Having ears to hear

Back before Christmas, I read the flood story in the Bible and was struck by the irony of God’s mandate against murder. He has just wiped out all human life (so the biblical writer tells us), and his heart has only been softened slightly by the smell of death — the smoke from Noah’s sacrifice wafting up to his nostrils. Now he’s telling us not to kill.

I approach the Bible from a perspective of faith, not from a desire to discredit Scripture. But it interests me that I, someone who grew up in the church and have been hearing the Bible preached for 40 years and reading it daily on my own for 20 years, only really hear what it says, contradictions and ironies included, very slowly. It’s plain as day, there on the page. But what I hear is heavily filtered by tradition, and by my own expectations, I guess.

It doesn’t surprise me anymore when this happens, and it always inspires me to investigate and read more on whatever subject is disturbing my long-maintained equilibrium. So when I hear baffling contradictions in things other Christians say, it shouldn’t surprise me either. But it does sometimes disturb me.

For instance, recently a Christian friend told me that they had been deeply encouraged by a reading that opened their eyes to “God’s plan for America.” Now they felt they could see God’s hand in 9/11. Now they could see that God was trying to get our attention through that, so that America would turn back to its Christian roots. It wasn’t “just bad things happening.” It was God.

I didn’t want such a perspective to go unchallenged. But I also felt that a long discussion wouldn’t accomplish anything. So I held my tongue until I could think of a way to change the subject. Maybe that was a mistake, because I’m still thinking about it.

What did I want to say?

• That the person was probably closer to the truth thinking it all was “just bad things happening.” To recognize this as a fallen world doesn’t satisfy all questions, but at least it doesn’t ascribe sadistic intentions to God.
• That there are serious moral problems with a God who expresses his love by murdering crowds of unsuspecting humans. Saying he might have had good reasons because he is greater than we are discredits our understanding of morality. As C.S. Lewis says in The Problem of Pain, “The Divine ‘goodness’ differs from ours not as white from black but as a perfect circle from a child’s first attempt to draw a wheel.”
• That I see no biblical evidence for believing America has had a special blessing from God. There is only one chosen nation in Scripture, and it’s Israel. With the coming of Christ, God’s blessing is broadened to include anyone and everyone who trusts in him. We hear no more of chosen nations in the New Testament, but of a priesthood of all believers. I wrote more of my thoughts on it in this post.
• Does America really have “Christian roots” (or evangelical roots, which is what is usually meant)? I don’t see it.

The Christian subculture is filled with speakers and writers who have branded themselves as spokespersons for a particular message. They sometimes attract large followings because they are articulate, and they are saying things that people want to hear — forceful things, things that touch on what people think they believe, things that make large and complex matters seem easy and comfortable. The false prophets in the Old Testament made similar appeals. But they come at the cost of truth, and sometimes at the cost of our humanity, too.

Jesus said often that what he said was for those who had ears to hear. I really want to be such a person. There are so many things that can get in the way, from mental laziness to faulty preconceptions to a judgmental attitude. But I really want to have ears to hear, even when the message is unexpected or difficult.