do you want to do with your life? What do you want people to remember you by? If you are anything like me, I am positive you do not want to be remembered by your favorite color, or your ability to recall the capital of an ancient kingdom. And I promise you, I am striving to make a point of this. Bear with me, please.

What is your quest? You are given a lifetime to answer this question. Numerous people have played a role, major or minor, in how you answer this question. You have completed an education, whether elementary or doctorate, to answer this question. And sadly, as I have come to realize, many people still do not know. With all the education, the love, the support, the forgiveness, the faith, you name it. There are millions, if not billions, of people who cannot answer the question posed at the beginning of this paragraph.

What can we learn from Jeremiah?

Seemingly, the prophet Jeremiah begged this same question thousands of years ago. One of my mother’s favorite verses, Jeremiah 1:5 (CJB) speaks from the mouth of God, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I separated you for myself. I have appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.” Based on this verse, it is easy to conclude that Jeremiah was “set apart.” This is a common theme in Christianity, one I have touched on in a few previous posts.

So common that at the age of sixteen, I attended a youth camp with my church under the theme “set apart.” I hardly need to include any details on how distorted this theme was. “If you are a Christian, that means God has set you apart!” That does not sound too bad, and in all fairness, it is mostly in line with what Scripture teaches. But, the caveat is that being “set apart” somehow makes a Christian superior to, say, a Jew or a pagan. If we are all created by the same, loving being, then how is one person greater than another? How is it that one person is set apart, but the other is destined for nothing?

Under the Christian mindset, are we not all created by the same being? Does not this same being value the Christian as well as the Jew? Here is the catch: Jeremiah was not a Christian! And, neither was Jesus! Yet, they were clearly set apart. The people of Judah in Jeremiah’s day likely experienced the same feelings contemporary Christians in the United States do; they believed they were set apart, but Jeremiah viewed the people of Judah as “covenant-breakers.”¹ Might I ask: who was truly set apart? Jeremiah, or the people of Judah?

There is much information to unpack in Jeremiah 1:5 alone. Before Jeremiah was conceived, God had set him apart. Before he was born, God planned his days. His calling is not determined by the counsel of humankind; not the people in his community, and certainly not the religious leadership of his day. As one researcher notes, “True prophets do not assume their calls, they acknowledge that unless God calls them, they are not his Prophet.”² Jeremiah did not assume he was called; he did not require a pastor to tell him he was set apart.

Conclusion: Set Apart for What?

The problem that I see today, as I witnessed at that church camp several years ago, is that the church enforces a purely human requirement to be “set apart.” Without your pastor signing a document confirming your faith, you cannot be called to God’s will. Without belonging to a church body, you are as good as one who does not believe. As I emphasize in my posts, I am not criticizing every individual church. I am, however, attacking the universal church for indicating you must belong to a local body to be set apart.

I believe every person has a quest. Every person is set apart. Whether they attend church, or synagogue, or nothing at all, the God who created them has set them apart in some kind of way. You will not determine your quest by sitting idly in a sanctuary once or twice a week. Your pastor cannot tell you what you were destined for. Jeremiah did not need human counsel to explain his purpose or mission. He needed only to listen to the voice of God and understand that he was not merely a number.

What is your quest? I cannot answer this for you. What I can tell you is that you do not need any person, regardless of education or ordination, to solve this question for you. If you believe in God, listen for his voice. You may not hear it audibly, but I can promise you that you will feel it somehow. If he has created you, he has set you apart. But you cannot be set apart if you do not listen for his calling. You cannot be set apart just because the man holding the Bible tells you that you are. From my personal experience, the beginning of my quest was seeking the counsel of God. And, I can assure you, it is an excellent starting point.

1. Ndishua, Julius. “The Call and Tasks of a Prophet: An Exegetical Analysis of Jeremiah 1:4-10.” E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies 8, no. 2 (2022): 49.

2. Ibid., 53.

Yet, the church will not face this judgment. You are definitely familiar with the extrabiblical concept of the rapture. Before this day of judgment comes, God is going to rescue the church and place it in heaven. The sins of church-going Christians? Forgotten. Erased. As long as you attend church, proclaim the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and deny your former unbelieving self, you will not face the wrath due to, say, Hollywood.

In Amos, God does not save his chosen from justice. He does not move these people and then destroy the land in which they lived. Because they are his people, they are even more deserving of his wrath. We’ve covered the Oracles Against the Nations. The foreign nations are doomed, no doubt. But Israel, the nation God selected to fulfill his will, faces a lengthier and more painful fate than its neighbors.

Let me clarify that I am not arguing Amos is an apocalyptic book. Its focus does not lie in the end of the world. But it reveals an interesting aspect of God’s character that you will not hear about in the church. God does not overlook the sins of those who recite a statement of faith. Because they are committed to him, and yet continue to stray from his commands, they stand in greater judgment than those who do not know him or reject him.

Open your eyes to the evil of the modern evangelical church. The sex abuse scandals rocking the Southern Baptist Convention (which it tried to hide), the abuses of power and bigotry from Mark Driscoll at Mars Hill Church, the corruption in the Catholic Church that has defined it for centuries. And the list goes on and on. The church is supposed to be a safe haven, a reflection of what heaven is like. But every church I have attended is marred with scandals. And it isn’t just my luck.

