Notes by Mary Van Nattan unless marked otherwise.
Proverbs
16:4 The LORD hath made
all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
One question that many people destroy
themselves and others with is, "Why is there evil when God could stop it?"
The Bible answers this question, but as with many others we
must simply take it by faith. God makes the wicked for the day of evil. How
does this work? Well, if you look in the Old Testament you will find
repeatedly that God allowed pagan nations to conquer blip in order to punish
His people for rejecting Him and turning to idols.
Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness:
I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
God even says that He creates evil. Is this hard to
understand? Well, there is answer for that too.
Isaiah 45:9 Woe unto him that striveth with
his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the
earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or
thy work, He hath no hands? 10 Woe unto him that saith unto his father,
What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?
We are to let God be God, not try to figure out what
His job is for Him. He is our Creator. Nebuchadnezzar found this out
the hard way as his testimony verifies.
Daniel 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth
are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the
army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can
stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? We need to
learn to say to the Lord with David, LORD, my
heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in
great matters, or in things too high for me.
(Ps
131:1 A Song of degrees of David.)
Proverbs 20:23 Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good. If we apply this to the word of God, how can we justify having so many translations of the Bible? Aren't they divers weights? They don't agree. They don't all hold up the same standard. God is a God of absolutes...we're absolutely saved, He's absolutely in control, Jesus is absolutely God, there's absolutely no way to work our way to heaven. So how can He suddenly be so divers in the area of preserving His word? Would He really give a whole batch of false balances in the area of reveling of His word to us? It's absolutely unthinkable. God couldn't work that way! God cannot be an abomination to Himself!
graphics by mary vannattan
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