Saturday, November 17, 2012

Why do the righteous suffer?

[a pdf of this entry, including extensive footnotes not included below, can be found here]
Introduction

If God is both sovereign and loving, why does He allow people, especially His people, believers, to suffer? This is a question relevant to everyone because, like it or not, sooner or later, we all face this issue: Suffering is part of life. It may be a debilitating disease, a financial crisis, a failed relationship, a natural disaster, or a premature death. Whatever the calamity, we inevitably ask, “Why? Why did this happen?”
  • Sometimes the question has a tinge of guilt: “What did I do to deserve this?”
  • Sometimes the question has a tone of accusation: “Why did God do this to me?”
However we pose the question, there is an assumption that God is responsible or involved in some way.

Indeed, underlying any understanding of suffering is some presupposition of God’s character, specifically His goodness and His power. Many who have wrestled with this question have opted for one of two extremes.
  • For some, the problem lies with God: “It’s His fault; He is deficient.” (Wenham 1974:42-49)
    Either He is not good and, thus, derives sadistic pleasure from human suffering, 
    Or He is not omnipotent and, thus, is unable to prevent human suffering.
  • For others, the problem lies with us: “It’s our fault; we are deficient.”
We are simply incapable of comprehending the mind of God in this matter; the reason for suffering is beyond our knowing, hidden in God’s providence and outside human understanding.
Both extremes are wrong…and for the same reason, because the Bible teaches us otherwise.
  • First, God is not deficient.
Scripture states and illustrates His goodness and omnipotence. 
To deny either attribute is to deny the God of the Bible.
  • Second, we are not deficient (at least, not to the extent that some would suggest).
Many godly people in scripture did not passively or blindly accept human suffering as beyond their ability to grasp. They questioned God until they came to an understanding of the issue.
Moreover, God does at times explain the reason for suffering, indicating that He does not consider man too inferior to comprehend the matter.
    Therefore, as we face the issue of suffering, we must…
    • Begin with a commitment not to compromise God’s character in the search for an answer, and
    • Proceed with a conviction that the inscrutability of God is the last resort not the first response to the question.
    In other words, to say right from the start that His purpose is incomprehensible is a cop out. It may be, but that is not where we should begin.
    How sovereign is God? What does He actually control? How free is man? What can he actually do? Are God’s sovereignty and man’s freedom contradictory concepts? Can both exist (compatibilism)? These are questions that lie at the heart of the issue of theodicy, in general, and of suffering, in particular.


    In East Lansing, MI, on June 17, 1977, there is a riot at the State Penitentiary in cell block #4.
    • One hundred twenty prisoners overpower the guards and are now armed.
    • They are holding seven guards, three female cooks, and one doctor as hostages.
    • They have a quantity of emergency food rations, but the Warden has turned off the water.
    • They are wrecking cell block #4.
    • The Warden calls the Governor, who sends state police and National Guard units to surround the prison.
    At this point, who controls cell block #4? …The prisoners do, at least temporarily, as they await the Governor’s decision to order the troops outside to enter the compound. Why does the Governor delay? …He is hoping for a peaceful end to the situation, that the prisoners will eventually decide to surrender.

    This scenario illustrates conditions in the world today. Man is in revolt on Planet Earth (= cell block #4) and has enough reserves to hold out for a while. His power is limited (confined to cell block #4) and temporary (pending military intervention), and it is at the discretion of God (= governor), who has the place surrounded. Nevertheless, God does not move in right away. “He is patient…not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9b).

    God is in ultimate control (i.e., sovereign) but allows man the freedom (i.e., will) to make some decisions within the confines of his own life. In other words, God is sovereign enough to allow man’s free will without its affecting His (God’s) purposes, and God is even able to use man’s decisions to further His will.

    Job and His Wife by Albrecht Dürer (c. 1504)
    The biblical character that generally comes to mind whenever the subject of human suffering arises is Job. Indeed, his is a good test case for the issue, and we should set that situation clearly before us as we begin. Turn to… Job 1:6
    One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. 7 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." 8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." 9 "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. 10 "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face." 12 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger." Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. [Summarize vv. 13-19: Satan destroyed Job’s livestock and offspring, although Job did not know that Satan was responsible.] 20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." 22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

    Job 2:1 On another day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. 2 And 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." 3 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth 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." 4 "Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. 5 But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face." 6 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life." 7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. 9 His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" 10 He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
    As I mentioned before, the first question people often ask when they experience suffering is, “What did I do to deserve this? Where did I go wrong?” That was the assumption of Job’s friends: that he had sinned and that God was punishing him. We see here that such an assumption is too narrow, that there is another reason. Nevertheless, why did God put Job through such suffering and loss? God did not have to prove anything to Satan, so why should he accommodate Satan’s wish? How can a God who loves His people do this to one of His faithful? We will return to that question later in our study.

    One insight into the question of suffering Job’s experience highlights is that the physical is secondary to God. While we cannot make that an absolute principle, other biblical passages support this general observation. Consider, for example, some of the statements Jesus made.
    • Matt 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
    • Matt 16:26a What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?
    • Matt 18:8 If your hand or your foot causes you to sin cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.
    The physical is secondary to God. Therefore, it may be necessary for us to look beyond physical causes or even beyond the physical realm to answer the question: Why Do the Righteous Suffer?

    We will begin by considering the issue of suffering more broadly than its particular relevance for believers, asking: “Why do people in general—the righteous and the unrighteous—suffer? Are there reasons for suffering that we can identify?” The Bible says quite a bit about this subject, more than we can cover—perhaps, more than we would care to cover—in a few weeks. Although I have reviewed many passages and have attempted to integrate them into my notes, I have selected representative verses for us to consider in each section, organizing the biblical material according to the following outline:
    I. Reasons for Suffering
    A. It may result from opposing God’s will.
    1. Everyone is subject to four kinds of suffering because of some initial or underlying opposition to God’s will.
    2. The unrighteous are subject to three kinds of suffering because of some opposition to God’s will. 
    B. It may serve to advance God’s will.
    1. Everyone (righteous and unrighteous) is subject to one kind of suffering that works for the advancement of God’s will.
    2. The righteous are subject to seven kinds of suffering that work for the advancement of God’s will.
    II. Responses to Suffering
    A. An inadequate view employs a single response.
    • The ill-informed look for a one-size-fits-all answer and offer (or accept) at least one of five clichés of comfort.
    B. An adequate view weighs several responses.
    • The well-informed look for an appropriate answer and offer (or welcome) at least seven sources of comfort.
    By surveying the scope of suffering in the Bible, in particular the various reasons scripture gives and the various responses it recommends, we will be in a more informed position to understand and perhaps answer this question when it arises, especially among believers. There is no guarantee we will know in all cases, but recognizing how God’s people have dealt with suffering in the past can prepare us to deal with suffering in the present, whether in our own lives or in the lives of others.

    Transition: If suffering has meaning, it must relate to the purpose of God. In fact, we can attribute all suffering to one of two causes:
    Suffering is either a result of opposing God’s will,
    or it is a means of advancing God’s will.
      This is not to say that God causes all suffering. As with other aspects of His involvement in this world, we must distinguish between what God allows to happen and what He actively makes happen. Nevertheless, the suffering He does not cause, He is able to subvert and bend to the fulfillment of His will, a manifestation of His power that He works to the benefit of His people.

