Purpose Driven Creation

CHAPTER 11 The Wisdom of Jehovah I cite Revelation 20:3 to support the argument that in His omniscience and wisdom, God allows the introduction of evil so He can bring it to an eternal end. “After that,” this verse tells us concerning the devil, the very personification of evil, “he must be set free for a short time.” Ecclesiastes 8:11 says that because punishment for evil does not come quickly, men persist in their evil ways. But because evil could not be addressed from without by the Law, God had to enter His creation to subdue it, “For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh (keep in mind that flesh is mortal and corrupt by its very nature), God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us.” Romans 8:3, 4. History records that during WWII, Winston Churchill did not want the town of Coventry (November 14, 1940) bombed by Nazi Luftwaffe. Yet he allowed what later became known as “The Blitz”, so as not to weaken his intelligence apparatus and his chances for winning the war. In his estimate, not giving away intelligence sources that could jeopardize the Enigma decoding system was more important for the war effort than saving the 568 lives of those that would eventually perish in the bombing. Termed Operation Moonlight Sonata by the German Air Force, Coventry, a city just north of London in the heart of England, was selected by the Germans for a bombing raid because of its strategic value for its war-materiel manufacturing trade. The raid also came as no surprise given the British Air Force bombing of Munich a week before. Driven into a rage by the assault of the Nazi homeland, Adolph Hitler struck back at the Brits with impunity. However, instead of breaking the resolve of the English people to continue the war effort, it only served to strengthen their spirit. Although the facts surrounding this event may be disputed, a government allowed the destruction of 75% of the urban area, 50% of all dwellings, and one third of a strategic manufacturing center, for the greater good. Additionally, the people of that town had to survive an incredibly cold winter without running water, electricity or other forms of energy. It was an extremely bitter and excruciating time of suffering for them. This historical bit of information illustrates the fact that goodness and power are not the only factors to consider when determining a prudent course of action. In this case, as in the matter of creation and the problem of evil, goodness and power are balanced with wisdom. Proverbs 8:12, 14, 22, 30 and 3:18f [wisdom] is a tree of life; 1:33 wisdom is free from evil, 2:9 wisdom will do good. Without wisdom there is no good. The question then is whether wisdom plays a primary role in the actions of a good and omnipotent God and the conclusion is that it does. The principal consideration, therefore, is not “freedom”; it is REASON, intellect. Plato outlined that human nature has several components. These include Appetites (the physical needs), Emotions (a psychological component), and Reason (the rational, logical, intellectual aspect of self-consciousness and curiosity). Reason, he concluded, is the most important because it governs the others. Additionally, what is good is not always necessarily what appears to be good. An excessive amount of chocolate might be pleasurable, but it may lead to diabetes or other serious health complications. Let’s take the example of Christ’s life and death on the cross. We would be hard pressed to find someone that would argue that Christ’s death on the cross was good because it was pleasurable. Neither would anyone say that the crucifixion was good because it was properly, effectively and efficiently executed. However, in spite of the pain and suffering associated with that horrendous ordeal, it could be legitimately argued that Christ’s death on the cross had good results because it achieved the purpose for which it was intended, which was the salvation of many and the eradication of evil. But note the distinction here that enduring the suffering that is brought on by confronting evil is not the same as saying that evil is a good thing because it develops character. The Bible says that Christ developed his character by the suffering He endured (Hebrews 5:8), not that without evil we can’t build character. On January 13, 1982, an Air Florida plane crashed into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. immediately after take-off from Washington National Airport (now Ronald Reagan). Although much of the river was frozen over with ice, Roger Olian, a sheet and metalworker, jumped into the frigid waters to rescue the survivors, at the expense of his own life. Because of his heroic efforts, many who could have died from the freezing cold were saved. Jumping into frigid waters was not a pleasant experience. It was also not an act that was expertly performed. However, at the expense of suffering, the altruistic act of jumping in the water had a good effect with respect to the rescue of many that would otherwise have perished. The accident resulted in the loss of 78 lives. Others also risked their lives in an attempt to rescue survivors. While this action was not good for the individual jumping into the water, the act itself might be considered good, wise, and heroic in that its ultimate consideration was to reduce the amount of suffering. The contradiction is that to reduce suffering, someone had to endure suffering. Olin was compelled by reason to jump into the water, knowing full well that jumping into the water was not a good thing and could take his life. He jumped because he ascertained that it would be more profitable for others. Throughout history, there haven’t been too many relatively sane people that would argue that wars are good because they strengthen national character.