Response to Edward Oleander – Is God Arrogant?

Topic #1 – Is God arrogant? Edward Oleander's first charge against God is that God is arrogant, and for this Ed believes God needs to repent. God is the Creator, and Ed believes that because God has created mankind and places demands on people that they could never meet. Further, Ed claims that though God created the universe, He treats it as a toy and does things despite the heavy toll it takes on human beings. Ed has helped us in understanding what he is trying to say by pointing to two examples where Ed believes God acts in an arrogant way: the killing of the firstborn in Egypt, and Noah's flood which destroyed everyone and everything except those on Noah's ark.

Your question raises the important topic of Theology (the study of God and God's relationship to the world). Who is God and why has He done the things that are reported about Him in the Bible? You have hit on the central reason why there are false charges made against God – it is because of a false understanding of God, and an inadequate understanding of God's Word. If God truly was arrogant, cruel, and selfish, as you described in your Comment, who would want to worship Him?

So here is what I want to do in this post – I want to provide us with a better understanding of how the Bible describes God and His actions, and see if this provides a better explanation of why God chose to kill Egypt's firstborn, and also to see why the flood described in the story of Noah and the Ark was sent. My hope is that we can take a fair look at the Scriptures and agree that God is not arrogant, and instead is better described as loving, long-suffering and just.

1. The first issue raised by your charge that God is arrogant is did God really do these things? Your Comment assumed (rightfully so, I think) that God was responsible for the death of Egypt's firstborn as described in the Book of Exodus, and also the Flood during Noah's time. Although for these two events it is clear that God is responsible for what was done, there may be other times (for example, the tragic loss of life during the Holocaust) when there may be a genuine issue of whether God is directly responsible for what was done. I am only raising this issue now (no response is necessary), as it may come up later. But for now, I believe we both agree that God is sovereign (see, Job 37:5-6, Daniel 4:35, with lots of other places in the Bible like Psalm 66:7) and directly caused both the flood and the plague of the death of Egypt's firstborn.
   
2. A major theme of your attacks against God is the death of infants, primarily I assume because infants are innocent. Infants and the young have not made wrong choices, they are not old enough for taking responsibility of their actions, and probably you agree that everyone loves babies and infants, and hates even the thought of their death or suffering.
   

So let's start with the sending of the 10^th plague to Egypt, the taking of the firstborn in Egypt. Although my normal tack is to explain the issue of God's just punishment of Egypt through this example, let me instead try to show you that God showed His love through this loss of life. God's Word says that God is love (1 John 4:8). This does not mean that God is just loving in His actions. Instead, God's nature is love. What God does is always loving.

And so, am I off my rocker in saying that the taking of Egypt's firstborn lives is a loving action? I don't think I am, but I'll leave that up to you. Remember how horrible Egypt was in their treatment of the Jewish slaves they had. Here are a few of the verses describing the brutal way the Egyptians treated their Hebrew slaves:

1. Exodus 1:11-14, Egyptian Merciless Treatment of the Jewish Slaves - So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king. ¹² But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread, and the more alarmed the Egyptians became. ¹³ So the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy. ¹⁴ They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands.
   

 

1. Exodus 1:15-16, Murder Ordered of the Jewish Baby Boys - Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah: ¹⁶ "When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live."
   

 

1. Exodus 5, Israelites Beg Pharaoh for Mercy, Who Inflicts Even Greater Work - So the Israelite foremen went to Pharaoh and pleaded with him. "Please don't treat your servants like this," they begged. ¹⁶ "We are given no straw, but the slave drivers still demand, 'Make bricks!' We are being beaten, but it isn't our fault! Your own people are to blame!" ¹⁷ But Pharaoh shouted, "You're just lazy! Lazy! That's why you're saying, 'Let us go and offer sacrifices to the Lord.' ¹⁸ Now get back to work! No straw will be given to you, but you must still produce the full quota of bricks."
   

 

1. Exodus 3:7-8a, God Hears the Cries of the People of Israel - Then the Lord told him, "I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. ⁸ So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land.
   

Thus, the children of Israel were brutally treated by their Egyptian masters, their babies were murdered, and they begged for mercy. And none was given. And so, God sent a Prophet to the Egyptians to let them know that the God of Israel was the true God, and that the Egyptian gods were mere idols. And Israel's God showed His love for the people of Israel by helping them be freed from their slavery. Yes, it is love that is the most important thing revealed by God through this story – His love for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Therefore, God's love is shown by protecting the people of Israel from brutal treatment, and providing them with their freedom.

 

1. God's Justice. I'm not going to forget about the key aspect in the Exodus story of God's Justice and rightful punishment of oppressors. Remember, Egypt had taken advantage of the Israelites, made them their slaves, and treated them monstrously. God had sent His Prophet Moses to proclaim God's Word to Egypt 'Let My people go'. And Pharaoh and the Egyptians rejected God's call and warning. (See, Exodus 11). But even though 9 prior plagues were sent by God to Egypt, and despite Moses' warning of the final plague, the Pharaoh would not relent and free the children of Israel, God's people. And so, God rightly brought judgment upon Egypt and Pharaoh. But the key here is that God did send a Prophet to warn them. God sent plagues to show His displeasure for the barbaric treatment of the Israelites. And God provided a final warning before He sent the final plague, the death of the first-born, with this warning being rejected. Now not only Egypt, but the entire world now knew that the One true God, was the God of Israel. Further, God from this time on was well known for what He did that night in Egypt. And the Jews continue their remembrance of this night through their celebration of the Passover when God protected Israel and issued rightful Judgment upon Egypt.
   