      I. Reasons for Suffering

      A. It may result from opposing God’s will.
      1. Everyone (righteous and unrighteous) is subject to four kinds of suffering because of some initial or underlying opposition to God’s will.
      a. Punitive (i.e., indirect punishment), because…
      1) They live in a fallen world (or—They reap the consequences of their progenitors’ sin).
      a) The principle stated (Gen 3:17b-19)
      Gen 3:17b "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."
      b) The principle illustrated (2 Kgs 13:1)
      2 Kgs 13:14 Now Elisha was suffering from the illness from which he died. Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him. "My father! My father!" he cried. "The chariots and horsemen of Israel!"
        Comment: In the final analysis, “all suffering is ultimately caused by sin of some sort” (Wenham 1974:55), and it is hubris of man to think that he deserves something better. “Part of the answer to the question, Why do the innocent suffer? is that there are no innocents” (ibid., p. 76).

        Any apparent unfairness in God’s treatment of us arises not because some have too much punishment, but because some of us appear to have too little…. The marvel is, in the biblical view, not that men die for their sins, but that we remain alive in spite of them. (Ibid., p. 70)

        Reeve Brenner, in a study of the Holocaust’s impact on faith, quotes the testimony of one survivor (and steadfast believer).
        God doesn’t owe us…anything. We owe our lives to Him. If someone believes that God is responsible for the death of six million because He didn’t somehow do something to save them, he’s got his thinking reversed. We owe God our lives for the few or many years we live, and we have the duty to worship Him and do as He commands us. That’s what we’re here on earth for, to be in God’s service, to do God’s bidding, to be God’s people. (1980:102, quoted in Kushner 1981:85-86)
        Isaiah describes man’s relationship to God in terms that clearly define our respective roles.
        Isa 64:8 O Lord… We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
         That means, even without our sin, we have…
        • No claim to fame,
        • No privilege of preferential treatment,
        • No right to happiness.
        Christians and non-Christians often have certain expectations of God, as if He owes them something, forgetting (or never realizing) that they are vastly inferior. Just because we can communicate with Him—an accommodation on His part—does not mean we are like Him. The difference is like that between a potter and his pots. As clay pots, we have no CPR: no claims, no privileges, no rights. How much less can we who have rebelled against God expect His favor in any way. Punishment, punitive suffering, is all we should expect. That is pretty bleak, but that is the point to which we have brought ourselves and the point at which we remain, mitigated only by the grace of God.
        2) They reap consequences of their parent’s sin.
        a) The principle stated (Exod 20:5)
        Exod 20:5 … I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
        b) The principle illustrated (Num 14:33)
        Num 14:33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert. 
        Comment: This is not a cause of misfortune most people would consider fair. Why should children suffer for the misdeeds of their parents? It demonstrates, though, the “ripple effect” sin can have. The impact of our actions, whether good or bad, is rarely limited to us. There is almost always some residual affect, some “spill-over” that touches other people, often those closest to us and those most vulnerable. It could be what a baby inherits from a crack-addicted mother or what a son learns about marriage from his wife-beating father. This does not mean that a child is doomed by the poor decisions of his parents, but that because of those decisions he will probably suffer in some way and will have to struggle to overcome their lingering influence on his life.
        b. Natural, because…
        • They live according to natural laws.
        a) The principle stated (Prov 22:3)
        Prov 22:3 [= 27:12] A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
        b) The principle illustrated (Acts 20:9)
        Acts 20:9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.
         Comment: Some Christians search for a specific message from God each time they hurt, but pain and suffering are part of living in a fallen world. We become sick as a result of insufficient sleep, poor diet, infrequent exercise, or contact with germs. It is our own doing, and God is not saying anything particular to us when we suffer in this manner.
        It is dangerous and…unscriptural to torture ourselves by looking for [God’s] message in a specific throb of pain, a specific instance of suffering. The message may simply be that we live in a world with fixed laws, like everyone else. (Yancey 1990:95) 
         If God is communicating anything, it may be “a general message of warning to all humanity that something is wrong with this planet” (ibid., p. 84).
        Query: What are some modern examples of natural suffering that result from opposing God’s will? (Illustrations abound, especially those that result from abuse of the body: e.g., heavy smoking —> lung damage, heavy drinking —> liver damage, heavy eating [gluttony] —> obesity/high blood pressure/heart disease/diabetes, promiscuity —> STD.)
        Exploitive, because…
        • They live among sinful men.
        a) The principle stated (Prov 21:10)
        Prov 21:10 The wicked man craves evil; his neighbor gets no mercy from him.
        b) The principle illustrated (Exod 3:7)
        Exod 3:7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering."
        Query: What distinguishes this category from the previous one (Natural)? …Man’s depravity is a matter of choice. This idea contradicts the evolutionary notion that man is only the product of his ancestry (nature) and his environment (nurture), that his decisions are not really free but are all predetermined by factors beyond his control. While the genes a person inherits and the upbringing he receives can influence his behavior, they are not the only factors or the most important factors governing the decisions he makes and, in any case, he is not a slave to them.

        Query: Why is it important to distinguish this category from the previous one? …To deny such a distinction eliminates man’s responsibility and renders meaningless any discussion of morality. If man is not free to determine how he behaves, then he is not accountable for how he behaves, and there is no justice in God’s rewarding or punishing him. As Rabbi Kushner states,
        To say of Hitler, to say of any criminal, that he did not choose to be bad but was a victim of his upbringing, is to make all morality, all discussion of right and wrong, impossible. It leaves unanswered the question of why people in similar circumstances did not all become Hitlers. But worse, to say “it is not his fault, he was not free to choose” is to rob a person of his humanity, and reduce him to the level of an animal who is similarly not free to choose between right and wrong. (1981:83-84)
        The Holocaust is a modern example of this cause, illustrating the extreme degradation of which man is capable, and the extent to which he is able to make others suffer (see Appendix).
        d. Demonic, because…
        1) Satan oppresses them.
        a) The principle stated (2 Cor 4:4)
        2 Cor 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
        b) The principle illustrated (Matt 15:22)
        Matt 15:22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."
        2) Satan opposes them.
        a) The principle stated (1 Pet 5:8-9)
        1 Pet 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
        b) The principle illustrated (Job 2:7)
        Job 2:7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
        Comment: In the gospels, demon possession seems to be a common occurrence, at least as common as other maladies Jesus treats. What is particularly disturbing is that there seem to be so many cases among God’s people. This serves as an unpleasant reminder that believers are not immune to assaults of the evil one, yet neither are they completely vulnerable. God has provided several means of fending off such attacks (e.g., the “armor of God” in Eph 6:11). As Peter states, the primary defense is faith in God. That is all Job had, but it enabled him to stand firm, despite his not knowing the cause of his suffering, and to say…
        Job 13:15a Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him
        Satan could not overcome the strength of such faith.

        Transition: These four reasons for suffering—punitive, natural, exploitive, and demonic—affect the righteous as well as the unrighteous. Moreover, they are all related in some way to opposing God’s will. Other kinds of suffering that stem from opposition specifically target the unrighteous.

        2. The unrighteous (including disobedient “believers”) are subject to three (additional) kinds of suffering because of some opposition to God’s will.
        a. Punitive (i.e., direct punishment), because…
        • God judges them for sin.
        a) The principle stated (Prov 10:16)
        Prov 10:16 The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.
        b) The principle illustrated (Acts 12:21-23)
        Acts 12:21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man." 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
        Comment: This is often the default reason people use to explain suffering. They assume their painful experience is divine judgment for some sin they have committed. We must not, however, immediately ascribe all suffering to some punitive cause. The book of Job illustrates that the “doctrine of retribution cannot be applied to every case of individual suffering as if it were a universal explanation” (Simundson 1992:223).

