From: Kent Hovind
Sent: September 27, 2008
To: Nahshon
Subject: Why did God allow it?
First Read: Exodus 5:11-14 — “Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfill your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as heretofore?”
GOD: Good morning, Son.
KH: Lord, it’s 4:30 a.m. This is not morning!
GOD: I’m answering your prayer, Son.
KH: Which prayer, Lord?
GOD: Your wife is suffering right now. Your family is suffering right now. Your staff is suffering right now. You are suffering and want to go home. You asked me to show you why I am allowing this, didn’t you?
KH: Yes, Lord, I did.
GOD: I answer prayers for wisdom, Son (James 1:5). Get your pen and paper and come with me to ancient Egypt…What do you see, Son?
KH: It looks like a lady and her children gathered around a man on a bed. They are crying and trying to wash his back and comfort him. He looks like he’s in a lot of pain. What happened, Lord?
GOD: Go talk to him, Son. His name is Nahshon.
KH: Excuse me, sir. You look like you are in a lot of pain. What happened to your back?
Nahshon: Pharaoh’s taskmasters beat me with a whip (Exodus 5:14).
KH: Why?
Nah: I don’t know if I should blame Pharaoh, Moses, the taskmasters, or God for this. All I know is, I’m hurting really bad right now and I don’t understand why God would allow this to happen to me. I’m one of the officers in charge of making bricks for Pharaoh’s latest construction project. I didn’t ask for this leadership job—they made me take it (Exodus 5:14). We have been slaves here in Egypt for several hundred years. I’ve been praying for God to send a deliverer to get us out of here. All of us have been praying and crying out for deliverance (Exodus 2:23).
Last week Moses and Aaron came to meet with the elders of Israel (Exodus 4:29). I was one of them from the tribe of Judah (Numbers 1:7). They told us God was going to deliver us from bondage and take us to a “land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8). We believed him. The only honey I’ve seen is right there on the table. My wife is putting it on the cuts on my back now.
KH: That’s good. Honey is a great antiseptic to prevent infection.
Nah: It’s a what?
KH: I’m sorry, never mind. That word won’t be invented for a few thousand years. Anyway, I still don’t understand why they beat you.
Nah: Well, when Moses told Pharaoh that God said, “Let My people go to sacrifice to Me in the wilderness (Exodus 3:18; 5:1-3), Pharaoh laughed and said he didn’t know the Lord and would not let the people go (Exodus 5:2). Then he said we must not have enough work to keep us busy, so he said we had to get our own straw (Exodus 5:7-9) and still produce the same number of bricks. That’s not possible! We tried, but we couldn’t meet the quota; so, his taskmasters beat us (Exodus 5:14), and here I am.
KH: Why would God allow this to happen to you?
Nah: Ah, that is a great question. Ouch! Go easy on that one, dear. Please. Why would God allow this? I don’t know for sure. He must be using all this for a much bigger purpose. My great-great-great grandfather was Judah (Matthew 1:2-4; Luke 3:32-33). His name means “praise” (Genesis 29:35). I try to praise the Lord even if I don’t like or understand what He is doing. Today, it’s a little bit hard to do. Ouch! Easy with the water there, son.
KH: Thanks for talking with me, Nahshon. I sure hope your back gets better and God gets you all out of Egypt soon.
KH: God, why did you allow this man to be beaten like this?
GOD: Here, son. I’m going to let you borrow this for a few minutes to answer that question. Do you know what this is?
KH: It looks like a TV remote control
GOD: Well, sort of. I’m in all places at all times, at the same time. I’m eternal (Deuteronomy 33:27; Isaiah 57:15; Romans 1:20; 1 Timothy 1:17). You can’t do that, Son. With this remote you can rewind, fast forward, pause, and even zoom in and zoom out.
KH: Wow! There have been many times in my life when I could have used this! Oh, just to rewind a few seconds would have been awesome some times.
GOD: Don’t get too excited, Son. You can’t keep it. I just want to answer your question today. This will only work for Nahshon’s life. Push rewind to Exodus 2:23.
KH: OK, Lord…Is that Nahshon over there?
GOD: Yes, Son. This is before the beating. He is a good, natural leader of men. Their crew produces lots of brick for Pharaoh each day but each night they cry out to Me to deliver them from Egypt. They want to go home.
