During the most of the old testament and some of the new, God was always there delivering his "chosen people" out of their perils. Where was he when those that weren't his "chosen people" were suffering and dying?
2007-12-27 07:14:04 · 25 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
thanks everyone =)
2007-12-27 07:25:35 · update #1
I think you have some misinformation. God was not always delivering his people. Sometimes he was letting them suffer as the consequence of their rejection of him and his laws. He would only deliver those who were repentant.
God delivered his chosen "people" originally from slavery in Egypt for the purpose of setting up his kingdom to fulfill his promise to Abraham. This was a foreshadowing of the greater fulfillment we have in Christ, where God delivers us from slavery to sin and makes us his people who love and serve him.
What of the others who were "suffering and dying"? Suffering and death are the consequences of our rejection of God. God created us and gave us life and a world to live in. If we refuse to give God due respect and gratitude, then there is nothing amiss if he takes away what he gave us. That is why we suffer and die.
However, out of his love for us, he has made available a way where we can share the benefits he chose to gave to his "chosen people". Christ came to die to pay the penalty for our rejecting God--he suffered and died in our place. If we say sorry to God and accept him as the ruler of our lives, then he will forgive us, and when Christ returns, he will deliver us from suffering and death. We will rise to a new life where we will by nature serve and respect God, and live an eternal life without suffering.
Because it is up to God to choose to forgive, there is no reason why he is compelled to deliver anyone. He delivered the people of Israel from slavery purely by his love, just like he can free you from your slavery to sin purely by his love. He doesn't have to deliver anyone so no one has the right to say, "why didn't you help me?" God will simply answer right back, "why did you reject me in the first place?"
2007-12-27 07:40:11 · answer #1 · answered by Raichu 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
huh? Why is it that this suffering and dieing thing keeps coming up where religion and war are concerned when there is no connection.
People suffer and die at their own hand. Either they were in the way, or some human or non-human thing occurred (earthquake, tornado, etc), or some disease just happened, etc., or they broke their leg...it has nothing to do with what God does.... God made us with a mind and free will, to make choices, to help each other, to determine what we wish to do, to believe or not believe in Him. It has nothing to do with chosen or not chosen people, it has to do with all people in general, and is controlled by the individual themself.
Jesus was Jewish and so was delivering his "chosen" ie his Jewish heritage (dna) away from being wiped off the earth and to safety. How would it be if many thousands of years later someone said Jesus was Jewish and people commented "he was what?) But you need to know the end purpose was to bring His people (all his people, all his believers) to heaven, and those who died in any perils went sooner than the others to see God.
2007-12-27 07:33:44 · answer #2 · answered by sophieb 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
wow... that is a fantastic question, honestly I don't think I have heard anything phrased that way before.
Honestly I don't think there is an easy answer here. I don't know that any person can speak for God well enough to say, look this is what was going on. So the following is a very meek, probably not to thought provoking answer.
It depends on your idea of God being there for someone I guess. If you believe in God the creator of life, sustainer of life, who created the universe and everything in it. Than I suppose He was there for even them. He gave them air to fill their lungs, family, friends, laughter, joy, pain, everything that comes in this human experience. So He was there in a manner of speaking for everyone.
The issue is that the bible (the Old Testament) was specifically written about Israel God's chosen people following their history and line. So History was seen through the lense of israel and so other nations were really only mentioned when Israel was in someway involved.
That doesn't mean that God wasn't in those other areas, but the authors of the Old Testament didn't so much focus on their culture. Just like overall American Historians focus on American history and not Chinese history.
That is my meager take on your question. Again... great question...
2007-12-27 07:28:50 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Hi there. Great question. As long as there are people in the world, there will be good and bad going on. It is not God's fault that people are good or bad. He is there as a lover of people, but sometimes people don't want to love him back. He is always there, thru out the old testament offering help to the "chosen" people and they are always spitting is his face and getting into stuff they should not get into! God offers help, but most of the time people just don't want to take it. Elijah is in the old testament and God sent him to a widow who was in need of food. She was NOT a part of the chosen people but God still saw her.
Let me give you an example of what i'm talking about though, If you want to get paid you have to get a job and then follow the rules at that job. If God were the manager, he would give you guidelines to succeed at the job and you would have to put them into practice. If you didn't put them into practice, he would have grounds to fire you! But, God is such a great God that he goes thru greats hoops so that people don't get fired. He gives them chances over and over and sadly, people bring their own destruction on their own head. ;o(
2007-12-27 07:28:57 · answer #4 · answered by Light 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually when you consider all that his chosen people went through in the bible and throughout history you probably have a better chance at avoiding suffering by not being part of the chosen people.
2007-12-27 08:20:00 · answer #5 · answered by Thom 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Parkithere: That is a really good question that I'm not sure what a simple answer would be. In my "studies" of my Christian religion I found some thoughts on that. You see God's choosen people are actually everyone. He was with us all along. We just lost some of awareness of him after the fall of Adam. The Jews have a special gift which comes from God to listen to the quiet words of the Holy Spirit. Their job was very important to bring the human race the ancient writings of the old testament, their culture and then finally all this was in preparation for the Messiah. And as you know the Messiah is for everyone.
I think if you want to discover more on this you may look for Jesus' words on the subject. Like when he spoke to the Samaritan women and the parable of the Good Samaritan. And then finally the Acts of the Apostles particularly when discerning the contraversy about circumcision. The Jews had words not just for themselves, but for all the human race. I think it took the words of Jesus for a large number of people to realize this.
Secondly, God does speak to us through nature. There is divine revelation and natural revelation. Some do not believe in natural revelation, but it is true that God speaks to us through his creation. For instance, doesn't psychology tell us that "love" is healthy. Yes, to be fully human we must love beyond just ourselves. "Love your neighbor as yourself" is part of human nature. Interesting for sure.
Those people who were not Jews in the new testament must have had God with them as well when suffering and dieing since he loves them way beyond the compassion we can have for them just thinking about it.
2007-12-27 07:34:54 · answer #6 · answered by Ed H 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Chosen people? Look at the history of the Jews. They have suffered more than any other people. And, G-d did not actually get them out of their problem-but, he made sure some survived to carry on. Hasn't he been this way with all peoples?
2007-12-27 07:23:57 · answer #7 · answered by Shossi 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes. The bible is the story of one group of people. THere are many groups that believed in God and had his support and guiding hand. The bible is significant because of its record of the heritage of the Messiah. Other records of people and prophets show that God loves and sustains all of his children, and blesses them according to the covenants that they make and keep. Some children and civilizations have been more blessed and "delivered", others less so. The term "Chosen people" merely refers to a group of people that are attempting to Follow God by keeping His commandments and living righteously.
2007-12-27 07:24:29 · answer #8 · answered by alwaysa(ducky)bridesmaid 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Same place he was when his supposedly chosen people were in peril at a time when we could confirm events (during WWII); nowhere. All miracles happen in either unverifiable obscurity (such as visions seen by children in a field in South America), or in the distant past. the only common denominator is that both are conveniently unfalsifiable.
2007-12-27 07:22:17 · answer #9 · answered by neil s 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
With them too. If they choice not to go with the people who were being help that is their own choice. They had free will, so they chose not to be with God. Whatever choice you make, you have to live with the good and bad that goes along with it. There is a down side to believing in God, but I think most Christians can deal with it.
2007-12-27 07:20:23 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