        The Bible calls God our Father, yet a “parent who disciplines a child for doing something wrong, but never tells him what he is being punished for, is hardly a model of responsible parenthood” (Kushner 1981:23). “To be effective…punishment requires a clear tie to behavior…. [In b]iblical examples of suffering-as-punishment….no one sits around afterward asking, ‘Why?’ They know very well why they [or others] are suffering” (Yancey 1990:81).
        b. Corrective (remedial), because…
        • God calls them to repent.
        a) The principle stated (Deut 30:1-3)
        Deut 30:1 When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations, 2 and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes  and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.
        b) The principle illustrated (Dan 5:20-21)
        Dan 5:20 But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes.
          Comment: In one of his most well-known statements on the subject of suffering, C.S. Lewis says that “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world” (1962:93). Lewis goes on to explain why some may respond to nothing else.
          Until the evil man finds evil unmistakably present in his existence, in the form of pain, he is enclosed in illusion. Once pain has roused him, he knows that he is in some way or other “up against” the real universe. (Ibid., p. 95)
          Even those less depraved but content in their life of ease may need the interruption of suffering to attract their attention.
          God, who made us, knows what we are and that our happiness lies in Him. Yet we will not seek it in Him as long as He leaves us any other resort where it can even plausibly be looked for. While what we call “our own life” remains agreeable we will not surrender it to Him. What then can God do in our interests but make “our own life” less agreeable to us, and take away the plausible sources of false happiness? It is just here, where God’s providence seems at first to be most cruel, [and] that the Divine humility, the stooping down of the highest, most deserves praise. (Ibid., p. 96)
          c. Purgative, because…
          • God purges them from the (believing) community.
          a) The principle stated (Deut 13:5)
          Deut 13:5 That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the LORD your God…. You must purge the evil from among you.
          b) The principle illustrated (2 Kgs 23:24)
          2 Kgs 23:24 Furthermore, Josiah got rid of [lit. purged] the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the LORD.
          Comment: The two most common arguments modern proponents offer in support of death penalty legislation (and the arguments opponents of the death penalty often question) are that it is preventive, acting as an effective deterrent to certain crimes, and punitive, providing suitable punishment for those same crimes. The biblical phrases here and in numerous other passages on crimes that require this sentence indicate a third reason, it is purgative, removing the defilement of sin from the community. This, in fact, is the primary purpose of the death penalty in scripture:
          • It is not preventive, although it may have that effect.
          • It is not punitive, although it is just punishment for such a crime.
          • It is purgative, the removal of an evil presence from the community.
          The sentence for a capitol crime makes no provision for rehabilitation or incarceration of the guilty. Its primary concern is the purity of the community.

          Transition: These three reasons for suffering—punitive, corrective, and purgative—affect the unrighteous. They are all related in some way to opposing God’s will, which is one cause of suffering. The other cause has the opposite effect.

          B. It may serve to advance God’s will.
          1. Everyone (righteous and unrighteous) is subject to one kind of suffering that advances God’s will.
          • Testimonial, because…
          1) God gains glory by subjecting them (unrighteous).
          a) The principle stated (Ezek 39:21)
          Ezek 39:21 I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay upon them.
          b) The principle illustrated (Exod 14:4)
          Exod 14:4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.
          2) God gains glory by saving them (righteous).
          a) The principle stated (Ps 79:9a)
          Ps 79:9a Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name….
          b) The principle illustrated (John 9:1-3)
          John 9:1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.
          3) God gains glory by sustaining them (righteous).
          a) The principle stated (Ps 145:11-12, 14)
          Ps 145:11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, 12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom…. 14 The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
          b) The principle illustrated (2 Cor 12:8-9)
          2 Cor 12:8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
          Comment: God can gain glory when He uses suffering to demonstrate His power. For the unrighteous, it is primarily by subjecting a person to suffering, as in Pharaoh’s loss at the Red Sea. For the righteous, it can be by saving a person from suffering, as in the case of the man born blind, or by sustaining a person through suffering, as in the case of Paul’s “thorn.” In all cases, though, it is God (not man) who determines how He will use suffering to testify of His glory.

          Transition: This one reason for suffering—testimonial—affects the righteous as well as the unrighteous and serves to advance God’s will. Other kinds of suffering that have the same result specifically target the righteous.
          2. The righteous are subject to seven kinds of suffering that advance God’s will.
          a. Preventive, because…
          • God keeps them from sin.
          a) The principle stated (1 Cor 11:31-32)
          1 Cor 11:31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
          b) The principle illustrated (2 Cor 12:7-9)
          2 Cor 12:7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
          Comment: Those who reap the benefit of prevention are not always those who suffer. Paul cites Israel’s troubles in the wilderness as a warning to Corinthian believers several generations later.
          1 Cor 10:6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7a Do not be idolaters, as some of them were…. 8a We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did…. 9a We should not test the Lord, as some of them did…. 10a And do not grumble, as some of them did…. 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.
          The suffering of some can serve as a precaution to others, keeping them from sin.
          b. Exemptive, because…
          • God spares them from evil.
          a) The principle stated (Isa 57:1)
          Isa 57:1 The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.
          b) The principle illustrated (2 Kgs 22:18-20a)
          2 Kgs 22:18 Tell [Josiah] the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: 19 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD. 20a Therefore I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’”
          Comment: What we often find puzzling and difficult to fathom is the premature death of children. While the answer may lie with other reasons we have considered (e.g., the residual affect of a parent’s substance abuse, in section I.A.1.a.2), there may also be a long-term reason, something that pertains to greater potential suffering in the child’s future. Without knowing what lies ahead, we can only speculate, but such passages as these indicate that death, even the death of innocents, may be an act of divine mercy, a means of sparing them from something worse in the future, were they to live.
          c. Associative, because…
          • God judges their community.
          a) The principle stated (Deut 13:12-13, 15)
          Deut 13:12 If you hear it said about one of the towns the LORD your God is giving you to live in 13 that wicked men have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods you have not known)…. 15 you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. Destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock.
          b) The principle illustrated (Hab 3:16)
          Hab 3:16 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.
          Comment: The theological term for this is “corporate solidarity,” where the actions of some affect the entire group of which they are part. The primary example in scripture is the one here. Because the majority in Judah sinned, God judged the whole nation by imposing the Babylonian exile, which affected the righteous (e.g., Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel) as well as the unrighteous.
          d. Productive (constructive), because…
          1) God improves their character.
          a) The principle stated (Rom 5:3-4)
          Rom 5:3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
          b) The principle illustrated (Jms 5:10-11)
          Jms 5:10 Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
          2) God increases their reward.
          a) The principle stated (2 Cor 4:17)
          2 Cor 4:17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
          b) The principle illustrated (1 Pet 1:6-7)
          1 Pet 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
          e. Instructive, because…
          1) God teaches about Himself.
          a) The principle stated (Ps 94:12)
          Ps 94:12 Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD, the man you teach from your law;
          b) The principle illustrated (Deut 8:3)
          Deut 8:3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
          2) Man learns about himself.
          a) The principle stated (Jms 1:2-3)
          Jms 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
          b) The principle illustrated (Deut 8:2)
          Deut 8:2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.
          Comment: We may wonder about the purpose of such a test if God is omniscient, knowing the outcome before hand. After struggling with the loss of his wife, C.S. Lewis comes to realize, “God has not been trying to experiment on my faith or love in order to find out their quality. He knew it already. It was I who didn’t.” (1961:61)
          f. Empathic, because…
          • They empathize with others.
          a) The principle stated (Rom 12:15)
          Rom 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
          b) The principle illustrated (2 Cor 2:4)
          2 Cor 2:4 For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.
          g. Vocational, because…
          1) They follow God (or His messiah).
          a) The principle stated (2 Tim 3:10-12)
          2 Tim 3:10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
          b) The principle illustrated (Acts 5:41)
          Acts 5:41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
          2) God advances His plan (e.g., gospel) through them.
          a) The principle stated (1 Pet 3:14, 15b, 17)
          1 Pet 3:14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear ; do not be frightened." …15b Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…. 17 It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
          b) The principle illustrated (Phil 1:12-14)
          Phil 1:12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
          Comment: “We are helping to accomplish God’s redemptive purposes in the world as co-participants with him in the battle to expel evil from this planet…. And that war will involve certain casualties.” (Yancey 1990:232) Nevertheless, “if we endure, we will also reign with him” (2 Tim 2:12a). That is, we will share “in Christ’s own redemptive victory” (ibid.).