A Timeless Warning from Amos

In the prophetic literature of the Old Testament, we find a time in history where God’s chosen were defined by their sin. And God does not rapture them. Consider what Amos prophesies for Israel:

“Now then, I will crush you
    as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.
The swift will not escape,
    the strong will not muster their strength,
    and the warrior will not save his life.
The archer will not stand his ground,
    the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
    and the horseman will not save his life.
Even the bravest warriors
    will flee naked on that day,”
declares the Lord.

Israel will be crushed. The swift cannot escape. The archer will falter. And the bravest of the brave, the strongest of the strong will flee naked. They do not escape the wrath of God; they are at the very center of it all.

In the preceding verses (2:9-12), God reminds the nation of how he has cared for them. He destroyed their enemies. He orchestrated the exodus. He gave them prophets. He saved the nation from the punishment they deserved. But they continue to neglect him; and this time, he will not revoke the punishment due to them. Shalom M. Paul words this concept with great precision in his commentary: “The acts of kindness of God stand as a stark antithesis to their persistent deeds of disobedience.”¹

Like the previous oracles, we must interpret the oracle against Israel within a military context. The crimes for which the first six nations will suffer are war crimes; the crime for which Judah is indicted is theological. We find a sense of synergy in the oracle against Israel; because they are God’s chosen, the oppression and injustice the nation has caused will result in military defeat. God is not going to simply wipe Israel off the map with natural disasters; he is going to use its enemies to destroy it, and he will weaken the nation to ensure their defeat.²

What does this mean? Imagine you are an Israelite in the sixth century BCE hearing Amos’ proclamation. Surely, you would want to deny this impending doom. A nation is going to overtake us? Well, we have a great army, so good luck! But Amos does not simply say a nation will rise up against them. God, their God, will weaken their strongest warriors. As Tchavdar Hadjiev argues, “Under divine pressure human skill loses its usefulness.”³ And thus, Amos’ message challenges the idea that somehow, some way, Israel will avoid God’s wrath.

Let us return to the present. We hear that the church will avoid God’s wrath at the tribulation. Where do you find this in the Bible? Can you? Not without taking select passages out of context, as the church does with great ease. The church is hardly innocent. They bear the special status of God’s chosen, as Israel did in Amos’ day.

Does this mean the church will avoid God’s wrath? I believe Amos would agree that, no they would not. In fact, they should expect to face the brunt of it all.

Personal Reflection

Not all churches are bad. Not all pastors are scandalous liars. But can we say the global church is innocent? Look at its history. Look at the controversies going on in the present day. I do not think anyone can argue that the church is without sin. If and when the end comes, will the church avoid God’s wrath? A biblical answer would not support the idea of the rapture. A biblical answer would say that the church is due for an even greater punishment than those who do not know God.

I have spent the better part of my life attending church. For a few years, I even worked for a Southern Baptist megachurch. Regardless of denomination, the church concerns itself with lesser things. It’s all about attendance. It’s all about a show. It’s all about convincing the audience to overlook the crimes of the church and support its cause (especially financially!). The church is a business. It is not what the early Christians created, a haven of hope and justice.

It is characterized by rampant injustice. And maybe I’m just crazy, but I believe God will not save the church from what it deserves. I believe the God of the Bible, the God of Amos, the God of the church, will ensure that even the most prominent pastors flee naked on that day of judgment.

1. Paul, Shalom M. Amos: A Commentary on the Book of Amos, edited by Frank Moore Cross Fortress Press, 2016, 87

2. Hadjiev, Tchavdar S.. Joel and Amos : An Introduction and Commentary, InterVarsity Press, 2020, 114.

3. Ibid

“Why? Why do we suffer?
Are we alive, here just to hurt?
Inside pain is the author,
Something to hide,
Nothing to gain.”

It may be the greatest questions humans could ask. If you had the opportunity to ask God one question, what would it be? Some would beg, “Why did you put us here?” or “What is the meaning of life?” But if we are being honest with ourselves, there is one question constantly burning in the back of our minds: “Why do we suffer?” Even if you do not believe in God or hold the Christian faith to be true, this question has plagued you at one point or another. And you are far from alone.

In the realms of philosophy and theology, this particular question has a name: the problem of suffering. An answer given to this question in defense of God’s allowance of pain is called a “theodicy,” a term coined by the English philosopher and theologian John Hick.¹ Consider the following summation by profound biblical scholar D.A. Carson:

“If God is both omnipotent and perfectly good, how can he permit such evil? If he is willing but not able to check the suffering, then he is not omnipotent; if he is able but unwilling, he is not perfectly good. The implication is that the very existence of evil calls into question the existence of God.”²

This is a brief explanation of the problem of suffering. Now, to clarify, a distinction must be made between the philosophical, theological, and biblical problems of evil. They each essentially ask the same question, but the point of divergence is where and how we answer such questions. The goal at Living by the Logos is to address each of these perspectives to some degree; however, I want to zero in on the biblical problem of suffering. I am not making a case for or against the existence of god(s). I am not attempting to determine which religion offers the best response to the problem. No, I am primarily concerned with the biblical problem of suffering. What do the Hebrew and Greek Testaments employ to address this problem? That is the underlying question on this blog.