KH: I do, too, Lord.
GOD: I know, Son. Press zoom out.
KH: Wow! This is cool, Lord! I can see Egypt, the Red Sea, and the Sinai Peninsula all at the same time!
GOD: It’s really not the Sinai Peninsula, Son. Those map makers need to read their Bible. Mount Sinai is east of the Gulf of Agaba in Saudi Arabia (Galatians 4:25). Anyway, zoom in on Jabal al Larvz in the mountains just east of Aqaba. That’s Mount Sinai.
KH: OK, Lord. Wow! This remote is really cool! Is that Moses by the burning bush?
GOD: Yes, Son. You know the story (Exodus 3:1-12); so, I want to show you something else today. While Nahshon and the people are suffering and asking Me to help, I am working on a plan to deliver them right here in the desert. Nahshon has no clue why he is suffering—and, as you saw, it will get worse in a few weeks when he is whipped. But it’s all part of a much bigger picture that I see. I will use this situation to free My people, eliminate their enemies, get glory for My name, and do it in such a way that billions of people will hear about it and talk about it for thousands of years.
As I explained to Moses, I’m God (Exodus 3:6). I see everything (Proverbs 15:3). I see the oppression of Nahshon and My people (Exodus 3:7, 9) two hundred and fifty miles away while I talk to Moses, and run everything else in the universe. Secondly, I know their sorrows (Exodus 3:7). Thirdly, I am going to deliver them out of Egypt and bring them into the promised land (Exodus 3:8). I keep my promises, Son (Deuteronomy 1:11; Hebrews 6:12; 11:17, 33).
Now zoom over to Egypt and fast forward a few weeks.
KH: It looks like Nahshon is better. It’s pretty dark out. Who is that boy Nahshon is hugging (Exodus 12:33-36)?
GOD: Go talk with him, Son.
KH: Excuse me, Nahshon, who is this boy and why is everyone out so late? Is there a party or something?
Nah: Oh, it’s wonderful! A few hours ago the death angel came through the land and killed the firstborn of every house except those with the blood on the door. This is my son, Salmon (Ruth 4:20; Matthew 1:4; Luke 3:32). He’s alive! We trusted God and applied the blood. Praise God! We are free! Pharaoh ordered all of us to leave. Now! Tonight! So everyone is excited. We are headed to the Promised Land! Praise God!
KH: How’s your back?
Nah: Oh, a little sore and scarred but it will be fine. I don’t notice it now. I’m free! Let’s go, everyone! Follow Moses!
GOD: Fast forward a few months, Son.
KH: Hey there, Nahshon. Why are all of your elders up here on Mount Sinai?
Nah: I can’t believe it!
KH: What?
Nah: We just had supper with God (Exodus 24:9-11)! Moses went up further to talk with God some more. This is history in the making!
KH: How’s your back?
Nah: What? Oh, it’s fine. I never even think about it now. It’s funny how God works. If I hadn’t been chosen to be an elder I wouldn’t have been beaten, but I also wouldn’t be here today. This is worth what I went through a thousand times over (Romans 8:18)! I guess a little pain comes with being chosen. That’s OK with me. The kids always ask to see my scars. They love for me to tell stories about what it was like in Egypt. I’m actually glad God let it all happen now, even though I didn’t understand it at the time. I can comfort others who are in pain (2 Corinthians 1).
GOD: Let’s go home, Son, and…I’ll need that remote back.
KH: Oh, Lord, can’t I just use it to see how my case turns out?
GOD: I thought you wanted to please Me, Son.
KH: Oh, I do, Lord.
GOD: Then trust Me, Son. Without faith it is impossible to please me (Hebrews 11:6). While Nahshon was suffering and calling out for help, I was answering two hundred and fifty miles away. I’m working on your situation, Son. You will see and be amazed. Just suffer a little longer. It will be worth it all. You’ll see. I’ve got your back.