          Summary: These seven reasons for suffering—preventive, exemptive, associative, productive, instructive, empathic, and vocational—affect the righteous. They are all related in some way to advancing God’s will, although vocational also reflects others’ opposition to His will.

          Transition: Thus far in our study, I have attempted to show that there is no single reason to explain all of suffering (apart from the generalization that its ultimate cause is the Fall). Rather, there are many potential reasons, and we must decide, if possible, which one is the likely cause in each case. Some adversity may even be the result of multiple causes, and they may not all be apparent to us, as was the case with Job.

          Application: In appreciation of Job’s suffering

          The seven previous categories of suffering inform our understanding of Job’s suffering because, since God identifies Job as a righteous man, his suffering is the kind to which the righteous are subject. What kind did you identify
          • Demonic, because…
          • Satan oppressed Job.
          Job 1:12 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger."
          Job 2:6 The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”
          • Testimonial, because…
          • God gained glory by subjecting (or sustaining) Job.
          Job 1:22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
          Job 2:3c “And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.” …10c In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
          Ezek 14:14 even if these three men—Noah, Daniel  and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign LORD…. 20 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.
          Jms 5:11b You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
          •  Productive, because…
          • God improved Job’s character.
          Job 42:6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.
          • God increased Job’s reward.
          Job 42:10b …the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before…. 12a The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first.
          Jms 5:11b-c You…have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
          • Instructive, because…
          • God taught Job about Himself.
          Job 38:1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: 2 “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? 3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.”
          • Job learned about himself.
          Job 42:3b Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know…. 5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.
          • Vocational, because…
          •  Job followed God.
          Job 1:8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
          Job 2:3a-b Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
          • God advanced His plan through Job.
          Job 42:2 I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.
          Job’s reaction is also informative—and is like that of other saints. Job argues with God and then awaits God’s answer. God responds by taking full responsibility for all that has happened. He never tells Job the whole story, but He does give Job enough information to justify Job’s confidence in God’s purpose. Furthermore, as Gleason Archer observes,
          We should be careful to note that even though Job was not informed by God as to the reason for his sufferings, this record shows that there were in fact high and noble purposes achieved through submitting him to all of the calamities he had to endure. He had been greatly honored by being chosen especially by God to demonstrate the meaning of full surrender. Satan had challenged the Lord to prove that Job’s piety was based on something higher than self-interest. Satan’s contention was that all so-called believers—even God’s prime example, Job himself—love God for the sake of His material benefits rather than for His own sake. Take all these blessings away… and any of these “believers,” even the best of them, will turn against God…. It was a great honor indeed for Job to be chosen to prove that Satan was wrong on this very important point. (1982:18)
          Nevertheless, how does proving Satan wrong advance God’s purpose?

          God is not simply interested in crushing Satan’s rebellion militarily. God will win an ideological victory as well, by demonstrating the bankruptcy of Satan’s rule. Therefore, God was not accommodating Satan’s sadistic request to test Job; He was setting up Job’s and our adversary for a major defeat.

          Job did not realize the significance of his experience in God’s plan. Job’s ignorance of this point, however, makes Satan’s failure that much more complete, because without knowing, even after it was over, Job retained his confidence in God. Moreover, Job was satisfied with what he did know. Here, by the way, is true poetic justice, for God allows Job to answer Satan’s initial question: “Does Job fear God for nothing?” (1:9). The answer is, “Yes, Job does fear God for nothing.” This is also a declaration of free will. “Satan had taunted God with the accusation that humans are not truly free” (Yancey 1990:91). Job’s persistent devotion, despite God’s apparent rejection, testifies that his serving God is the result of choice not coercion (or bribery)…. We have more information than Job did, yet it is often harder for us to accept Job’s suffering than it was for him to accept it, probably because we fail to recognize the important role that our own suffering may play in God’s plan.

          Summary: The list of reasons for suffering is not necessarily exhaustive, but it indicates at least that suffering is not meaningless. God has not left us in the dark on this subject and, although we may not know everything, “the little that we do know is more valid for interpretation of the world than the much that we do not know” (Lewis 1975 5:533). [Read Appendix: A Letter to Rachel.]

          Transition: Given the multiplicity of reasons the Bible offers for suffering, it should be obvious that our response to suffering needs to be similarly varied. That is, when we encounter suffering or when we suffer ourselves, no single approach to the problem will work in all instances. Rather, we must examine each situation, case-by-case, to determine the cause (if possible) and the response appropriate to that situation.

          Many people have a deficient understanding of suffering, though, which predisposes them to look for or to accept a one-size-fits-all answer. Most stock approaches to suffering that attempt to find a unified response depend either on insufficient biblical data (e.g., a single verse to the neglect of others) or on misunderstood biblical data (e.g., an inaccurate paraphrase). We will examine the most common of these, noting their weaknesses, then consider what instruction scripture does give for dealing with suffering.

