Tuesday: Unfair Fates
Read Job 15:14–16. What truth is Eliphaz presenting to Job?
Again, Eliphaz was speaking truth (as did the others), this time in regard to the sinfulness of all humanity. Sin is a universal fact of life on earth; so is suffering. And as we also know, all human suffering ultimately results from sin. And there’s no question that God can use suffering to teach us important lessons. “God has always tried His people in the furnace of affliction. It is in the heat of the furnace that the dross is separated from the true gold of the Christian character.” — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 129.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
There is, however, a deeper problem with suffering. What about the times we see no good come from it? What about the suffering of those who don’t have the dross separated from the gold in their character because they are killed instantly? What about those who suffer, never knowing the true God or anything about Him? What about those whose sufferings only made them bitter, angry, and hateful toward God? We can’t ignore these examples or try to put them in a simple formula; to do so would perhaps make us guilty of the same errors as Job’s accusers.
Also, what good arises from the fate of animals in a forest fire who are slowly burned alive in a horrible death? Or what about the thousands of people killed in a natural disaster? Or what about civilians in war? What possible lessons could they have learned, or their families, when their families were swept away with them? And one could reasonably ask questions not just about Job’s ten dead children but about his servants who were killed with “the edge of the sword” (Job 1:15) or those burned alive by “the fire of God” (Job 1:16) or the other servants killed “with the edge of the sword” (Job 1:17).
Whatever lesson Job and his accusers might learn, and whatever defeat Satan will face through Job’s faithfulness, the fate of these others certainly doesn’t seem fair. The fact is, these things are not fair, are not just, and not right.
We face similar challenges today. A six-year-old dies of cancer, and that’s fair? A 20-year-old college girl is pulled from her car and sexually assaulted, and that’s fair? A 35-year-old mother of three is killed in a car accident, and that’s fair? What about the 19,000 Japanese killed in the 2011 earthquake? Were all 19,000 guilty of something that made this a just punishment? If not, then their deaths were not fair either.
These are the hard questions.
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Why does not God stop those unfair incidents happening? These questions have troubled me for many years. My cousin has been mentally insane for 20 years since he was 17 years old. My uncle's head was hit by a crazy woman and also became mentally insane for more than 20 years. He died miserably a few years ago. Those two people in my family were kind by nature. On some occasions, I had doubt toward God. or if God is there, I had complained and been angry with God. However, I also saw wonders that God has worked on many people. I also have experienced wonders and puzzlements in my personal life. My question is how to understand that God works wonders sometimes and blinded his eye on unfortunate things at other times?
When we are hurt by these instances God hurts even more than us because He can't intervene, God respects our personal choices which lead to bad things happening in our lives.
Exodus 20:5 KJV
[5] Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
We would be hard pressed to find the reason of things on this earth. God told Adam & Eve that the day they would eat of the tree, they would be on an unreasonable planet. For us to try and find reason is impossible. Only God can make sense of it all. That is why we will have a thousand years to check the book to calm down our questioning.
@ Wendy Doe. If God fixed everything, then Satan's claim that God is buying our love would be true. (See Job 1:9-10.) But the truth of Job is that we love God, not because how he blesses us or how the curse of sin afflicts us, but because of who is (that is, because of his incredible love for us).
Nevertheless, I think John 9:1-5 may have a bearing on your experience. Suffering may or may not refine the character of the one who suffers. But just as Jesus moved by human need while he was on this earth, so those who belong to body of Christ (that is, his church on this earth) are charged with the loving duty of responding to needs of those who suffer, and by doing this they are refined.
Who sinned (or the reason for the suffering) is not the point. The point is that the works of God might be revealed in those who suffer through the loving words and acts of each of us who bear the name (character) Christian. In the case of your cousin and uncle, it is clear that serving their needs was not simple or easy. But Jesus never said that it would be simple or easy. (See Luke 14:27-35.) In fact, I believe it is not humanly possible; it is supernatural—beyond us—a gift of God's spirit that enables each of us to be a channel of his blessing, if we are humble enough to submit to his will.