Dr. Kent E. Hovind is currently at the Edgefield Federal Correctional Institution in South Carolina. Please send postcards and letters to:
Kent E. Hovind #06452-017
FPC Edgefield D-2
P.O. BOX 725
Edgefield, SC. 29824 USA
Feel free to send Dr. Hovind a letter or postcard. Please understand he is not able to answer every letter he receives, but he certainly appreciates any support and encouragement. He can also receive new books, but only directly from bookstores. And no hardcover books are allowed. No DVDs, CDs, or anything hard or sharp such as staples, etc (no tracts with staples in them). Do not send more than one tract at a time, as all gifts containing more than one tract will not be allowed. Do not put “Dr.” on his name, or it may be discarded by the guards. They do not always return postal items that are not delivered to inmates, so you may want to save a copy before mailing, so that you might try again in the event that he was recently moved for example.
Mrs. Hovind is currently at the Federal Correctional Institution in Marianna, FL. Because of prison regulations, Mrs. Hovind can only receive letters. Please refrain from sending stickers, stamps, books, or media of any kind. If you would like to write her letters of encouragement, please send them to:
Jo D. Hovind #06453-017
FCI Marianna, Satellite Camp
P.O. Box 7006
Marianna, FL 32447
Please write with the understanding that whatever you write could be subject to monitoring by the guards. Please do not write politically-charged or tax-related comments, etc. In the event that Dr. or Mrs. Hovind is moved to another facility, one can always check for current addresses by using the Inmate Locator on the Bureau of Prisons website:
http://www.bop.gov/
From the CSE team,
Thank you for your continued support.
Kent
I have a friend in the last states of cancer. He is suffering. This spoke to my spirit today as the “why” question comes up. Still, I know God is good and that He is merciful. It helps to remember that it is a matter of our perspective, He has everything under control.
Blessings to you and Ricky and I pray for your wife as well. For early release and for peace.
Joy
This is.. Waw. Just great. The way The Lord works is sometimes too hard for us to understand, and sometimes we may not like it. But he knows what he’s doing.
Praise The Lord.
Dear Brother Kent,
“Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power.” — Benito Mussolini
but I wondered if the state didn’t really just cease to exist in an ordinary sense. If sovereign men ceased being self conscious sentient beings understanding of their responsibilities under God then how could a de jure state exist.
Corporations simply filled the void.
It was my contention that the STRAMINEUS HOMO was the creation of CORPORATIONS distinctly non national in nature. privately owned CORPORATIONS.
Did you step onto that foreign owned ship with its foreign flag and attempt to defend your real use of a LEGAL FICTION using someone else’s creation ["LEGAL TENDER"] In so doing did you contract yourself to the decisions of an anti-christ, in the presence of incompetent witnesses?
I pondered some time about John the Baptist eating wild honey and locusts in the wilderness. With a shrug of the shoulders, “It’s a living!” – perhaps the only honest one left.
Is it reasonable for a foreign corporation to try to make a profit out of virtually every activity of every real human being. Maybe if it were done without fear and intimidation, coercion. fraud, usury, obfuscation, duress? Alas, I don’t think it is so cleanly run.
Brother Kent, driving out in the country over Easter/Passover I got to see some clear dark night skies well away from Urban light pollution. In same I came to the conclusion God given darkness is better than man made light. With God given darkness one can appreciate celestial bodies all the more. please read between these lines.
It is the bloody cruelty of what has been done that makes the FICTION criminal in nature. God has very accurate scales.
in my 1898 manual of English Grammar, under Fiction it says this:….
“…..it deals with fiction not with fact. Its aim is not to instruct the mind of the reader, but to please the imagination. If instruction is admitted at all, it is admitted only as an accessory. ”
so for pleasure was it invented. which might be quite tolerable if indeed everyone understood that it is merely fiction, not fact! But when it is used to rob a real man of real opportunity the scales are tipped.
Here in Australia we all drive pickups and drink Bud, yet it is our connection to that Royal Mail that still links this land to an exclusively Christian Gospel.
I hope this finds you well.
Dear Kent,
What a lovely story, I can see your natural talent as a teacher in the way you explain difficult questions in ways that make it easy to understand.
“Why does God allow it?” must be one of the most asked questions there is, and there are a number of different answers. I guess God does things or allows things for different reasons on different occasions.
I would trust that the answer God gave you fits your situation and is correct. However I think another answer might possibly be needed for an unborn child who gets murdered by his/her mother & family.