Theodicy: What is the problem?

Let’s step back for a moment and examine the structure of the problem of suffering. We have posed the question: “Why, God, do you allow suffering?” See below for the logical set up of this problem.

• Truth #1: God is omnipotent and omniscient.
• Truth #2: God is omnibenevolent.
• Truth #3: There is suffering in the world.

The Bible holds to each of these truths. I will give one example for each, beginning with the omnipotence and omniscience of God. If you have attended church or had any involvement in Christianity, you know that one of the foundational beliefs is in that of an all-powerful, all-knowing god. But what does the Bible say? Take the following passage into consideration:

He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars
    and calls them each by name.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
    his understanding has no limit. (Psalm 147:3-5, New International Version, Zondervan, 2011).

This is the God of the Old Testament. He is not only identified as a healer, He is the Creator and Sustainer of life. In addition (or should I say as a result?), He essentially knows everything about everything and everyone. Let us call this Biblical Truth #1.

Additionally, Scriptures proclaim this mighty God is also a god of infinite love. Surely you are familiar with John 3:16, a great example but one I will not use here due to its simplicity and familiarity. Let’s consider another verse from the book of Psalms: “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Ps. 86:15). Let us not dwell on the truthfulness or honest of the psalmist here, but instead consider the implications of this verse. The psalmist writes of a compassionate god, abounding in love. Numerous verses in the Psalms corroborate this concept by identifying His love as “unfailing” (36:7; 109:26). Thus, we have identified Biblical Truth #2: the God of the Bible is an all-loving god.

Theodicy: The reality of suffering

If anything, it seems crazy to ask but if you take this problem seriously, it is necessary. Pause for a brief moment. Inhale while counting to four, hold and count to seven, and exhale until you have reached eight. Now I ask, is there suffering in this world? Did you even need that breath to answer the previous question? If you consider yourself a rational being, you likely answered “yes, yes, and yes.” Great! You are not an alien! But once again, we are concerned with a different perspective. Repeat the previous breathing technique. Now ask yourself, does the Bible believe there is suffering in the world?

Many scriptural examples come to mind. The Israelites, Job, Jesus, Peter, Paul, and the list goes on and on. According to the Bible, all of these people have endured trivial hardships! But in keeping with the solidified pattern, consider Psalm 88. My personal favorite of all the Psalms. I invite you to read the full chapter; odds are, you never read this one in church. I have included the closing stanza below:

From my youth I have suffered and been close to death;
    I have borne your terrors and am in despair.
Your wrath has swept over me;
    your terrors have destroyed me.
All day long they surround me like a flood;
    they have completely engulfed me.
You have taken from me friend and neighbor—
    darkness is my closest friend. (Ps. 88:15-18).

Darkness is my closest friend. Clearly, this psalmist is in a state of dire agony. There is little commentary that even needs to be offered in light of the topic of this blog post (we’ll save it for another day). We can easily conclude that Biblical Truth #3 is as follows: YES, the Bible believes there is suffering in this world.

The truths posed in the problem of suffering are each attested to in the Bible (even in one book itself!). Now that we have each of these truths, simply add them together. If God is all-powerful, of course He is all-loving! If God is all-powerful, certainly He possesses the ability to inflict suffering upon His Creation! But how can He be all-loving, while simultaneously allowing natural disasters to claim the lives of hundreds of thousands of individual people, with hearts, souls, and desires?

Conclusion

What we have here is an apparent contradiction that humanity has attempted to resolve throughout its course. From the shepherds penning psalms in the Old Testament to great contemporary theologians who have devoted their lives to the knowledge of the Almighty, humanity has fought to answer this question. Is it even possible? I will not answer that question here. I will, however, make a charge. There is a contradiction when you add these truths together. How do we make sense of it? Can we? I am not charging you to solve the problem. I am, however, begging you to formulate your response. Whether you are a believer or not, you have been given the ability to problem-solve. Find your answer. Ask these questions. Build your case against God or religion, or determine your theodicy. You have that power, whether it was given to you by a deity or nature.

For me, God is on trial, and we are in the courtroom. Let’s examine the evidence He has claimed to give us: the Bible, the Logos. I cannot say whether it is truly His Word, let alone that it is living or perfect. But I can help you navigate this enormous book, a foundational resource in our world. Am I an expert? By no means. But I have and continue to examine the Text with these questions raging in my mind and soul. Whether you agree with me or not, I hope that you will join me on this adventure as we attempt to formulate a biblical theodicy. I do not believe the Bible solves the problem. And I certainly do not believe Christianity or the church, which use and abuse (more so the latter) the same Text could ever find a consistent answer. But as I have stated already, it is a journey. And we have only just begun.

1. Encyclopedia Brittanica Online, s.v. “Theodicy,” accessed March 14, 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/theodicy-theology.

2. Carson, D. A.. How Long, o Lord? : Reflections on Suffering and Evil, Baker Academic, 2006. ProQuest Ebook Central.