Sunday, March 11, 2007

The Meaning of Trials

I recently ran across a very profound quote that happened to fit in exactly with a question I had just been asked ("Why do you think God put you through first your own cancer, and then your wife's cancer and death?") I didn't have an good response. And then, in a serendipitous way, I happened upon this thought:

"We cannot understand the meaning of many trials; God does not explain them. To explain a trial would be to destroy its object, which is that of calling forth simple faith and implicit obedience. If we knew why the Lord sent us this or that trial, it would thereby cease to be a trial either of faith or of patience." Alfred Edersheim, 1825 - 1899.

By way of background, Alfred Edersheim was raised in a Jewish home and educated in the Talmud. As an adult he became a Christian, and went to a Presbyterian seminary. He later became an Anglican minister. His unique training in Hebrew and the Talmud gave him great insight into the Old Testament roots of Christianity. His most well-know work is The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, which explains the Gospel accounts in light of the Jewish culture of the day.

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