We tend to look at the events in the Bible and be confused. Adam and Eve are given paradise and they throw it away. The world descends into chaos and God wipes it out with a flood, starting over. Similar to Sodom and Gomorrah: wiped out due to its immense sins. The Jewish people, God’s people, are forced to work in Egypt before being set free, only to then get trapped in the dessert by God himself because of their sins.

Sins grows and God snuffs it out.

But then, along comes Jesus. He teaches, preaches, heals, and forgives. Then, He dies on the cross only to be resurrected three days later. The ultimate sacrifice overcomes sin and death to save us from God’s wrath, hell, sin, and our own mortality.

But, why didn’t God just do this first? He could have saved all those people in Sodom and Gomorrah. He could have saved the whole world, quite literally physically, instead of flooding it all away. His people would not have suffered in Egypt. Sin would have entered the world and shortly after been snuffed out.

It seems like God kept making mistakes…

But it only seems like that if you read the Bible as one story after another. If you focus only on specific acts taking place separately from one another in different time frames. The truth is that everything before the Bible, in the Bible, and after the Bible is all in God’s time frame. It was all done on purpose. And it is a learning moment for us.

God basically allowed sin to do it’s worst. In the case of Noah, God destroyed the whole world because of it’s rampant sins. Noah and his family were saved. But after the waters receded Noah grew a vineyard and got drunk. No one is perfect, even God’s elect. But God saves us anyway.

Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. Lot was saved. However his wife still lusted after her home in her heart and was turned to a pillar of salt. Later, Lot and his daughters were in a cave and sin took hold of their hearts as well. The daughters, afraid this was the end of the world and there were no men left to give them children, they got Lot drunk and laid with him. But God saved them anyway.

Abraham was uniquely tested. He was ordered to take his son up to the mountain, build an alter, and offer sacrifice… and right before he pierces his sons heart God stops him and provides a lamb for sacrifice. It seems like strange stuff.

But this strange stuff teaches us lessons about what God is willing to tolerate, how forgiving He is, and how He will provide for those who believe and trust in Him. God didn’t mess up and have to start over. He’s just not going to torment every person on the planet by asking you to kill your first born child only so He can show you that He will indeed provide if you trust Him and have faith. Abraham told us his story so we would have faith. The prophets told us their story so we would have faith. The Apostles told us their story so we would have faith and believe.

-Diggs out

P.S. – Learn from the mistakes of others.