              II. Responses to Suffering

          A. An inadequate view employs a single response.
          • The ill-informed look for a one-size-fits-all answer and offer (or accept) at least one of five clichés of comfort.
          a. Faith healing
          • “God wants you to be healthy. All you need is enough faith, and He would heal you.”
              a) The principle allegedly confirmed (Matt 9:29)
          Matt 9:29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you”; [= Mark 10:52; Luke 18:42]
              b)  The principle actually countermanded (2 Tim 4:20b)
          2 Tim 4:20b I left Trophimus sick in Miletus.
          Comment: This response to suffering appears in the “Health and Wealth Gospel,” which asserts, as the name suggests, that God wants every believer to be healthy and wealthy and that the only obstacle to such a blessed state is unbelief. As with so many popular religious ideas, this one relies on a few supportive biblical texts while ignoring a host of contrary passages which teach that…
          • Poverty and sickness are not necessarily signs of God’s disfavor. As we noted in reviewing the causes of suffering, there are many other reasons for enduring hardship.
          • While faith does play an important role in healing, there are other factors, equally important, that determine if healing is appropriate (e.g., the character-building value of Paul’s “thorn” in 2 Cor 12:7).
          • The sincere desire to be healed is an indicator of sufficient faith, however little or weak it may be (e.g., the demon-possessed boy’s father who asked Jesus, “help me overcome my unbelief!” in Mark 9:24).
          Faith healing is a possible response to suffering, but it is certainly not the only response and, in any case, may not be the proper response. Furthermore, as Yancey notes, “healing does not remove the problem of pain; it merely delays it” (1990:212). All those Jesus healed probably experienced some illness again, and all of them certainly experienced the ultimate malady: death.
              b. Soul searching
          • “God would not be punishing you unless you had done something wrong. You need to examine your life, identify where you have stepped out of His will, and repent.”
          • a) The principle allegedly confirmed (Rev 3:19)
          Rev 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.
          b) The principle actually countermanded (Job 2:9-10)
          Job 2:9 His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" 10 He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
          Comment: Sometimes guilt is an appropriate response to suffering. Rabbi Kushner relates an encounter with a man who left his wife and children to marry his secretary and wanted Kushner to help him get over his guilt for the grief he had caused his family. As Kushner states, the man…
          …was making an improper request of me. He should have felt guilty, and he should have been thinking in terms of making amends to his first family rather than looking for a way to shake his sense of guilt. (1981:94)
          Soul searching may be an appropriate response, but it is not the only response we should consider, because sin is not the only cause of suffering.
          c. Positive thinking
          • “Concentrate on happy thoughts instead of on your pain. Sing hymns, read uplifting psalms, and smile.”
          a) The principle allegedly confirmed (Phil 4:4)
          Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
          b) The principle actually countermanded (Rom 12:15)
          Rom 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
          Comment: Grief is not an inappropriate response to suffering or loss (Carson 1990:129). The Bible does not encourage us to suppress our grief when loved ones die…. We grieve, but not “like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him (1 Thess. 4:13-14).

          Grief is not an inappropriate response, but it is an incomplete response. Among the New Testament writers, Paul, especially, stresses the importance of finding joy during times of adversity. He makes clear, however, that such joy is not because of the tragedy but because of God’s subversion of it to the believer’s benefit.
          Rom 5:3 …we…rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
          Similarly, when Paul says, “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Rom 8:28), he does not mean that only good things happen to those who love God but that God can and will use all experiences, even bad ones, to the believer’s advantage. The joy Paul advocates is not an artificial or superficial emotion that oscillates widely from one moment to the next. It is a positive and persistent demeanor emanating from a deep conviction that nothing is outside the sovereign control of our benevolent God. “God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good.”
          d. Grateful resignation
          • “The Bible says to give thanks for everything, and that must include suffering; so, thank God for the difficulties you are experiencing.”
          a) The principle allegedly confirmed (1 Thess 5:18)
          1 Thess 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
          b) The principle actually countermanded (Matt 27:46)
          Matt 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
          Comment: Whenever someone starts with “The Bible says…” your initial response should be to ask, “Where does it say that?.” The reason for the question is not because you doubt the person’s good intentions but because people often paraphrase what they have read (or parrot what they have heard)—and a paraphrase may be misleading—or they may quote a passage without regard for its context.

          John Chrysostom, the Bishop of Constantinople in the late fourth century and a popular preacher, asserted that Paul was making a fully inclusive statement that advocated gratitude even for disease and hell (Homilies on Ephesians 19). Such a blanket assertion, however, “is foreign to the context, for the apostle speaks of ‘all things’ now possessed by us, or sent upon us [by God]” (Eadie 1979:404-405)—the blessings we enjoy because of our union with Christ. Moreover, to insist that our gratitude should encompass evil and the results of the Fall, that which represent the profaning of God’s name, strains credibility as well as common sense.

          It also sends us in the wrong direction. Philip Yancey notes that “if we accept that [all] suffering comes from God as a lesson to us…the next logical step is resigned fatalism,” accepting disease and despair (as well as poverty and injustice) as inescapable and untreatable. After all, if God has ordained it, who are we to reject it? Nevertheless, “Jesus…spent his life on earth fighting disease and despair. Not once did he hint of fatalism or a resigned acceptance of suffering…. [Likewise, we] have…the obligation, to fight against human suffering.” (1990:97-98; also Lewis 1962:110).
          e. Privileged martyrdom
          • “God has obviously chosen you to suffer for Christ. What looks like adversity is really an opportunity to serve Him and be an example to others.”
          a) The principle allegedly confirmed (Phil 1:29)
          Phil 1:29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him,
          b) The principle actually countermanded (1 Pet 2:20a)
          1 Pet 2:20a But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it?
          Comment: Some Christians have a masochistic view of suffering. They look for hardship, as if suffering is a duty and should be a delight. They may “cling to a particular trouble because it helps to explain their failure or it protects the[ir] ego by giving [them] a hero’s badge” (McQuilkin n.d.:6). This woe-is-me complex may be why Jesus asked the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6). Having “learned that he had been in this condition for a long time,” Jesus wanted to know if the man had grown accustomed to his plight and the pity it elicited from others, or if he was truly desirous of changing his condition.

          Scripture advocates neither the stoic acceptance nor the enthusiastic welcome of suffering. In fact, Jesus tells his disciples to avoid it.
          Matt 10:23a When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another.
           Paul issues similar instructions to some of his readers.
          1 Cor 7:21 Were you a slave when you were called? …if you can gain your freedom, do so.
          We should neither seek trouble nor cling to it (ibid., p. 5).
          Summary: These responses all contain a kernel of truth, but the glib way people use them to account for suffering is disingenuous, disheartening, and potentially deceptive. The most we can say is that what truth they do contain may be appropriate in some situations.
          • God may heal you in response to faith.
          • God may want you to repent of some sin.
          • God may expect you to be optimistic.
          • God may have you endure hardship.
          • God may require you to sacrifice for your faith.
          Even these responses are inadequate, though, when we try to apply any one of them to all situations. There is no single cause for every instance of suffering, and we must not offer pat answers to those who are suffering or accept pat answers for our own suffering. Without some clear indicator, it may not be possible to identify the reason in a particular case. What can we say or do, then, especially if we do not know the cause?

          B. An adequate view weighs several responses.
          • The well-informed look for an appropriate answer and offer (or welcome) at least seven sources of comfort.
          a. Prayer (which promotes perspective)
          • “In my visits in hospitals, I have been impressed by the huge difference between the measure of comfort that can be offered by believers (‘We’re praying for you’) and [what] unbelievers [offer] (‘Best of luck—we’ll keep our fingers crossed’)” (Yancey 1990:243)—or, my favorite—“We’ll be thinking about you.”
          a) The principle stated (Eph 6:18)
          Eph 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
          b) The principle illustrated (Rom 15:30-31)
          Rom 15:30 I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. 31 Pray [periphrastic] that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there,
          Comment: Prayer helps us to take stock of a situation and to consider the problem from God’s perspective. As Rabbi Kushner notes, however, people often misunderstand what prayer does.

          If prayer worked the way many people think it does, no one would ever die, because no prayer is ever offered more sincerely than the prayer for life, for health and recovery from illness, for ourselves and for those we love. (1981:113-114)

          When God does not answer such prayers, there is a tendency to speculate: “You didn’t get what you asked because…
          • You didn’t deserve it;
          • You didn’t pray hard enough;
          • God knows what’s best for you, and it’s not what you’re asking;
          • Someone else’s prayer was different from and more worthy than yours;
          • God doesn’t hear prayer;
          • There is no God.”
          Prayer is not a magical incantation, where the right words guarantee the desired result. Neither is it a way to twist God’s arm, as if we could force Him to do anything. We are undeserving petitioners appearing before the sovereign of the universe entirely at His indulgence. Nevertheless, He has invited us to present our petitions and has promised to consider our requests.

