Re-Thinking God and Suffering
February 26, 2007 by Brad Giddens
I came across a couple of things this past week while preparing a sermon that is making me rethink some things on God and his role in human suffering. I guess, for the most part, I’ve always had a bit of a hodge podge view of God’s role in it all. I have heard people say all the time that God does not cause bad things to happen, but He allows them to happen. I am usually quick to note that God sometimes is the author of suffering or death in response to evil being practiced. I think of the Amalekites and King Saul. I think of Israel in the wilderness being bitten by snakes. I think of Nadab and Abihu. I think of Ananias and Sapphira. Evil was being done and God let the hammer down. But what also seems true is not all suffering and death is God’s hammer being dropped.
Here’s what struck me this week. While revisiting the story of Job, I came across a strange verse. Job’s story is not one of bad things happening to a bad person. It is bad things happening to a good person. The way I’ve always tried to explain it is that God “allowed” Satan to have his way with Job. God just kinda stepped out of the way and let Satan bring suffering upon this godly man because God would not do such a thing. “That is not how God works” I would say. “God allows suffering in the world but would not be the author of it upon godly people. It would be cruel, unjust, unfair, and we know God is not those things. ”
But, if you read Job 2:3, I get the feeling of something different. After Job has had his livestock taken, his servants and children killed, Satan comes back to God and the following conversation takes place:
The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it. “
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him; he is blameless and upright,a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”
Whoa, wait just a minute. God said Satan incited Him against Job to ruin him for no reason. I thought it was always just God working within His own modus operandi and allowing bad things to happen to good people but never causing it. This seems to be saying that God is involved in it to a certain degree. Job seems to think it is God when he says things like, “The Lord gives, the Lord takes away” (1:21) and “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (2:10)
Same kind of thing occurs over in 2 Corinthians 12 where Paul is begging God to remove some “thorn in the flesh”. My question is, “Where did the thorn come from?” The purpose of the thorn was to keep Paul from becoming conceited by being a constant source of torment. The thorn was called a messenger of Satan. Now, where did it come from? If its purpose was to keep Paul humble and keep him dependent upon the grace of God and His power to work mightily through weakness, we can’t say the thorn was from Satan. Satan wouldn’t be the author of such nonsense. He doesn’t want people humble. He doesn’t want power being perfected in weakness. He doesn’t want people relying solely on the grace of God. Well, if it didn’t come from Satan, the only other source of the “given thorn” would have to be God. God giving Paul a messenger of Satan to keep him humble. Hmmmm.
There are other ‘hmmmm’ passages that might fit into this mix. God sending king Saul an evil spirit several times to torment him would be one (1 Samuel 16:14-23). God sending an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem (Judges 9:23).
What do I do with all of this? I don’t know that I’ve got it all figured out, but I do know it doesn’t diminish God for me. It doesn’t make me think of Him as being unfair, cruel or as being one who gets cheap thrills by watching people suffer. It does reinforce for me that God is really the one in control of things. He works for His pleasure, and one of His greatest pleasures is seeing His children overcome and be victorious in the midst of trial and suffering. If that means He has to author a few trials and suffering, who am I to argue with that. I am His and He can do with me as He pleases.
Perhaps the purpose of the “Waters of affliction” (Isa 30) are for further character development. Many times, these earthly issues were removed so that we might experience “on Earth as it is in Heaven”. Question: is there any suffering in Heaven? Sorrow? Pain? Death? At THAT moment, is when the Lord’s will is done, on earth as it is in Heaven. A taste, no more suffering, sorrow, pain or dying.
Jesus prayed, that we might have a taste of what is to come. So that we might understand what it means to be forgiven. Hence, the discussion on what is more difficult to do, to heal, or to forgive sin?
Jesus sent a message to John about His true identity. What did he tell John? ” Tell John about the miracles, so that he will know that the message of forgiveness, was true. The greatest miracle, to be able to see God, face to face and not die.
Great discussion!
Todd