By Mark F. Carr
A Commentary on the Sabbath School Lesson for May 1–7, 2004, on Isaiah 13, 14, 24–27
Teaching bioethics, I can count on the response of my students to take one or both of the following positions when faced with a modern medical dilemma. One common response begins with upraised hands, a shrug, and something like, "Who’s to say what is right and what is wrong?!" The second common response follows the initial affectation of chagrin at human pride and ends with "We shouldn’t play God!"
Given the passages for this week’s study, Isaiah 13 and 14 in particular, we do well to avoid playing God. Things don’t go so well in chapters 13 and 14 for those who hold prestigious and powerful—God-like—positions. Such position has prompted arrogance and ruthlessness in 13:11 (RSV). The "Day Star" of chapter 14 wanted to make himself "like the Most High," but ultimately ended up cast down and lying in a "bed of maggots." Playing God is not such a smart thing to do; so it seems.
Yet, I am impressed by the irony of this passage. Isn’t it true that we are called to be like God? Are we not called to portray the same character traits of his only Son, our Savior, Lord, and moral exemplar? Should we not be like God when we practice the virtues of forgiveness and graciousness, for instance? Don’t we, in some sense, take on the role of creator and sustainer when we have children?
I think we do take on the role of God each and every day. We do try to make ourselves like God (obviously with the empowering help of his Spirit) when, as spouses, we forgive the other for some stupid and hurtful action. We do try to become like the Most High when, as his hands and feet in this world, we engage in the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. We are engaging in the creativity of our heavenly parent when, as mother and father, we create and raise children. We expand our hearts when we love one another as God loves us. In these and myriad other ways, we do seek to become like God.
So what got Lucifer in such trouble for wanting to be like God? Reading these passages, I get the sense that the problem wasn’t that he wanted to be like God; rather, the problem was his pride. In his pride he didn’t simply want to be like God, he wanted to be God. Better yet, in his way of thinking, he wanted to be even more powerful than God. As we understand the rest of the story of Lucifer’s rebellion we fill out the picture given here in Isaiah. We understand that Lucifer wanted the position and prestige of God himself. He did not want to be like God in character and in deed.
Chapter 13:11 says God would "put an end to the pride of the arrogant, and lay low the haughtiness of the ruthless." If wanting to be like God emerges from our pride, arrogance, and ruthlessness it is wrong. If playing God feeds our sense of power and pride and moves us toward arrogance and ruthlessness it is wrong. In our passages for this week arrogance and ruthlessness are seen to be especially egregious as they are expressed toward other people and nature.
I’m driven, in my reading and reflecting, to examine my own treatment of others and of the rest of God’s creation. In chapter 14, God is said to have compassion on those who have been treated so poorly by the arrogant and ruthless king of Babylon. This king gets a bed of maggots as his reward for such behavior toward other humans. In contradistinction to the other kings of the nations who "lie in glory" the king of Babylon gets a miserable burial because he had destroyed his land and mistreated his people.
I am compelled by our passages to avoid playing God if it is accompanied by pride, arrogance, and ruthlessness. But I am not persuaded that I need to stop trying to be like God. I believe we are correct in our efforts to play God as long as we do it from the perspective of humility and compassion. As the direct counterparts of arrogance and ruthlessness, humility and compassion keep us in harmony with the will of God. In our effort to be Christ-like we need to practice these virtues.
The introduction to our lesson this week notes that pride, such as the pride of the "Day Star," has never "respected the boundaries of reality." There are times, plenty of times, when in our effort to do the work of God we skirt along the edges of reality. This makes my students uneasy and they often respond with the playing-God rejoinder. But let’s linger here for a moment and imagine a couple of situations in which humankind has gone beyond the boundaries of reality.
I think of humans in flight. I love those competitions when elaborate "wings" are affixed to the arms of brave—or is it foolish—people. I revel in their leaps from the highest pier followed by the inevitable splash into the water directly below. How often have you heard the phrase "If God had wanted humans to fly he would have given them wings." I don’t think I need to rehearse tremendous benefits to humankind that have emerged from the Wright brother’s effort to think and do beyond the realms of reality.
The healing ministry of modern medicine is another area where humans have not respected the boundaries of reality. Sometimes this disrespect has resulted in harm to humankind, sometimes tremendous blessing. The practice of modern medicine can be incredibly powerful and can lead to enormous pride and arrogance in practitioners.
Some of the things that are possible with modern medical technology are routinely given the label "playing God." But when health care professionals practice medicine out of humility and compassion, then playing God is appropriate. Cancer is cured, disease is routed, and human relationships are brought back to health and harmony through the fact that we have largely disrespected the boundaries of our human reality.
When the desire to be like God is accompanied by pride, arrogance, and ruthlessness, you can be sure that the disrespect of the boundaries of reality will result in harm and oppression to both other humans and the rest of God’s creation. But when our desire to be like God is tempered by humility and compassion I believe God takes our hand and helps us break the boundaries of reality—to his glory and honor.
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