The one thing that I don't think that you understand about God which is revealed by your Comment that God is arrogant is that there is Justice in God's Order. People must pay for selfish behavior they commit while on Earth. Can you imagine a world where there are no consequences for what they do? Sometimes, the punishment is meted out in this life. But God also promises there is a punishment after death, where all of one's sins are reviewed by Jesus Himself on Judgment Day (Matthew 25:31-:46). So most importantly, we know that Divine Justice will be given to all for what was done during their life. And there is only one chance: For it is appointed unto man to die once and after this to face Judgment. (Hebrews 9:27).

1. This leads me to now discuss your second charge of God's arrogance the flood and God's protection of Noah, his family, and the animals that entered the Ark two-by-two. Again, I want to make sure that you have a better understanding of the context of what was taking place in the world before God sent His flood. Here is what God's Word says about the times that Noah and his family were living in:
   

 

1. Genesis 6:5-6 - The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. ⁶ So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.
   

This section of Genesis shows the total depravity of humanity at this time in history. Everything people thought or imagined was evil. It is hard to conceive of what a wholly wicked society would look like, but we have a little glimpse of this through the actions of Nazi Germany in World War II. Millions of people starved, raped, experimented on, and then killed with poisonous gas. Mass graves. People shaved for their hair so the Germans could use it. Tattooed like a brand on cattle. And everything the Jews owned was stolen from them as if they were not even human. And the Germans all followed orders while the monstrous atrocities were taking place around them. And the world during Noah's time was somehow even worse than this.

Yet again we see God's love through even these times. God created people in His image so He could have a relationship with us, and that they could act in a way of community with each other, and have fellowship with God through eternity. Instead, people during the Days of Noah were completely evil – this means that they spent their days consumed with their own malevolent thoughts, hurting each other, and gratifying their selfish desires of lust and greed. It is a good thing God put an end to this. So what is the most loving thing God could do in this sort of world? Let them continue hurting and terrorizing each other. The strong bullying the weak. The weak plotting ways of revenge. A world in flames of evil and wickedness. Isn't starting over and helping the world by establishing a nation that which will ultimately provide the Messiah, God's own example of His love for all of the nations? A nation from where God's own Son will come, to teach, to be an example, and to be a sacrifice for those who will accept it?

1. What is God Really Like? The Story of the Prodigal Son, Luke 15.11-32 – I recently accidentally let one of our family's favorite cats Oliver out of the house. Oliver was especially Peggy's favorite cat. And when she learned he was out, she spent days looking for him, notifying all of the Humane Societies in the area of what he looked like. She drove around the area and put up over 100 flyers of our lost cat. We previously have lost two cats who when they ran away from home were run over in the street. And so, Peggy and the kids spent hours each day to try and find this lovable cat, Oliver.
   

Then we got the word that there was a cat matching the description of Oliver lying dead on a snow bank at County Road 42 and County Road 11 in Burnsville. We looked, Peggy much more than the rest of us, but we couldn't find him. One of Peggy's friends was found diving in a garbage dumpster by the police, seeing if the cat's body was thrown away like rubbish. Through all of this searching we were unable to find him. But the next day we received some hopeful news: Burnsville's Animal Control had recently picked up a cat in the area we were searching, and it wasn't Oliver. Perhaps he was still alive!

Five days passed. We knew the odds were slim that he was alive unless he was taken in by a kind stranger. But to make a long story short, Tuesday night my son Elijah was outside and there at the bottom of the driveway was our Prodigal cat, Oliver. He was a bit ragged and he had lost a lot of weight. But he was home, praise God! Our family was so happy to see him, and I don't think Peggy has put him down since his return. Last night it was very cute – Oliver laid next to Peggy's head on her pillow for most of the entire night's sleep. The two are no closer than ever.

Why do I bring this story up? First, I know that you are a cat owner/lover, and you can empathize with the loss of our cat. But I ask that you read the story of the Prodigal son, which Jesus used to describe God's love for those who will return to Him. Please read Luke 15:11-32, and would you then answer the following questions that I borrowed from my Community Bible Study lesson:

1. Describe the younger son.
   
2. Considering that the father most likely knows his son's character and lifestyle, why does he honor his son's request to be given his inheritance immediately?
   
3. Why does God allow us this same kind of freedom?
   
4. How does Jesus describe the younger son's change of heart?
   
5. What does Luke 15:20 tell us about the father?
   
6. What does the father's response to his son reveal about God's attitude toward you?
   
7. In a separate Comment, let me know your thoughts about the rest of this post. If you have a lot to say and there are natural breaks, would you mind please breaking up your writing into separate Comments.
   

 

Thank you Ed for the examples you provided, for your thoughts and the time it takes for preparing your response. And it would be great if there is anyone else out there to join in with their thoughts and ideas. Thanks and may God bless you with peace and a greater knowledge of God this week.