          Not everything in God’s plan is fixed. While He knows everything that will happen, He does not predetermine everything that will happen (foreknowledge ≠ foreordination). He leaves many of the details to our discretion and to our petition. Consequently, there is much within His program that He is inclined to do, much that would benefit us, but that awaits our request. As James observes…

          Jms 4:2d You do not have, because you do not ask God.

          These are not matters that affect the outcome in the Drama of Redemption—like the rout of Satan, the resurrection of believers, or the reign of Christ—but are matters that impact our role in it. The difference between what is fixed and what is flexible may not always be clear to us, but we should pray recognizing that possibility, attentive to God’s voice in response.

          Some think that prayer is a pointless exercise, because God knows what we need and has already made up His mind what He will do. I mentioned earlier that God is sovereign enough to allow man’s free will without its changing or undermining His (God’s) purposes and that He is even able to use man’s decisions to further His will. It is this same variability that makes prayer a meaningful exercise, for it allows God to answer our petitions without altering His purposes, and even to use those answers for advancing His will. In other words, by leaving man’s options open, God has also left His options open. The disposition of our pleas is entirely at His discretion, but if we do not ask, we may miss His blessing.

          Discussion: How have you found prayer to be helpful in dealing with suffering, others’ prayers for you or your prayers for others? …How does prayer promote perspective?
          b. Presence (which promotes courage)
          • Next to prayer, “simple availability is the most powerful force we can contribute to help calm the fears of others…. It is not our words or our insights that they want most; it is our mere presence.” (Yancey 1990:176-177)
          a) The principle stated (Matt 25:36, 39-40)
          Matt 25:36b-c …I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ …39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 …‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
          b) The principle illustrated (Job 2:11-13)
          Job 2:11 When Job’s three friends…heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
          Comment: Suffering can be a frightening experience, for it introduces many “unknowns.”
          • “How long will this last?”
          • “Will the situation get worse?’
          • “Am I strong enough to get through it?”
          Other people may not be able to answer those questions for the sufferer, but their presence can offer much-needed support and encouragement when the one suffering feels weakest. Following the death of his wife, C.S. Lewis wrote,
          No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness…. At other times….[t]here is a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want to take it in. It is so uninteresting. Yet I want the others to be about me. I dread the moments when the house is empty. If only they would talk to one another and not to me. (1961:1)
          The Jewish practice of shiva (“seven”) illustrates this means of aid. For seven days following the burial, relatives, friends, and neighbors sit with the immediate family of the deceased. They prepare meals, clean, and converse, not leaving the mourners alone in their grief (Kushner 1981:120; Yancey 1990:177-178). Another example, also from Judaism, is the weekly recitation of the Mourner’s Kaddish (lit. “Orphan’s Sanctification”). During the year after a parent’s death (and on each anniversary), the sons will say this Aramaic prayer in the synagogue service. It is not a prayer for the dead and contains no reference to death but is a declaration of God’s greatness and a petition for ultimate salvation. Spoken in the midst of a congregation, it reminds the individual that he is not alone in his grief and that, despite his loss, God is good (Kushner 1981:120-121, 139).

          Such consistency is also important before death, especially during extended periods of suffering. Philip Yancey observes that “Regularity becomes increasingly important with illnesses that tend to drag out over long periods of time…. I believe we in the body of Christ are called to show love when God seems not to” (1990:179-180).

          Christian Reger, a member of the Confessing Church in Germany that opposed Hitler’s policies, was a prisoner in the Dachau concentration camp. After his first month, he received a single piece of correspondence, which was all the authorities allowed. It was a letter from his wife, cut up by a censor, but with a biblical reference at the bottom, Acts 4:26-29. Reger looked up the passage in a Bible he had smuggled into the camp.
          Acts 4:26 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.’ 27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
          That afternoon, Reger faced the dreadful prospect of interrogation, when prison authorities would pressure him to name other Confessing Church members. As he sat in the waiting area, an inmate he did not know came from the interrogation room and slipped a piece of paper into Reger’s pocket. The interrogation went unusually smoothly and without violence. Later, back in his barracks, Reger looked at the piece of paper. On it was the same reference, Acts 4:26-29. After the war, Reger commented on his experience: “God did not rescue me…He simply assured me that he was alive, and knew I was here” (quoted in Yancey 1990:160).

          Discussion: Some people are reluctant to spend time with a person who is suffering, because they do not know what to say. If you were the one suffering—and, perhaps, you have been in that position—what would you want to hear, or would you simply appreciate silent company?
          c. Productivity (which promotes control)
          • “[P]eople who have suffered are the best equipped to help, and a person crosses the final barrier of helplessness when he or she learns to use the experience of suffering itself as a means of reaching out to others.” (Yancey 1990:192-193)
          a) The principle stated (2 Cor 1:4-6)
          2 Cor 1:4 [God the Father] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.
          b) The principle illustrated (Acts 27:33-36)
          Acts 27:33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.
          Comment: Suffering often brings with it a sense that life is out of control, and there is a tendency to allow the struggle in one area to cause defeat in other areas, so that a person gives up. Again, C.S. Lewis observes,
          …no one ever told me about the laziness of grief. Except at my job—where the machine seems to run on much as usual—I loathe the slightest effort. Not only writing but even reading a letter is too much. Even shaving. What does it matter now whether my cheek is rough or smooth? …It’s easy to see why the lonely become untidy; finally, dirty and disgusting. (1961:3-4)
          Indeed, the specific cause of the problem may be beyond a person’s ability to remedy, but that does not mean he should surrender. On the contrary, although he may lose ground in one place, he should attempt to gain elsewhere, to be spiritually productive and, thereby, to maintain a measure of control over his life. One of the greatest areas of productivity is in prayer, as Paul illustrated, despite his imprisonment.
          Phil 1:9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
          He also demonstrated an abiding desire to be effective in ministry, despite his imprisonment, and solicited the support of others in this endeavor.
          Eph 6:19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
          Moreover, he did not neglect his own development but continued to equip himself for whatever task God might have for him.
          2 Tim 4:13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
          Those who are in the midst of suffering may feel as if they have lost their ability to be productive—and former areas of productivity may indeed be closed—but prayer offers the opportunity to reach beyond the confines of an affliction to help other people and to advance the plan of God. For a child of God, illness and weakness are not impediments to usefulness.

          Discussion: A decline in productivity is primarily a concern in lengthy suffering. What examples have you known of a person who has continued to be productive despite his suffering?
          d. Purpose (which promotes direction)
          • “I have come to believe that the chief contribution Christians can make is to keep people from suffering for the wrong reasons.” (Yancey 1990:198)
          a) The principle stated (Jer 5:19)
          Jer 5:19 And when the people ask, ‘Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.’
          b) The principle illustrated (John 9:2-3)
          John 9:2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”
          Comment: Helping a person to recognize the purpose or reason for his affliction can provide a sense of direction for whatever the next step might be (e.g., correcting sinful behavior, seeking medical treatment). Identifying the cause of tragic experiences, though, is often difficult and may not even be possible. At that point, we must avoid speculation.