I believe the answers to some of our questions is found in why God didnt save Christ; His only begotten Son, from the events at Calvary's Hill. Inspiration declares that while on the Cross, Christ said: not my will but yours, what was God up to.e
My same sentiments Wendy, I too have questioned why God allowed Satan to cause such disaster and havoc in the lives of the Job's. Their children, servants, livestock,and property all destroyed just to prove a point to the enemy? However, when I reflect and see how I also was faced with a great devastation in my personal life, I thank my creator God for bringing me through unscathed. Truly our Redeemer lives. Job was able to be tested because his relationship with God was foundational. May we remain anchored in Him.
Only in eternity will we get the answers to these hard questions about why does God permit suffering and pain to those who do not deserve it . It is hard sometimes . It has been hard for me but in the midst of it all I have seen the goodness and mercy of God . Let us remain faithful and trust God even where we cannot trace him. The best is yet to come
Where is God's focus? On the individual or on the group? On a ant or on the Universe? When we all submit our will to Him then He will prevent pain and suffering, but this will only happen when He destroys all rebels.
The rain falls on the just and unjust. Pain, suffering, and sorrow we will all know at some point. We were promised that God will be with us. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me" tells us there are times we, the righteous, will go through valleys, through dark, difficult times. We will not circumvent every trial that comes our way. The good news is Christ is with us; we are not alone. And one day we will have an understanding of way we had to pass through the valley in the first place. It may be for our own growth and or that the name of God could be glorified through our example of endurance and faithfulness.
I am going trough this myself a little. We just lost a friend to a horrible death involving a power take off on a tractor. This is not the first person I know that has lost their life in this manner. I know that Jesus knows all the whys and what of everything. I know he will explain everything one day soon. I take comfort in this.
Indeed, there are forces working behind the scene that can't be perceived by carnal eyes. All the nature suffer alike, human beings to wild animals.Is God an absentee landlord? Is He directly involved in human suffering? Is He pained by death of a person?
Misery and human suffering will continue and increase, as the confederacy of of evil grows in a world where human agencies have combined with spirits of evil to set themselves formerly against the commandments of God. We are however laborers together with God gathering souls for eternal life in the new earth. It is a warfare in which there will be casualties just like in any other war. But the question of fairness cannot be addressed in this present age as we are not privy to the whole picture. We are only aware of a small part to what is a much greater reality. To trust God and do good remains our noble duty believing that God is in total control and is faithful to do his part all the time to the best outcome for our good.
While God can use suffering to teach us important lessons, Satan uses it to confuse us and deceive us into seeing God as uncaring. Those who are still in darkness are led to judge God as unjust while as believers we are tempted to listen to the devil's solutions to our suffering.
Life in this world will never be fair until the prince of this world is cast out. Where he reigns there is no fairness. Even the Prince of heaven was unfairly treated in this fallen world. In Revelation 12:12, the devil was depicted as ' having great wrath' when he was cast down into the earth. He really means war. This is the same world that Christ prayed that we should not be taken out of.
Our only option is to cling to the cross where we get the strength to endure. When we cannot see the good that come from our suffering I think we should trust the Searcher of hearts to decide what is best for us, as we may not see every blessing. It may be painful but we should trust in His great mercy. We don't have enough knowledge to question His decisions.
God is not an absent bystander. The life and death of Christ show us this. Christ took on the suffering of the whole world and He was innocent. When He did this, He made a way of escape for all of us and it shows us that He suffers the pain with us. There is nothing fair about sin and it's effect. The very definition of it speaks of horror pain and death. There is no justification for it or reason for it. The answers to our questions about sin can only be seen when we study how Christ spread his arms and died. Oh what amazing love is this!
I just buried my oldest daughter in first week of October, she was a loving girl had a wonderful husband,2,great sons and 3 grandchildren, when she was 40 she developed Diabetes, which I have thought why her?I thought it was only every other generation, She loved the Lord and was so talented,sang and loved crafts which she was very good She had 2 strokes, never complain about how bad she was feeling,I would look at her a it hurt so bad to see like this,we prayed she would get better, but God laid her to sleep till he calls her in the a resurrection.I don't blame God,but I miss her and pray I will be ready so I can be with her when Jesus returns.This being said, trust in God. Thank you Lord for dying that we might live.Come soon Jesus and take us home,
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So inspiring words. God bless Rosalie.
