“God, Where Are You?” (or, A Theodicy Odyssey) – Part VIII
INTRODUCTION – A theodicy is a defense of the ways of God in the face of the existence of evil. Jeremiah, often called the “weeping prophet,” was a man of constant sorrow. For over forty years, he faithfully preached God’s message, with seemingly no impact. In Jeremiah 12:1, he sounds much like Asaph in Psalm 73, which we studied two weeks ago. With no converts and with increasing evil around him, Jeremiah questioned the goodness of God. Essentially, he was asking, “God, where are You?” Is God good?
1.GOD IS GOOD BECAUSE HE WILL NOT REJECT US
Jeremiah preached a message of divine judgment to the nation of Judah. In three destructive waves (612, 597, and 586 B.C.), the nation was taken into captivity. Certainly that outcome appeared to be divine rejection, as does the explicit statement of Jeremiah 6:30. We must read the context to have the full story. We see in verses 16-19, for example, that the people willingly and knowingly refused the goodness of God. If people will not receive the good things of God, He will not change His good and holy ways to align Himself with evil. How evil was Judah? God offers to pardon the entire nation if Jeremiah can find one righteous person in Jerusalem, the capital city (Jer. 5:1); that one godly individual did not exist. The predicted judgment came; what did God do then? We read in Jeremiah 40:6 that God sent the prophet to minister to the few scattered people in the land, giving them the continued opportunity to turn to Him and trust in Him. This same clear choice is presented to each one of us in Matthew 12:42-44. It is remarkable that the rejected Savior continues to offer Himself to all, giving us the chance and choice to rejoice in Him or reject Him. Rejection hurts, but God does not respond in kind.
2.GOD IS GOOD BECAUSE HE WILL NOT ABUSE US
People will abuse us. For preaching God’s Word, Jeremiah was imprisoned and cast into a cistern (Jer. 37:15-17; 38:4-6). He was abused by abusive people. Jeremiah 38:7-13 offers an immediate and refreshing contrast. It was a foreigner whose kindness and gentleness reflected the nature of God. Think of Jesus and His compassionate interaction with children, lepers, the Samaritan woman, and the woman caught in adultery. Jesus did not pile on; instead, He offered something good. Sadly, there are all kinds of abuse, including physical, emotional, and even spiritual (such as is found in “fringe” churches that seek to control rather than edify). God is different, completely different.
3.GOD IS GOOD BECAUSE HE WILL NOT SPEAK ANYTHING BUT THE TRUTH
We need to hear the truth. We do not like to hear that we have a sin nature (Jeremiah 17:9), but we must have a correct diagnosis. Would we like a cardiologist who ignored our clogged arteries? No one can accuse God of malpractice, for He tells us what we need to know about ourselves. In Jeremiah 1:19, God gave Jeremiah the truth about his ministry: the bad news was that no one would listen, but the good news was that Jeremiah would be God’s conduit of the truth. We see the high point of Jeremiah’s reception of the truth (Jer. 15:16) followed by the low point (verse 18). God’s response in verse 19, that Jeremiah had to repent, was exactly what he needed. Jesus said in John 17:17, “Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth.” Others may speak falsehood or withhold the full truth. Our God can be trusted to always articulate the complete truth.
CONCLUSION – God promises a new covenant in Jeremiah 31:33-34. This specific promise to Israel provides a principle for all. These verses are quoted in Hebrews 8:8-11. Hebrews 8:6 clarifies that this covenant is available through faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ, Who died for our sins and rose from the dead in eternal victory. God is good; God is good in specific ways; God is good because He will not reject us, will not abuse us, and will ever speak only the truth.