          In the context of intense suffering, even well-intended comments may produce a harmful effect. “God must have loved your daughter very much to take her home so soon” [may leave] the bereaved parents [wishing] that God had loved their daughter less. “God won’t give you a burden heavier than you can bear” [may leave] the suffering person [wishing] for weaker faith that might merit a lighter load. (Yancey 1990:199)

          While discerning the cause of such an experience can give meaning to suffering, lacking that information, we should seek to restore a sense of meaning and significance to the sufferer. A proper response is a measured response. Paul writes,
          Rom 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
          Moreover, a proper response may entail nothing more overt than listening, as Sharon Fischer relates in describing her struggle with ovarian cancer.
          I needed time to digest what was happening in my life…. Perhaps the greatest way to give suffering people time is being patient with them—giving them room to doubt, cry, question and work out strong and often extreme emotions. I found that not everything in my experience could be absorbed at once…. I needed good listeners—people willing to take an hour or two when I was ready to talk and just listen. (Ibid., p. 202)
          If there is an identifiable reason for some tragic event, it may be helpful to point out that reason so those affected may not feel at the mercy of chance. If such a reason is not clear, then we should avoid unproductive conjecture, concentrating instead on the abiding value of the individual.

          Discussion: What well-meaning comments have you heard (or offered) about another’s plight that may have suggested the wrong reason for suffering? …If we do not know the reason, how might narrowing the range of possible reasons (i.e., eliminating unlikely candidates) help others or ourselves to find direction?
          e. Promise (which promotes anticipation [or patience])
          • “Someone in despair needs…something to grasp onto that may provide a lifeline out of the currents of gloom…. Hope [in God’s promise of relief is] the belief that something good lies ahead.” (Yancey 1990:210)
          a) The principle stated (Prov 23:18)
          Prov 23:18 There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
          b) The principle illustrated (Phil 3:20-21)
          Phil 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
          Comment: Consistency plays an important role here, because our initial response to suffering is an outpouring of attention, which promotes hope in God’s promise of relief (e.g., cards, flowers, prayer). Over time, however, that attention fades and, if the suffering is prolonged, hope in that promise also has a tendency to fade and, with it, any sense of anticipation that the future will bring some relief. This is especially true when God seems unresponsive to repeated petitions for relief. Philip Yancey writes,
          Many people are embarrassed and troubled by problems that do not go away. One Christian woman told me that with each successive reappearance of her cancer fewer visitors came to see her. As the illness dragged on she felt even more vulnerable and afraid, and she also felt more alone. Some Christians seemed resentful that their prayers for healing had gone unanswered, acting almost as if they blamed her. They lost faith and stayed away, leaving her with guilt and self-hatred to cope with in addition to her pain. (1990:211)
          Keeping hope in God’s promise alive requires the consistent attention of others, that fruit of the Spirit called “longsuffering” (Gal 5:22 KJV; “patience” NIV). It also entails the constant assurance that the difficult situation is temporary and “that something good lies ahead,” not the least of which is what Jesus has in store…
          Phil 3:21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
          That is something every believer can anticipate.

          Discussion: How much hope is there in knowing that you may not experience relief from suffering until the next life?
          The more that a Christian lives in the consciousness of God’s presence here, the easier it is to anticipate the unqualified delight that will be experienced in God’s presence there…. In fact, we begin to wonder if some pain and sorrow in this life is not used in God’s providential hand to make us homesick for heaven, to detach us from this world, to prepare us for heaven, to draw our attention to himself and away from the world of merely physical things. In short, we begin to look at all of life’s experiences, good and ill, from the vantage point of the End…. [And] the vantage point from the End…transforms our assessment of many things. (Carson 1990:129-130, 241)
          f. Profession (of faith, which promotes wonder)
          • “Because of [Jesus’] death and resurrection, we can confidently [assert] that no trial—illness, divorce, unemployment, bankruptcy, grief—extends beyond the range of his transforming power.” (Yancey 1990:231)
          a) The principle stated (Rom 8:31b-32, 35-39)
          Rom 8:31b If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? …35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
          b) The principle illustrated (Job 19:25-27)
          Job 19:25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
          Comment: C.S. Lewis wrote about the affect suffering can have on one’s profession of faith, to validate or invalidate what a person believes.
          You never know how much you believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn’t you then first discover how much you really trusted it? …Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief. (1961:25)
          Your bid—for God or no God, for a good God or the Cosmic Sadist, for eternal life or nonentity—will not be serious if nothing much is staked on it. And you will never discover how serious it was until the stakes are raised horribly high; until you find that you are playing…for every penny you have in the world. Nothing less will shake a man—or at any rate a man like me—out of his merely verbal thinking and his merely notional beliefs. He has to be knocked silly before he comes to his senses. (Ibid., p. 43)
          Lewis’s first and primary experience with grief was the death of his mother when he was nine years old, before he had became a Christian. Although he wrote about suffering, he had not faced it since that childhood loss. It was for him a subject of detached study. Fifty-three years later, grief made its unwelcome intrusion with his wife’s death, bringing Lewis to a crisis of faith. He wrote,
          From the rational point of view, what new factor has [her] death introduced into the problem of the universe? What grounds has it given me for doubting all that I believe? I knew already that these things, and worse, happened daily. I would have said that I had taken them into account. I had been warned—I had warned myself—not to reckon on worldly happiness. We were even promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told, “Blessed are they that mourn,” and I accepted it. I’ve got nothing that I hadn’t bargained for. Of course it is different when the thing happens to oneself, not to others, and in reality, not in imagination. Yes; but should it, for a sane man, make quite such a difference as this? No. And it wouldn’t for a man whose faith had been real faith and whose concern for other people’s sorrows had been real concern. (1961:42)
              As we face suffering, what we need to keep ever before us, and what is the particular contribution of Christianity, is that…
          God did not sit idly by and watch us suffer in isolation. He became one of us…. God took the worst thing that could possibly happen—the appalling execution of his innocent Son—and turned it into the final victory over evil and death. It was an act of unprecedented cunning, turning the design of evil into the service of good, an act that holds within it a promise for all of us. (Yancey 1990:225, 230-231)
          Any discussion of suffering is incomplete and inadequate that does not take into account the intervention of God, which broke the cycle of pain and death and anticipates their final abolition. As Paul says,
          2 Cor 4:17 …our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
          This is a subject worthy of careful contemplation, and one that should cause us to wonder at the love of God.

          Discussion: How have you seen God transform the ill effects of suffering so as to bring some good from it?
          g. Praise (which promotes joy)
          • Praising God is a potent remedy for fear and despair, because it turns our attention to Him who holds our future and it reminds us of what our future holds.
          1) The principle stated (Ps 34:1)
          Ps 34:1 I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
          2) The principle illustrated (Acts 16:25)
          Acts 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
          Comment: This is an unlikely response to suffering and a difficult one to implement. It is certainly not a response to which we are immediately inclined. Nevertheless, praise can be very therapeutic. After a period of mourning the death of his wife and chronicling his grief, C.S. Lewis wrote,
          The notes have been about myself, and about [her], and about God. In that order. The order and the proportions exactly what they ought not to have been. And I see that I have nowhere fallen into that mode of thinking…which we call praising…. Yet that would have been best for me. Praise is the mode of love which always has some element of joy in it. Praise in due order; of Him as the giver, of her as the gift. Don’t we in praise somehow enjoy what we praise, however far we are from it? I must do more of this [for] by praising I can still, in some degree, enjoy her, and always, in some degree, enjoy Him. (Emphasis added; 1961:71-72)
          Difficult as it may be to praise God, especially in the midst of suffering, it is a response that can nurture joy and mitigate sorrow. Praising God brings us into His presence, enabling us to sample now what we will enjoy eternally.

          Discussion: When have you used praise as a remedy for the fear and despair of suffering, and did it really promote joy?

