Why does God allow evil? And doesn’t that make Him complicit to some degree? The better question: Why did God allow His beloved family free will, and why do we allow evil? Why have atrocities been committed down through history by every tribe and nation? Even the Earth groans under the weight of our bent, crooked nature and our sins.

If we put our hope in something or someone more than God, we will replace Him with an idol of our own making. We will mingle with the world and adopt their evil customs and worship their idols. (see Psalm 106).

The word for “mingling” means to be braided together, interwoven with someone or something. It is a loss of distinctiveness. We become tied together with falsehoods. So complete was Israel’s downfall that they lost their distinctiveness. They did horrible things to pay homage to their idols. They even sacrificed their children to the demonic spirits. Such dark practices polluted the land and their own souls through the murder of their own babies.

As a result of their choices, God handed them over to pagan nations, and they were ruled by those who hated them. Their enemies crushed them and brought them under their cruel power. Again and again, God rescued them, but they chose to rebel against Him, and their sin finally destroyed them. 

Did God crush His people? Was He cruel to them? No, their enemies did. What does it mean for God to hand His beloved sons and daughters over to their enemies? 

God waits and waits, ready and expectant. Again and again, He rescues us. But He won’t violate our will. At some point, His hand of protection is lifted. Our rebellion or silence of fear or indifference will be allowed to take its course. Even now, we are seeing cults of political and religious hatred and murder taking more ground in Western cultures. The consequences are both painful and a wake-up call. 

It is a form of self-annihilation when we become interlocked with society motivated by demonic powers. They try to delay or abort God’s sovereign fulfillment of His Word using intimidation, threats, lies, and discouragement against us until we reach a tipping point that will change the course of our history, and even the generations after us. 

But like the Psalmist, we can pray:

Father, we too cry out: Forgive us! We forget what you saved us from. We forget your miracles of power. Forgive us for taking you and your tender love and mercy for granted. 

You freed us from the strong power of those who oppressed us, and you rescued us from bondage. But we are not grateful; instead, we close our hearts to your voice when we grumble and find fault with everything.

Unite us according to your abundant, overflowing, limitless love. Do again in us, in our time, what you’ve done in the past. Save us, Lord. Save our nation.”