10 There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Prisoners in [i]misery and [j]chains,
11 Because they had rebelled against the words of God
And spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 Therefore He humbled their heart with labor;
They stumbled and there was none to help.
13 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death
And broke their bands apart.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His [k]wonders to the sons of men!
16 For He has shattered gates of bronze
And cut bars of iron asunder.17 Fools, because of [l]their rebellious way,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
18 Their soul abhorred all kinds of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.
20 He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their [m]destructions.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His [n]wonders to the sons of men!
22 Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And tell of His works with joyful singing.
I was listening to something the other day that asked the age old question, “If God is all powerful, why do bad things happen?” Our first reaction as believers is to say “free will”, but that doesn’t fully explain it, though I’m not sure any human can fully explain every bad thing on this earth. This is a reality they acknowledged on that show, and because every situation is unique, trying to put them all in our human-shaped boxes is folly.
Not unlike the deeds of those in this passage, which landed people in “misery and chains… dwelling in darkness and in the shadow of death.” So as we see in this passage, the reason some bad things happen is our own stubborn rebellion. But the bad things aren’t God meting out judgment on us, dooming us forever… at least not yet. For these “fools” and rebels, it was the result of them turning aside from God’s instruction.
If you look at many of God’s laws for Israel, they are terribly practical, and remind me of something I read from Rabbi Daniel Lapin (also recently). Though I don’t recall the exact words, the idea was that the Creator knows best how He made us, and we ought to follow His directions. To think that we know how our minds and bodies work better than Him is, as the psalmist said, pure folly.
And yet we disobey, even with hearts committed to Him. It is not easy to follow the right path when our spirit and body are at often at odds. Still, God does not cast us away. Instead, He waits for us to “come to our senses” like the prodigal son, and cry out to Him for help. Not only does He know what is best for us, but He wants to help us.
We are not in this alone, fending for ourselves against unbeatable odds. No, He has stacked the deck in our favor because He loves us and wants what is best for us. Let us not wallow in our misery, but ask Him for His wisdom. As the psalmist tells us, “Let us give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men! Let us… tell of His works with joyful singing!”