FAR BE IT FOR GOD TO DO EVIL

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then Elihu said:

“Hear my words, you wise men; listen to me, you men of learning. For the ear tests words as the tongue tastes food. Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.”

“Job says, ‘I am innocent, but God denies me justice. Although I am right, I am considered a liar; although I am guiltless, His arrow inflicts an incurable wound.’ Is there anyone like Job, who drinks scorn like water? He keeps company with evildoers; he associates with the wicked. For he says, ‘There is no profit in trying to please God.’ “

“So listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong. He repays everyone for what they have done; He brings on them what their conduct deserves. It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice. Who appointed him over the earth? Who put him in charge of the whole world? If it were his intention and He withdrew his spirit and breath, all humanity would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.”

“If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I say. Can someone who hates justice govern? Will you condemn the just and mighty One? Is He not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’ who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands? They die in an instant, in the middle of the night; the people are shaken and they pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand.”

“His eyes are on the ways of mortals; He sees their every step. There is no deep shadow, no utter darkness, where evildoers can hide. God has no need to examine people further, that they should come before him for judgment. Without inquiry he shatters the mighty and sets up others in their place. Because He takes note of their deeds, He overthrows them in the night and they are crushed. He punishes them for their wickedness where everyone can see them, because they turned from following Him and had no regard for any of His ways. They caused the cry of the poor to come before Him, so that He heard the cry of the needy. But if He remains silent, who can condemn Him? If He hides His face, who can see Him? Yet He is over individual and nation alike, to keep the godless from ruling, from laying snares for the people.”

“Suppose someone says to God, ‘I am guilty but will offend no more. Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.’ Should God then reward you on your terms, when you refuse to repent? You must decide, not I; so tell me what you know.”

“Men of understanding declare, wise men who hear me say to me, ‘Job speaks without knowledge; his words lack insight.’ Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost for answering like a wicked man! To his sin he adds rebellion; scornfully he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.”

Job 34:1-37

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

You hear this asked a lot after tragic events have occurred, especially when innocent lives are lost. Sometimes, it hits very close to home if tragedy strikes a family member or close friend.

Often times, the question of why bad things happen to good people leads to a secondary question that begins to imply that God could error in some way:

How could God allow the bad thing happen to that good person?

It’s a question with a lot of weight to it, more weight I believe than the person asking understands.

For the question spawns more probing questions – questions maybe mankind does not want to consider although they need to, questions like:

1. Who is really good? Is there such a thing as a good person?

2. Is God just and fair?

Let me tackle these two questions and tie them into our study of Job.

First - Who is really good? Is there such a thing as a good person?

To get started with this question, we need to start with the matter of measuring good. After all, if we are going to rate anything, we need a scale by which to do it.

Worldly measure would be something like this:

On a scale of 1 to 10 with “10” being the best and “1” being the worst, how would you rate person X as a good person?

To reply, a person would have to rely on their vision of a perfectly good person (the proverbial perfect 10) and then make an assessment of the person they were gauging based on that perfect image. Most of the time, we see people as having some good and most of the time we see everyone as worthy of not having anything tragic happen to them.

But how would we measure good on a Christian scale?

We would have to go to Jesus Himself for the answer.

We see Jesus addressing the matter of good in Luke, Chapter 18. Scripture tells us a ruler had come to Jesus to inquire about what actions he should take to inherit eternal life. Jesus would answer the ruler’s question but not before making an important point, a point that could get overlooked if you just focus on the man’s request alone.

For as the man addresses Jesus, he calls Him, “Good teacher” which prompts Jesus to ask the man a simple shocking question:.

“Why do you call me good?” (Luke 18:19)

The man had to be puzzled at Jesus’ response, thinking, “Aren’t you Jesus, the Son of God? Haven’t you revealed your amazing healing powers over and over again? I mean, no one has ever seen you do wrong. If you aren’t good, who is?”

Well, Jesus had an answer for this question for we read where He says, “No one is good – except God alone.” (Luke 18:19)

Did you hear the words of Jesus? No one except God is good and Jesus didn’t even count Himself as good.

