What Happens When God Doesn't Fit The Ideal we Have For Him?

Leviticus 13, 14

Now take this first chapter. It's all about leprosy. Yes, Jeaus healed lepers, even ten at once. But reading this chapter, and there's a very limited chance of hope that leprosy won't kill them. Duplicitous God you say? Four years ago the day I'm writing this part of my meditation my wife had a brain hemorrhage, later that night completely lost ability to speak, and three weeks later she passed into eternity. People ask, Why does God do these things? Why does he allow these things?

It is the second chapter here which gives some clues, one was already mentioned a couple of times in chapter 13. The priest will observe and will declare the leper to be clean. Then there was given the ceremony for cleansing when the leprosy was gone. But that still doesn't answer the question. Why does God allow, in this case leprosy, to exist, even make provision for leprosy without giving the means to which it can be healed? Why does God say in chapter 14 words indicating the He sends the plague of leprosy into a house? WHY? Yes, it is a reality of a world that has chosen to dispbey God, even as Adam did from in the very beginning.

But in seeking answers which we actually don't want to know the more likely reason is that we think more that God is made in our image, therefore He should think as we do. But the reality is that man was made in the image of God. And to get some understanding we need to learn how to think as God does. When the Lord God asked Adam, Where art thou? It wasn't because God didn't know. In some respects God asks questions for us to answer as if we are in charge. We see that trait throughout the ministry of Jesus such as before the feeding of the five thousand.

[5] Then Jesus lift up his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude came unto him, he said unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these might eat? [6] (And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.)

John 6:5-6 GNV

Even in John 11 where we read that Lazarus was sick, then died. In verse 15 Jesus says He was glad for your sake (His disciples sake) I wasn't there "to the intent ye may believe". How many times Jesus acts like He doesn't know what needs to be done next, even acts like He doesn't know, and asks His disciples, asks of us what we think needs to be done. HE KNOWS! But do we see the need, and do we believe He will meet it, fill it? Quickly looking back to Deuteronomy 8. We think of "wilderness wanderings" knot God's title for them, but ours) and completely disregard the truth that the Lord LED them with the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night the whole time. But what does Moses say of how the Lord thought of where HE LED them?

[1] Ye shall keep all the commandments which I command thee this day, for to do them: that ye may live, and be multiplied, and go in, and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers. [2] And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee this forty years in the wilderness, for to humble thee and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or no.

Deuteronomy 8:1-2 GNV

The Lord God isn't on trial, in a test. We are. So back to the question of leprosy. Why? It would seem there are a copule more lessons to consider.

[12] And as he entered into a certain town (of Samaria), there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood a far off. [13] And they lift up their voices and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. [14] And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go, shew yourselves unto the Priests. And it came to pass, that as they went, they were cleansed.

Luke 17:12-14 GNV

Others during the days Jesus walked on the earth asked for a sign. Even on the cross they said he saved others, but himself he cannot save. But it was these ten lepers who didn't ask why God allowed leprosy to exist, why God didn't provide healing instructions in the Law, or Why God? Why? Their faith caused them to see themselves for what they were, see Jesus for who He is, and to ask of Him mercy. And Jesus simply instructed them to go show themselves to the priests, even as the law that was given.

Again I can hear, Richard, you are missing the point. Is such a God worth following? Does it make sense to believe in and follow such a God?

In Luke 4 Jesus was speaking to the home crowd, the synogoge He grew up in and was taught the Torah. He had just read from Isaiah and declared that the Scripture He had read was fulfilled in Him. Yes, that made them begin to wonder what He was talking about. They knew His family. He told them that no prophet was accepted in his own country. To get the point across He spoke of two great powerful instances where this was demonstrated in Israel's history. And both drove home the answer that it isn't all the conditions we see as humans that we think God needs to meet, but just to recognize and accept Him. The first instance Jesus told of was that of many widows in the days of Elijah, but he was only sent to the widow in Sidon in Sarepta (Luke 4:26). Then again there were many lepers in Israel in the days of Elisha the prophet and that no lepers were cleansed except for Naaman the Syrian.

[28] Then all that were in the Synagogue, when they heard it, were filled with wrath,

Luke 4:28 GNV

Now this wasn't just Priests, Pharisees, and the rulers of thr synogoge. This was everyone present, those Jesus grew up with. But the truth Jesus taught was of the reality those who had actually believed, and acted on their belief wasn't those of Israel, no, that was set aside because Jesus didn't fit the concept of who they all had been led to believe the Messiah would be, especially not one from their own town.

Jesus emphasized a truth which was very important, so important that I must allow it to sink down into my thoughts, into my pondering. I began wondering why God provided for, even allowed leprosy, even brought it into their midst, into their very lives. Yet as Jesus pointed out that in Elisha's day there was only one leper was healed and that leper wasn't even from Israel. Not one trusted God, believe God could do it, even wanted God to do it. Today who believes, who wants God to do it, what do they believe, and why do they believe?

We read in Genesis that Abram believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. This reverberates throughout the New Testament writings (Romans, Galatians, James). But in Jesus day there were those of Israel who claimed Abraham as their father, physical ancestral heritage. In Elijah's day there was only the belief of the woman from Sarepha, in Elisha's day only the captain from rhe Syrian army who even then reluctantly believed. Even so he came away healed, something no other leper at that time did. And so, do we say we believe God, but deny His power because He doesn't fit into our preconceived ideal we have build from Scripture for Him?

There are some many different ways the coming Messiah was thought of in those days. Predominantly among even the disciples after learning from Him for three years, witnessing the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus that in Acts 1 they are asking, Will you at this time restore the kingdom? The nationalistic Messiah. The thoughts of the Jewish leaders that the Messiah would only be for those who kept the Law, even as the Scribes and Pharisees, the righteousness in obedience to their way of thinking Messiah. But how important it is what type of Messiah He actually was. He was a Messiah who came to Him seeing Him as their only hope, not matching up to Him in their expectations, but recognizing Him as their only jope in their most desperate need.

[9] And as Jesus passed forth from thence, hee saw a man sitting at the custom, named Matthew, and said to him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. [10] And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in his (Matthew's) house, behold, many Publicans and sinners, that came thither, sat down at the table with Jesus and his disciples. [11] And when the Pharisees saw that, they said to his disciples, Why eateth your master with Publicans and sinners? [12] Now when Jesus heard it, he said unto them, The whole need not a Physician, but they that are sick. [13] But go ye and learn what this is, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance.

Matthew 9:9-13 GNV

It is when the fact of sin affecting my own life whether it expresses itself through disease, depression, feeling of being worthless, no hope in anyway, death of a loved one, that finds it easiest to recognize who the Messiah is, and they are the ones who can see the Messiah as He came. They didn't determine who He was through Scripture. They learned the Scriptures through who He was.

Leprosy was an accepted fact in the Scriptures, a very terrible disease. Some will spend a lifetime researching a cure, maybe even declaring they have the best hope for "living with the disease". In their day the Pharisees could only offer walking worthy of the Messiah of which Jesus said in Matthew:

[20] For I say unto you, except your righteousnes exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall not enter into the kingdome of heaven.

Matthew 5:20 GNV

The Scribes and Pharisees were doing their best ever to not sin, but Jesus said what they did wasn't enough. It needed to be exceeded. In all their righteousness they couldn't even walk worthy of the Lord. It was those Publicans and sinners who sought Jesus alone, the sick knowing they were sick, but they knew they must seek Jesus, the one who told them, According to your faith be it unto you.