Some answers I can perceive, others I just have to trust that on the day of judgement God will be Justified, Vindicated and proven to be totally Holy & Righteous in every minute detail of every aspect of His thoughts and decisions.
Again, I don’t believe that there will be one single “Ah ha!!”, “Yeah but…” or pointed finger to anything concerning Him.
I have often thought that if the devil could find one single error of judgement, a mistake or misconception that God is guilty of, he has proven God a Liar. For God says about Himself that, “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” Deuteronomy 32:4
It seems as though many people think that they can find fault with God saying things like, “If God exists, I would rather spend an eternity in Hell than be with ‘…That Tyrant…’ ”.
Surely on the day of judgement they will be given an opportunity to state their case (Matthew 12:36) and if indeed they could find one thing against Him however small, God Himself would therefore be guilty of being A LIAR, thus Himself deserving of Hell (Rev 21:8), and they (the accusers) would be vindicated in their rebellion against Him (Matthew 12:37).
Matthew 12:36-37 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. (37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
I therefore believe that when those who go to Hell are cast into the lake of fire it cannot be anything other than a totally unquestionable judgement; surely they will know that upon the closest scrutiny possible, given all the resources imaginable they could not, can not & will not ever find one single fault with their Maker. Contrary to this, they will know themselves to be guilty as charged and the punishment that they face to be righteous and deserving. (I believe that God’s judgement will also be open to all scrutiny so that God will be proven genuine & true in every thing, every aspect and every way).
Thus, I do not believe anyone will be cast into the lake of fire believing that God or His judgement is in any way unjust; they will know His righteousness and bow the knee confessing that He is Lord.
Isaiah 45:23-24 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. (24) Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; AND ALL THAT ARE INCENSED AGAINST HIM SHALL BE ASHAMED.
Were it not for the saving grace provided by God through the work of His Son, I too would face such a deserving & righteous judgement.
I enjoyed reading your post, & as always thank you for all your hard work, my family and I are blessed because of your ministry.
Lots of Love
Jason x
Dear Ken,
I just want to encourage you and thank you for all that you have done in the name of Christ for God’s kingdom. It has really meant a lot to me and my family. We have all of your tapes and learn something new everytime that we watch. They have been an enormous help in teaching our children how to combat evolution and given them courage with knowledge to stand up for their faith. My brother, who is 25, has seen some of your tapes, independently of us, and was moved back in the faith by them. He had been so misled by his required reading in college, The DaVinci Code, and his whole faith had been shaken. Thankfully a friend gave him one of your tapes to rekindle his faith. He was so excited to tell me about this, and I was so thankful that your ministry exists. Without you and your ministry, he would be an atheist now. There are many who would like to destroy you or minimize your ministry, but even while you are there, your ministry works on, changing lives and causing many others to think. Don’t give up! I know you must be troubled about your wife, but you know that God is her God, too. HE will provide her and strengthen her. I pray that you are strengthened today and that HE is providing all that you need to get through every situation that presents itself to you. I am very saddened that you have to endure all of this, but I know GOD is there with you and that this, too, will pass. Thank you again for all that you have done. God has used you mightily.
Hello Kent,…still praying for you and your wife and family and case. Love in Christ
Hi brother Kent
I just read a Wikipaedia article on you. Obviously meant to triumphantly depict you as utterly finished and vanquished. (I confess I wept reading the final line mentioning Jo). All these must be extremely difficult and painful to you. There is no point pretending I know how it hurts – but even imagining it is bad enough.
But then I followed the same articles to your blog and read the Knee-mail article about Nashon. What a big encouragement and relief it is to see your spirituality, mental alertness and fellowship with the Lord still intact! I am awed about how the Holy Spirit deals with His children! I praise the Lord for you and on your behalf.
The Wikki article was no doubt designed to be mean. But I want you to know that even as one who does not endorse all the actions you took, I still love you dearly. If your methods played you into the hands of Pharaoh’s goons, you still can be sure that the messages you boldly shared continue to produce precious fruits all around the globe. Even concerning the issues where attempts have been made to portray you as an extremist/insane, recent events (not only in your country but the world at large) are vindicating you. And this is only the beginning of the final Act as we await the ultimate Exodus.
Keep cheering up dear brother. The Judge is at the door.
Joshua Ojo
Ile-Ife, Nigeria