What Would You Do?

May God himself, the one who makes everything holy and whole make you holy and whole, put your together – spirit, soul, and body – and keep you fit for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The one who called you is completely dependable. If He said it, He’ll do it! 1 Thessaloanians 5:23-24 from The Message

One of the most interesting Bible Studies in which I have been fortunate enough to participate is our small group study of Women of the Bible. The study looks at 52 remarkable women – those whose names are familiar and those about whom I have never heard!

The stories of their lives are ones of strength, courage, suffering, heartbreak, sorrow, loneliness, fear, faith, trust, and so many more characteristics of women of faith both then and now! The story of Rizpah falls into the category of women whom I never knew. The story is told in 2 Samuel and is a story of a mother who loved her children fiercely.

Briefly, Ritzpah was a concubine of the late King Saul. Saul attempted to exterminate the Gideonites and seven men were killed in retaliation for this. Jewish law states that they should be buried within 24 hours, but their bodies were left to rot. Two of the seven were Ritzpah’s sons by King Saul. Her grief was so intense that she spread a sack cloth near their bodies refusing to leave them until they were buried. Her vigil of protection lasted for several months. She would not bury her grief as long as the bodies of her sons remained unburied. The point was made that perhaps she wished she could be God even for a moment so that she could decree a better plan.

Many of us would feel the same in this world of today as we wonder “What if we were God? What would we do?” The story is told of a rabbi who stood on a hill overlooking a certain city. The rabbi watched in horror as a band of Cossacks on horseback suddenly attacked the town, killing innocent men, women, and children. Some of the slaughtered were his own disciples. Looking up to heaven, the rabbi exclaimed, “Oh, if only I were God!” An astonished student standing nearby asked, “But, Master, if you were God, what would you do differently?” The rabbi replied, “If I were God, I would do nothing differently. If I were God, I would understand.” (A story told by Joanna Laufer and Kenneth Lewis)

What would we do if we could suddenly be God? Many of us would say that if we could be God, there would be some changes made. We would handle problems differently, and we surely would have answers for all of the problems that are facing our world right now! People these days love to preface their remarks with things such as: “If I were president..if I were governor..if I were the coach..if I were the minister..if..if..,” but what if we were suddenly thrown onto the throne of all the universe. What would we do? Some men have actually tried to be God; people such as Hitler, Napoleon, Nero, but what would we do with that power?

If we were God, the first thing I know is that we would be partial. It’s just human nature, and I think we would all put our family, loved ones, country, ethnicity, and even religion first. The second thing we would probably do is lose our patience with those who don’t think like we do. Next, we would probably be “wishy washy” on the things which we would hold as most important. The Ten Commandments could possibly become The Ten Suggestions. Finally, we would probably hold grudges against those who dared to hurt or have disappointed us in some way. These are just a few reasons why we shouldn’t even for a moment want God’s job.

The above scripture lets us know that God is God for a reason. Only He can be trusted to get the job in this world done while holding fast to His promises. Ritzpah’s story has an ending which shows God’s justice and love. King David’s heart was touched by Ritzpah’s loyalty and courage, and he ordered the enemies of the executed to be buried. David’s act in honor of the dead helped the land to heal and the Israelites to be reunited under his leadership.

What would we do if we could change God’s world, His laws, His creation? We would undoubtedly make a mess of things because only He can understand “why”. Remember, “If He said it, He will do it.”

As the rabbi said, “If I were God, I wouldn’t do anything differently. If I were God I would understand.”