God, Satan, or the world

12"“All right, you may test him,” the LORD said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the LORD’s presence.

...15”when the Sabeans raided us. They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

16While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

17While he was still speaking, a third messenger arrived with this news: “Three bands of Chaldean raiders have stolen your camels and killed your servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

...19”Suddenly, a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed, and all your children are dead. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”"
Job 1:12,15-17,19

10”"No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”"
John 10:18

3"Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples,"
Luke 22:3

3"At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest, 4plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him."
Matthew 26:3-4

I know that this devotional has a lot of Scripture to start with, but I promise this isn’t a Bible study.  I just want to make sure there is plenty of Scripture to support what I am about to propose because it may upset some of your Christian life philosophy.  There are also a lot of numbers, but just stick with me.  I’m going somewhere.

I know that my Christian worldview and philosophy was up ended and challenged at different times in my life because of struggles that I faced.  Due to my philosophy, I would always arrive at the conclusion that I was struggling due to my sin.  Either current or previous sin.  I thought that since God was a loving yet just God, I was receiving the results of my actions that He had given me clear warning of.  My question was then always what sin was I receiving the result of?  Is this always the correct question to ask?  Is all suffering the result of sin?

As I grew older physically and more in my faith, I learned that suffering was not always the result of sin; mine or anothers.  Sometimes the suffering was directly by the hand of the enemy.  When I was faced with the likely miscarriage of our son, I cried out to God.  He delivered him to us.  From the mouth of the doctor we were told that he was a “miracle”.  As he grew and we were faced with a health issue that was genetic but not in either of our families.  It was clear this was the result of the enemy.  Not of my sin or any other’s. His immunodeficiency occurs in 1 in 1,200 persons or 0.083%. (DOI:  10.1007/s10875-007-9103-1)

Two years later, Karen and I were blessed with a daughter.  The pregnancy was normal.  The delivery was normal, but her first year of life was not normal.  She went through more medical tests and doctor’s visits than I would like to remember.  After a little more than a year, just before Christmas we were given the diagnosis.  Muscular dystrophy.  (Merry Christmas)  A rare form that was genetic, but neither of us had it in our families.  Again, not of my sin or any other’s. Approximately 8% of female Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) carriers are manifesting carriers and have muscle weakness to some extent.(DOI:  10.3349/ymj.2011.52.1.192) Since there isn’t good statistics on the number of female carriers, I use the number of males with DMD as an approximation.  For males the occurrence is about 15 out of every 100,000.  Eight percent of 15 out of 100,000 is 1 in 83,300.(CDC http://bit.ly/2jj9FEU)

Six years following that, I began to have some problems with walking.  Through numerous doctor’s appointments, a trip to Birmingham, and a trip to Mayo I was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.  There is no history of Multiple Sclerosis of any kind in my family. Multiple Sclerosis affects approximately 0.033% of people.  Approximately 15 percent of people with MS are diagnosed with PPMS.  That then gives an occurrence of 1 in  20,200.(NMSS http://bit.ly/1EbPgSy)

Lots of science, medical gobbledygook and numbers.  To boil it down, using an independently combined events probability, the likely of occurrence of these diseases in a family (normalized to our family size) is 1 in 405,000,000,000 or 2.4651x10-10%.  That’s a small number. So, who sinned?  Was this a result of my sin?  Well, none of these are diseases that are connected with any action.  Could it have been just the brokenness of the world we live in due to Adam’s sin?  Yes, but the incredibly small occurrence number leads me to believe that this is not just random broken creation.  Therefore, that leaves us with only two choices:  God, or Satan.  Which was it?

Does it matter?  We see in Job that Satan was the actor, but he couldn’t act without the LORD’s permission.  The wind and lightning killed.  The Sabeans and Chaldeans killed.  In the crucifixion; Jesus laid down His life.  Satan moved in Judas.  The crowd, the priests, and elders condemned Him to death.  So, who caused Job’s suffering?  Who killed Jesus?  Was it God, Satan, or the world?  Does it matter?

The apostle James tells us,

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." James 1:2-4

Does it matter where the troubles come from?  In all troubles we are told to let our endurance grow.  The origin of the trouble is not important.  The result that we allow to happen is important.  Our endurance.  Endurance  is a fruit of the Spirit.  A growth in endurance is a growth in faith.  This cannot be overvalued!

Does it matter where the trouble comes from when the intended outcome is the same?  The Father desires us to be perfect.  He desires to grow us in faith.

1. What is currently troubling you?
2. Who is responsible for your trouble?
3. Does it matter?
4. Are you enduring?

--Zine Smith

End Notes

Greek Work:
Though the Greek words are different their meanings in this case are the same.  The growth in hupomone is a growth in makrothumia, and therefore faith. (Bradshaw, B. Personal correspondence, 2017)

Math Work:

Immunodeficiency occurs in 1 in 1,200

1/1200 id/ppl = 8.3e-4 id/ppl

In males the DMD occurrence is about 15 out of every 100,000

Assume the same number of carriers, or 15 out of every 100,00 females.

8% of female Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) carriers are manifesting

15/1e5 dmd/ppl = 0.00015 dmd/ppl

0.00015 dmd/ppl x ,08 mc/dmd = 1.2e-5 mc/ppl

Multiple Sclerosis affects approximately 0.033% of people

Approximately 15 percent of people with MS are diagnosed with PPMS.

.00033 MS/ppl x 15 ppms/ms = 4.95e-5 ppms/ppl

(8.3e-4 id/ppl)(1.2e-5 mc/ppl)(4.95e-5 ppms/ppl) = 4.9302e-13 id,mc,ppms/ppl

5ppl x 4.9302e-13 id,mc,ppms/ppl = 2.4651e-12 id,mc,ppms for family of 5