September 11, 2001 was a Tuesday. In New York as in Dallas, it was a sunny day, and it started off normal enough for most Americans. A little before 8am – just as I was settling into my cubicle – I got a call from my Dad, which was my first clue that this was no ordinary day. My Dad doesn’t usually call me first thing in the morning.
“Terrorists just flew a plane into the World Trade Center,” he said. “Turn on the news.”
So I went downstairs and followed the crowd. A TV had been located in a conference room that was quickly – and silently – filling up. Just in time to see the second plane slam into the second tower.
What were you doing? I bet you remember, because that morning changed most of us forever. We watched in horror as people were forced to choose between the flames and a 100-floor drop to the ground. We saw unspeakable bravery as firemen loaded with gear charged into the burning buildings – and then we watched in horror as the buildings collapsed on top of them. More than 3,000 people died that morning, most of them normal people like you and me, who were just going to work.
And it didn’t take long for people to begin asking the question, “where was God?” The silence seemed deafening.
In Exodus 1, we see a similar situation. Joseph had brought his family to Egypt and settled them in the most prosperous part of Egypt, in Goshen. God blessed them, and they multiplied. But over the centuries, political realities changed. A new dynasty had begun, and Egypt was growing more powerful. And as the new Pharaoh consolidated his reign, he began to worry about the descendants of Jacob – so with a wave of his hand, he condemned an entire race to slavery.
Imagine what that must have been like: you’re a shepherd, and your family is doing well. You’ve got great hopes for the future – and smile as you think of your children’s future. In a flash, all that is gone. What was it like when the decree was read to the Israelites?
It got worse. As the new dynasty continued to grow, it seemed to come directly at the expense of the Israelites – each decree more shockingly oppressive than the last. Finally, a desperate Pharaoh – afraid of these resilient foreigners – decreed a policy of genocide.
These were the people of God – where was He?
Whether it’s 9/11 or the Israelites in Egypt – or, maybe closer to home: getting downsized, divorced – or hearing of another kid’s suicide – we’ve probably all asked this question. Why does God seem so silent, so absent, when He could have stopped it? Why does God – if He is sovereign, and if He is loving – why does He let these things happen?
Like you (and Job, for that matter), I want an answer. I want to know what in the world could justify allowing unspeakable tragedies to take place. And my questions in such instances are almost always met with silence. But does that mean there is no answer? No – it just means God is not going to explain it to us. He simply promises that – in the words of Sam Gamgee, in the Lord of the Rings – that “everything sad will come untrue.” That justice will be done, wrongs will be righted. He doesn’t explain – He simply asks us to “trust and obey.”
This is the message of Exodus 1. For 400 years, the Israelites suffered as the Egyptians reached the high water mark of their power. God did not explain his purpose – but He clearly had one.
Look back at Genesis 15:13-14.
13Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
The Pharaohs did not catch God by surprise any more than the 9/11 hijackers did. And just as He had a plan to deliver the nation of Israel, He has a reason for allowing injustice and tragedy. He will make all things right – but it may not happen in our lifetime, or in the way we would like.
Exodus is the story of God’s deliverance of Israel, but it’s even more. It’s the story of God’s faithfulness to a promise He made to Abraham centuries earlier – a promise He kept in spite of the unfaithfulness of those who were to receive the promise.
Remember this in the midst of tragedy. God sees your tears. They matter to Him, and they are not wasted. No matter how big the injustice, in the end, God has promised to make it right.
Do you believe Him? Do you believe that – as we sang Sunday – that “Our God is Able?” When He appears silent, distant or absent, will you “trust and obey?”
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
– Hebrews 10:23
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