“Hey Pharoah what were you thinking??”
"Hey Pharoah, what were you thinking"
“Hey Pharoah what were you thinking??”
In proper sequence, events in the Exodus have been patterned here in Matthew, continuing from Chapter Two. Aaron was the priestly partner for Moses just as John was the priestly partner for Jesus. Both Moses and Jesus came through the water. Both Moses and Jesus entered the wilderness after leaving the water, and both went up to a mountain to receive a new contract with God.
TEXT
Matthew
First Testament
3:1Now in those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the Wilderness of Judaea, 2saying,
Now it happened in those days, Moses grew up … (Exod 2:11).
In those days there was no king in Israel (Judges 18:1, 25).
In those days Hezekiah became very ill (Isa 38:1).
“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.” For this is that which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the Kingdom of Yahowah over Israel (1 Chron 28:5).
3A voice crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight his paths.’ ”
A voice crying, “In the wilderness prepare the way of Yahowah! Make straight in the Arabah a path for our God.” (Isa 40:3).
Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do people do bad things? These two questions have empowered atheists and challenged believers for millennia. Every time an earthquake, hurricane, or some other disaster strikes the United States there will inevitably emerge a theologian or televangelist who claims to have the explanation for the cause of the catastrophe. Often the reason given is the moral decadence of the nation. Similarly, when a person engages in an evil act such as a mass shooting, there will arise a pundit or psychologist who claims to have the explanation for what triggered this event. Typically, the explanation includes the childhood experiences of the perpetrator or the idea that he was influenced by violence on television, in movies, or in video games.
Offering answers to these two questions is a precarious task. We simply lack specific knowledge of God’s will with regard to such historical events. We know general principles that we can apply to these events, but we don’t know exactly why God allowed a specific disaster or evil act to occur. There are aspects of God’s will that are not revealed to us, as Deuteronomy 29:29 reminds us: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God.” Accordingly, we must always be careful in daring to proffer answers to these two questions when it comes to events and actions in our world.
This does not mean, however, that the Bible is without guidance regarding answering such questions. The Bible often allows us to see various historical events and actions through the eyes of God. We are sometimes given a divine perspective on why God allowed or caused certain events to happen. These moments are incredibly valuable in discerning why bad things sometimes happen to good people and why people do bad things. Yet, though such divine insights cannot necessarily be applied directly to explain God’s purposes regarding specific events in our own time, they are nonetheless useful in helping us to understand these events and to trust in God as we experience them.