And so how do we rate good on the Christian scale? In accordance with God’s word, we all rate a zero for no one but God is good and no one is God but God Himself.

This is why we need a Savior because none of us are good and able to save ourselves - and there are no works of good we can do to get us a ticket to heaven. Our only way there is through Jesus, the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).

And in the discussion of why bad things happen to good people, we need to see that none of us are good and actually deserve the full extent of God’s wrath. We’re actually blessed when we don’t experience consequence during our worldly existence and should give thanks every day that God shows His mercy, grace, and love to us.

You see, when we truly see ourselves as not being good in God’s sight, as sinners who are undeserving of His favor, then we appreciate all the more His forgiveness and pardon as He grants it to us. And the knowledge that we’ll never reach a level of goodness equal to God spurns us on to seek Him and the righteousness that is in Him – knowing that if we have any chance at all of doing things that are good in His eyes, then we need to allow His goodness to manifest itself in and through us. Remember that goodness is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

In other words, we aren’t good but the God working in and through us is. And in the end translation, God, the only Author of good, is to receive all the credit, glory, and honor lest we boast like the good was from us. No, we are instruments of God’s goodness and it is He and He alone that ripens the fruit of goodness within us through the Holy Spirit.

Back to the question at hand, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Maybe the answer is in the form of another             question: Why wouldn’t bad things happen to us? It’s a question none of us want to consider because we don’t respond well to hardship. And in that, we are a lot like Job.

Job thought he was good – upright and blameless before God. And so when hardship rocked his comfortable, secure life, he couldn’t understand how it all could happen to him, even suggesting that God was unjust, in error for inflicting him the way He was, and then unwilling to listen to Job’s desire to defend himself against his afflictions.

Sound familiar? It might if you have found yourself in dire circumstances. I know I spent some time in a very dark valley of life and went my own period of questioning, of wondering if God cared or even cared to listen to my petitions for help.

As we look at our scriptures from Job, Chapter 34, we find Elihu trying to impart truth to Job about the very nature of the God he questioned. And in doing so, he addresses the second question in this devotion, “Is God just and fair?”

Look at Elihu’s words for they strike at the heart of this question immediately:

“So listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong. He repays everyone for what they have done; He brings on them what their conduct deserves. It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice. Who appointed him over the earth? Who put him in charge of the whole world? If it were his intention and He withdrew his spirit and breath, all humanity would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.”

Any one unjust or unfair would be committing wrongs, and in doing so exercising evil. These qualities are not of God. They are of Satan, our enemy.

Indeed, Elihu says it well, “Far be it from God to do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong.” In other words, what was happening to Job was not a mistake. It was purposed by God in accordance with His will which is as perfect as His goodness.

In our sinfulness, we can’t believe we will never be corrected. God loves us and forgives us but He also disciplines us, not because He cares for us less but rather because there is no limit to how much He cares for us. God “repays everyone for what they have done” and “brings on them what their conduct deserves.” But as we have also read in Job, God also restores and rescues – heals and delivers through His grace and mercy.

I remember my time growing up. There were more than a few times when I needed corrected by my parents and their discipline wasn’t ever pleasant but necessary for me to grow up and be the man I am today. They imposed negative consequences for my negative actions, not because they loved me any less but rather because they loved me all the more.

Our Father loves us the same way. We are His children and He is the ultimate Father and Parent to us all.

Friends, we can think a lot of things about the God who created us but we never should ever see Him as unjust or unfair. For Elihu said it right: “Far be it from God to do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong.”

We also shouldn’t ever see ourselves as good and beyond reproach. God sees all we do, every action, every word and ever thought. If you have perfectly been good in any or all of these in your life, then you would be the first person I ever met that was. This doesn’t mean we constantly browbeat ourselves as being inadequate. What it does mean is that we fully see ourselves as who we are, sinners in the hands of an Almighty God who hates sin.

One final question: So how do any of us ever keep from perishing because of our sin?

The answer is simple. God’s amazing grace, that has saved and continues to save wretches like you and me through Jesus Christ our Savior.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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