Choice is such a valued asset but it's misuse is the reason for all the unfairness and injustice in our world. Those of the unfallen worlds clearly see that God's laws are our only safeguards while lawlessness results in indiscriminate hurt to God's creation. As the redeemed discover this truth, we are moved to hatred for sin. When God sets up his renewed kingdom, none of it's citizens will dare to risk the affliction of sin a second time so we'll be safe.
The plan of salvation is ingenious. I thank God for it.
There is no really good answer about the unfairness of sin, except that is the nature of sin. The playing field is not level, and some folk get the raw end of the deal. I have seen families hit by multiple tragedies, personal, financial and relational, through no fault of their own. Others seem to have a life of peace and calmness, again, for no other reason than it just happened to them. That is the unfairness of sin.
I have been in church where somebody has been giving a testimony of their miraculous cure from a terminal disease, when someone else in the congregation is morning the loss of a loved one from the same disease.
I do not know the answer to this dilemma. Any explanation sounds hollow. But I know that if we want to face this problem, we need to be there for those who suffer the most. People are more likely to retain their relationship with God if their fellow believers retain their relationship with them through their suffering. For example: How many of us tend to ignore those who are going through a marriage breakup?
God retained his relationship with us by sending us Jesus while we were still sinners. That is an example for us to follow.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
That is what the devil does, who is a liar from the beginning. He can cause great harm to the children of God. Most of human suffering is caused by the devil as we have learned in the book of Job. He was defeated at the cross by Jesus and the second coming of Jesus is our hope for the devil's final destruction and we will be with our Lord for eternity.
The question that Wendy raised regarding the difficulty in maintaining faith while watching family members suffer long term mental illness is an excruciatingly painful one for me. I have a sister who has suffered as well. My heart goes out to you Wendy and my prayers. I know personally how hard it is for others to understand and how isolating this can feel at times. There just isn't any easy answers.
Before we come to a conclusion as to whether life is fair or unfair, we need to define fairness.
If we define fairness as getting what we deserve, then it is was not fair for Job to have suffered.
But if we define fairness by looking at the purpose behind the act, then something which seems unjust may be fair. For example, in the old testament, a sinner was required to sacrifice a lamb upon commission of a sin. Was it fair for an innocent lamb to die for something which it hadn't done? If we look at the purpose of the act which is to save the sinner it was fair.
In the same way Jesus was afflicted for our transgressions. Was it fair? The answer is yes because the purpose was to ensure our salvation. It "pleased God to bruise him" so that by him many would be saved
I believe were created or born to give glory to Jehovah. Irrespective of our joys or suffering. God is marvelous and we cannot comprehend his knowledge. Look at nature, animal life and the wonderful galaxies which were made by God. Watch the migration of the Wilder beasts in the Sarangeti and Savannah region, the crocodiles that will be waiting when Zebra cross the rivers, the bird life and the honey bees. Its all wonderfully made and controlled. I will always praise him as it is in me to love him. I sin many times but still give him glory for I am wonderfully created. Whether I suffer and die and whether I will not go to heaven or not God is good all the time. My brains are just insignificant to comprehend certain complex issues such the composition of a human cell, the molecules and atoms, viruses and so on. Enoch at some point did not know that there is a heaven but he remain righteous. Abraham did not fully understand why God wanted him to sacrifice Isaac but he obeyed. We would not know why God destroyed unborn children in Sodom and Gomorah even why he drowned infants during Noah's time. I do not know whether God knew before I was born that I will go to hell or not (omnipotent God versus fate). I will always love him irrespective where I will go after death. I only pray that if it means everlasting death or second death, I will not feel much pain or suffering. My main reason for loving him and obeying his commandments is not because of a heaven that he has promised but because that is the right thing to do. Are you going to stop loving him when you are on new earth or in heaven? Do the same thing now.
We serve the living and loving God with all seasons! Our relationahips with our creator should always be constant and in all seaaons..
Well said Josiah. How do we maintain that constant (growing) relationship with our creator? Is it possible that part of the answer lies with exercising and extending that relationship to one another?