Judges: Irony & Meaninglessness
The Triumph of Death by Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Why did God support this war over a rape? (Jdgs 19:25-30, 20:18, 28)
If God was for the Israelites, why did the Benjaminites beat Israel so badly? (Jdgs 20:18-26)
Why would God wait until the third time the Israelites attacked the Benjaminites for them to win? God’s the one who was supporting them and telling them to go to war against them. If he meant for them to win, why would he have 40,000 Israelites killed first? This does not make any sense. (Jdgs 20:28)
If God meant to give the Benjaminites into the hands of the Israelites, why was their victory not complete? Why did 30 of their men die? (Jdgs 20:28, 31)
OK, now this is really weird. God does such a “good job” of destroying the Benjaminites that now they’re gone and Israel is weeping for them? What? (Jdgs 21:2-3)
I think all these questions can be summed up as follows: if God does something (in this case, something is everything, since we're talking about the orchestration of the divine plan), why doesn't he make it all or nothing, clear-cut? So in this case, God would tell the Israelites that he's going to give the victory to them, they fight, they win, with no casualties on their side, and then they celebrate their victory, which "obviously" came from God. (I put "obviously" in quotes because while in this hypothetical situation it should be obvious, in our world, we can't presume to so confidently read the will of God.) I guess the problem with this assumption is that you can keep pulling the question back, with rather absurd results. For example, if we were to apply this to WWII, the Allies would have won right away, with no casualties, and then everyone would be able to see right away that the Allies won because God was on their side. However, this would wipe out a lot of history, not just for WWII, but pretty much all of history, because there'd be no story, just a bunch of conclusions, much of them (the conclusions), resulting from not much of any causal relation. In any case, whether the Allies suffered casualties or not, the fact of history is that they won the war, and that in itself is evidence that God gave them the victory, not because it was an overwhelming victory (because it wasn't), but because we know that everything that happens is exactly according to God's plan.
To clarify further, another way of putting this question is: Why doesn't God just do everything for us? He could, but then it wouldn't be our story, and so nor would our destiny be (truly) ours, that is, one of our own making.
I guess a major reason why our world seems so senseless is because we're in the middle of the story. We're in the middle of the story, and we're trying to figure out the conclusion, but that's impossible. (Btw, in case you don't already know, the conclusion comes at the Last Judgment. Then we'll all find out how and why everything happened, the evil will be condemned, the righteous vindicated, and God justified.) Until then, you're going to have to pick your faith, either true or false faith, and with that faith, make out what it all means. And if you think it's all meaningless and all just chance, I suggest you pick again.
Habakkuk: "You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?
God: "Still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end -- it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay." (Hab 1:13, 2:3)
It's a time scale problem.
'They will say,“Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one
day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one
day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some
count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing
that any should perish, but that all should reach
repentance.' (II Pt 3:4, 8-9)
You can read more about this on the Good & Evil/Pain & Suffering page. (Scroll down to last paragraph.)
If God was for the Israelites, why did the Benjaminites beat Israel so badly? (Jdgs 20:18-26)
Why would God wait until the third time the Israelites attacked the Benjaminites for them to win? God’s the one who was supporting them and telling them to go to war against them. If he meant for them to win, why would he have 40,000 Israelites killed first? This does not make any sense. (Jdgs 20:28)
If God meant to give the Benjaminites into the hands of the Israelites, why was their victory not complete? Why did 30 of their men die? (Jdgs 20:28, 31)
OK, now this is really weird. God does such a “good job” of destroying the Benjaminites that now they’re gone and Israel is weeping for them? What? (Jdgs 21:2-3)
I think all these questions can be summed up as follows: if God does something (in this case, something is everything, since we're talking about the orchestration of the divine plan), why doesn't he make it all or nothing, clear-cut? So in this case, God would tell the Israelites that he's going to give the victory to them, they fight, they win, with no casualties on their side, and then they celebrate their victory, which "obviously" came from God. (I put "obviously" in quotes because while in this hypothetical situation it should be obvious, in our world, we can't presume to so confidently read the will of God.) I guess the problem with this assumption is that you can keep pulling the question back, with rather absurd results. For example, if we were to apply this to WWII, the Allies would have won right away, with no casualties, and then everyone would be able to see right away that the Allies won because God was on their side. However, this would wipe out a lot of history, not just for WWII, but pretty much all of history, because there'd be no story, just a bunch of conclusions, much of them (the conclusions), resulting from not much of any causal relation. In any case, whether the Allies suffered casualties or not, the fact of history is that they won the war, and that in itself is evidence that God gave them the victory, not because it was an overwhelming victory (because it wasn't), but because we know that everything that happens is exactly according to God's plan.
To clarify further, another way of putting this question is: Why doesn't God just do everything for us? He could, but then it wouldn't be our story, and so nor would our destiny be (truly) ours, that is, one of our own making.
I guess a major reason why our world seems so senseless is because we're in the middle of the story. We're in the middle of the story, and we're trying to figure out the conclusion, but that's impossible. (Btw, in case you don't already know, the conclusion comes at the Last Judgment. Then we'll all find out how and why everything happened, the evil will be condemned, the righteous vindicated, and God justified.) Until then, you're going to have to pick your faith, either true or false faith, and with that faith, make out what it all means. And if you think it's all meaningless and all just chance, I suggest you pick again.
Habakkuk: "You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?
God: "Still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end -- it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay." (Hab 1:13, 2:3)
It's a time scale problem.
'They will say,“Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one
day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one
day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some
count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing
that any should perish, but that all should reach
repentance.' (II Pt 3:4, 8-9)
You can read more about this on the Good & Evil/Pain & Suffering page. (Scroll down to last paragraph.)