DIFFERENT, NOT WRONG

A good word of advice to all international travellers, especially those who live in other countries: when tempted to criticize the way things are done, don't. Instead of the common complaints: "this is strange, bad, or wrong", learn to respond "this is different"!
Example: Many times in Saigon, you have to step off the sidewalk and walk for on the street for a few steps, or a block. Many motorbikes park on sidewalks, in front of stores or restaurants hay pay 12 or 15 cents for that spot. This is so common that sidewalks could be called sideparks. Or an eating place may cover most of the sidewalk with small chairs; or there could be a small sales kiosk of some sort. A sidewalk totally reserved for pedestrians is a rare luxury.
So even on the most congested streets, it is not uncommon to look at traffic, make a quick judgment call, exercise a little faith, and step off the sidewalk in order to make progress around the sidewalk. Does this seem strange? Yes, it is different, but it works in this culture. After all, the multiplication of traffic in the past 15 years has been huge, and since most people travel by motorbikes, they have to park somewhere; and many eating places cannot afford to rent a large space; and people are accustomed to walking on the street, and ----; it is not wrong, just different.
This morning I was reading the last part of Judges in my devotional time. Some of the things recorded in these chapters, as with other sections of Scripture, are --- different. Why does God allow certain things; work with certain people in spite of their failures; give instructions that seem brutal; etc.? There are a variety of helpful resources that can help us read with understanding these difficult passages. One simple help is to read these passages in the same way we should cross cultures. Life in Vietnam is different, and seems not the best. But I don't know all the history nor do I fully understand the culture. Therefore I try to withhold judgment and focus on what I enjoy. And of course month by month, I learn more, adjust, and appreciate why things are as they are.
So when I read difficult passages as I did this morning, I tell God: I don't fully know or understand why you choose and use men like Jephthah or Samson; or why you instruct the slaughter of certain peoples. I don't live in that distant time and culture. I don't live under your pre-Christ covenant. These things appear very wrong to me. But what I do know about you Lord; about your love, wisdom and justice; makes me trust you and your Word, just as Jesus did. Even when I don't like or really understand what I read - even with the help of scholarly commentaries.
You I know, and you I trust.