“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.” Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
God is not indifferent. Why did God use Assyria to discipline His people? Isaiah 3:14-15 “… The plunder of the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing My people and grinding the face of the poor? …” God is not indifferent. He calls Assyria to be His “rod in anger, staff in wrath.” But Assyria has plans of their own.
How I’d like to believe this is ancient history. How I’d like to rest comfortably thinking this is someone else, somewhere else. No. It’s me too. Maybe not on this scale and with this much violence, but it’s me. How quick I can shift my mindset and think “By my own power I have done it.” I am often the Assyrian Axe thinking I am a self-made man. I am also Judah with the plunder of the poor in my house. I’ve dressed it up of course. I don’t go and rob the poor directly, but I don’t always worry about who’s making my clothes, harvesting my food, or labeling my data. I get busy and become indifferent.
God is not indifferent. God sent His Son. I find comfort when Jesus says “All things have been handed over to me.” As silly as it can sound to say out loud, I can forget the first commandment and think I’m in charge.
A good question is better than an easy answer. Not “What should Judah do?” Not “What should Judah be? Who should they serve?
My toys are different than Judah, but my questions and struggles are identical. Who do I serve today? And we can we serve together? In whose name do we act?
I do love a good question.
Greg Dyche
As a professor at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business, I teach courses in Management Information Systems, Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence. With over 40 years of professional experience and a commitment to helping students discover “the possibilities of technology,” I bring both technical expertise and a heart for service to my work. I am grateful to participate in Creighton’s Online Ministry, sharing in the journey of faith through daily scripture reflections.
