Finding Grace In Tragedy (Responce to the Boston Marathon Explosions)

If you own a television or a radio, then chances are you were exposed to the tragic events of last
week. Boston spent days in fear after two homemade explosives went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring hundreds more. Bostonians everywhere were urged to lock their doors and stay inside while one of the biggest manhunts in recent history took place. People cried out in anguish over the loss of their loved ones, in anger over more acts of terrorism in our own backyard, and in confusion, trying to make sense of why these bad things happened.

Ryan Penland

If you are like me, I can only handle so much bad news before I get completely overwhelmed. I came in for lunch with my family, who had the TV on the news, watching the live report of the manhunt. I tried to enjoy my meal, but seeing video recordings of gunfire being traded back and forth between the police and the two hunted suspects made me jump in my seat, causing me to excuse myself from the table. I went into the other room and I began to weep loudly.

I would be considered as an optimist. I always seek to see the good in people. But I have to admit, there are days where I see so many bad things happening, that I can't help but fall to my knees in tears, asking God, "Why do we, people who can be so amazing, have to be so mean to each other? Why can't we trade hugs instead of gunfire?

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine, in which I was verbally processing the Boston events to her. I asked her, "How do you think God responds to something like this? Does He weep openly with those who are weeping? Does He have righteous anger towards these heinous acts? Or does He, like a father watching His child do something stupid because he doesn't know better, say, 'Oh, little one, one day you will get it.'?"

"How about D: All of the above?" she responded.

Now, isn't that something? There is no single way that God responds. And there is Biblical evidence for this. "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted" (Ps. 34:18), "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8) And here is one that will really trip you up: "God, the Judge of truth, is not angry every day." (Ps. 7:11 -Aramaic Bible in Plain English).

Those of us who have heard this Psalm before have always read it as the King James Version, "God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day." I noticed something very interesting about this verse, namely the italics on "with the wicked". Curious, I did my own digging, and I came across a very revealing commentary on this verse by a Methodist named Adam Clarke. It reads as follows:

The Septuagint: Ὁ Θεος Κριτης δικαιος, και ισχυρος, και μακροθυμος, μη οργην επαγων καθ' ἑκαστην ἡμεραν; "God is a righteous Judge, strong and longsuffering; not bringing forth his anger every day."

Syriac: "God is the Judge of righteousness; he is not angry every day."

The Arabic is the same as the Septuagint.

The Aethiopic: "God is a just Judge, and strong and longsuffering; he will not bring forth tribulation daily."

Coverdale: God is a righteous judge, and Gob is ever threateninge.

King Edward's Bible by Becke 1549, follows this reading.

Cardmarden has borrowed strong and patient from the Vulgate or Septuagint, but as he found nothing in the Hebrew to express them, he put the words in a smaller letter, and included them in brackets. This is followed by the prose version in our Prayer Book.

Cardmarden: God is a righteous judge, [strong and patient] and God is provoked every day.

The Genevan version, printed by Barker, the king's printer, 1615, translates thus: "God judgeth the righteous, and him that contemneth God every day." On which there is this marginal note: "He doth continually call the wicked to repentance, by some signs of his judgments." My ancient Scotico - English MS. Psalter only begins with the conclusion of this Psalm.

I have judged it of consequence to trace this verse through all the ancient versions in order to be able to ascertain what is the true reading, where the evidence on one side amounts to a positive affirmation, "God is angry every day;" and, on the other side, to as positive a negation, "He is Not angry every day." The mass of evidence supports the latter reading. The Chaldee first corrupted the text by making the addition, with the wicked, which our translators have followed, though they have put the words into italics, as not being in the Hebrew text. In the MSS. collated by Kennicott and De Rossi there is no various reading on this text.

The true sense may be restored thus: -
אל el, with the vowel point tsere, signifies God: אל al, the same letters, with the point pathach, signifies not. Several of the versions have read it in this way: "God judgeth the righteous, and is Not angry every day." He is not always chiding, nor is he daily punishing, notwithstanding the continual wickedness of men: hence, the ideas of patience and longsufferiny which several of the versions introduce. 

Having read this, my paradigm had completely exploded. We are so used to reading this verse and verses like this in one or a few translations that paint God as an angry, judgmental narcissist in the sky, when so many other translations paint Him as so merciful, kind, and patient towards humanity. The verses in which God addresses wrath against the wicked are not towards the people themselves, but towards the false identity, that sinful nature that so much of humanity lives under, because they have not yet realized the perfection that they have been given because of Christ's death on the Cross 2000 years ago. On that day on Calvary, God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. Heaven swallowed up earth and destroyed sinfulness itself once and for all. The only thing standing in the way of people living aware of their perfect nature in Christ versus the broken nature they see in themselves is their choice to accept the Truth of what Christ did for them.

Having said this, this doesn't mean that bad things don't still happen. I honestly don't have an answer for that, other than there are other things at work that we simply just don't understand. Some can take this and use it to try and live in a state of ignorant bliss from all the evil in the world (and I say "try" because it doesn't last very long), but that isn't what I am encouraging. Believe me, that passivity only lasts for so long until one day it finally snaps. What I AM saying is that despite all the bad things that happen in the world, to rest knowing that God is always in a good mood, and He has and will always be FOR humanity, not against it, despite how stupid we can be sometimes (and boy, can we really rack up points for that, right?). If we need to cry and be frustrated and ask Him questions, He is there to sit us on his lap and console us.

Humanity is God's greatest creation, and His most favorite. He chose to not be God without us! That is how important we are to Him! His love isn't reserved just for the people who have accepted Him, but for ALL. The only pain we receive is not from God, but from ourselves when we try to work things out on our own instead of resting in Him, allowing Him to embrace us and tell us how amazing He thinks we are.

Looking through Scripture, you can find many promises made by God to deliver His people out of darkness, which makes this verse very special: "For all of God's promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding 'Yes!' And through Christ, our 'Amen' (which means 'Yes') ascends to God for his glory." (2 Cor 1:20 NLT). My friend, Aaron Glenn said it the best, "True Love delivers on His promises."

Through all trials and tribulations this world brings, we can stand firm on the promise that Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33).

Peace be to you!

Author, Ryan Penland