          Application: In preparation for our suffering

          Suffering hits each of us differently, and our response can vary widely. How can we prepare for suffering? How can we get ourselves ready to face a threat that may be both unknown and unexpected? Philip Yancey asked these questions of a couple, where the wife had suddenly found herself battling Hodgkin’s disease. The husband, who was a hospital chaplain’s assistant and had seen the devastating affects illnesses have on families, made this observation. “When a couple encounters a crisis, it magnifies what’s already present in the relationship.” If they have fought with one another for years, a crisis just increases the existing tension and pushes family members farther apart. If they have loved and encouraged one another for years, a crisis increases those feelings and pulls family members closer together. There are exceptions, but that is the general trend. Therefore, the “best way to prepare for suffering is to work on a strong, supportive life when you’re healthy. You cannot suddenly fabricate foundations of strength; they must have been building all along” (1990:164).

          J. Robertson McQuilkin, former president of CBC, resigned that position to care for his wife, who had Alzheimer’s Disease. Some wondered how he was able to continue his ministrations to her, the demands of which increased as her condition worsened. Among the resources he counted most dear were friends, and he stressed the importance of fostering such relationships before they become necessary. “It won’t do to cultivate friends for the payback—that’s not true friendship. But…those who don’t build friendships in the spring and summer of life must find winter a lonely time.” (1996:34)

          Michael Roemoer, producer and director of the PBS documentary entitled Dying, makes the same evaluation about the way one approaches the end of life. “People die in the way they have lived. Death becomes an expression of everything you are, and you can bring to it only what you have brought to your life” (quoted in Yancey 1990:249).

          How can you prepare for suffering? Jesus tells a parable about a shrewd manager who faced dismissal for having mishandled his employer’s funds. To get ready for his imminent departure, the manager reduces the amounts others owe his employer, thereby ingratiating himself to them, so that he will be able to ask for their help later. Jesus does not condone the manager’s tactics but does compliment his foresight, advising the disciples, “use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9). Jesus is talking about preparing for heaven, but his point applies more immediately as well: To prepare for the future—for what you may face tomorrow, in a month, or next year—you should start now. How can you prepare for suffering? There are in two ways.
          • First, develop an intimate communion with God.
          Strive to know Him better through study and prayer.
          Seek to make godly qualities an increasingly integral part of your character.
          • Second, build your relationships with other people, both family and friends.
          Do not allow disputes to go unresolved.
          Do not wait until you are in need but look for ways now to meet others’ needs and to alleviate their suffering.
          Remember C.S. Lewis’s observation that the trauma of his wife’s death and the crisis of faith to which it brought him would not have been so severe if real grief had been more than an academic curiosity, if he were “a man whose faith had been real faith and whose concern for other people’s sorrows had been real concern” (1961:42). His reclusive proclivities did not bring him into much contact with the suffering of others. Consequently, he was ill-prepared for his own suffering. You do not know what the future will bring, what trials you may face or what testing your faith may undergo, but you need not face the future unprepared or unaccompanied. You can and should get ready now.

          Conclusion: Why does God allow people, especially believers, to suffer? As we have seen, there are many reasons people suffer, be they righteous or wicked, some of which have nothing (directly) to do with God. All suffering, though, is a result of the Fall and is, therefore, bad (contra Yancey, see n. 4). However much we try to sugarcoat it, whatever excuse we make for it, suffering is a bitter pill to swallow. By itself, suffering produces nothing but pain, misery, and despair. Nevertheless, God is able to subvert suffering, to twist and tame it for His own ends. As a result, He can exploit suffering to accomplish His will and can even use it, as Paul says, “for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28).

          Furthermore, Jesus has encouraged us. He suffered with us and for us, and he provided and exemplified the only means of triumph:
          • Not resignation to God’s plan (which is passive)
          • But identification with God’s plan (which is active).
          John 10:18 No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.
          We may not know everything about suffering, but (like Job) we should not rest…
          • Until we possess either sufficient information or sufficient peace to view the situation from God’s perspective, and…
          • Until we know that our suffering (as well as our response) is in conformity with God’s purpose.
          Regardless of whether we can identify the specific reason for suffering, we must adopt and encourage the proper response to suffering, which always involves turning to God and not from God.

          We must also realize the role God has given us to minister to those who are suffering. Philip Yancey observes,
          Today, if I had to answer the question “Where is God when it hurts?” in a single sentence, I would make that sentence another question: “Where is the church when it hurts?” We form the front line of God’s response to the suffering world. (1990:243)
          None of us is exempt from suffering. We all experience it, but those who know God also have the opportunity to alleviate suffering.
          2 Cor 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

          Appendix: A Letter to Rachel about the Holocaust

          Rachel,

          Your question is far from simplistic and is one that has engaged theologians for thousands of years. The term for it is theodicy, and you have stated the problem precisely: “How, if there really is a loving and powerful supreme being (whatever his name), could something so evil have been allowed to happen.” During times of relative peace and prosperity, the question can become somewhat academic, but in this century, the holocaust has brought the issue into distressingly sharp relief, as actual and not merely philosophical.

          Let me say from the outset that Speilberg's work is very important, especially as there is a small but vocal group of historical revisionists who claim the holocaust never happened. Moreover, your parents' willingness to rehearse such an experience is a testimony to their courage and strength.

          Although we cannot be certain of the answer—if there is an answer—several issues may contribute to it. What I relate comes from my understanding of what God has revealed in the documents we collectively call the Bible. (That Christians have additional literature in the New Testament does not alter the gist of the discussion.) Apart from our own observations, it is the only means those who believe in God have of evaluating history.

          The first issue is the existence of evil, for which there is no lack of empirical evidence. Man has a propensity to do bad things (“the evil inclination” in rabbinic literature). Some people control it more effectively than others, but there are a few who give it free reign in their lives. It is essentially their (our) decision. Hitler and his henchmen were apparently in the latter category. To make matters worse, there is Satan, an angelic creature who is in rebellion against God and, consequently, an exponent of evil. Occasionally he or one of his minions enters the picture to oppose God in some way. As Job’s experience demonstrates, we may see the effects of Satan’s activity yet not be aware of its cause. It is possible that Satan supported Hitler’s program, which may be why the results were so horrific.

          Why God permits evil at all, no matter what the form, seems to relate to His desire that people serve Him because they choose to do so and not because they have no alternative. He wants free agents not automatons; hence, people (and angels) must have the option of going their own way. Opposing God is ultimately futile, for He will bring everything to judgment (Ps 96:13; Eccl 12:14). Until then, however, He allows rebellion to run its course, although not completely unchecked (Ps 33:10-11). He does not permit anything to change the goal toward which He is sovereignly moving history (Num 14:21).

          Hitler directed his policy of extermination at more than just the Jews, but they clearly bore the brunt of his hatred and suffered the worst from it. Why did he concentrate on this particular group rather than just eliminating the enemies of his regime? His background may hold the key to his animosity, but the reason may also relate to the previous point as it concerns a second issue, the position of Israel in God’s plan. At Sinai, God chose Israel to be His people, appointing them as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exod 19:6). Their job was (and still is) to direct the attention of their pagan neighbors to God, modeling His character and reflecting His priorities by obeying His commands. No other people has this role (Deut 7:6; Ps 147:19-20), and Israel has been the focus of God’s program throughout history. As such, they have also attracted the attention of God’s enemies who, unable to attack God, attack His people instead. (Even gentiles who claim to be Christians have been guilty of this.) The prophet Zechariah depicts Satan in this role (Zech 3:1-2), and the holocaust would certainly fit with Satan’s opposition to God. Satan may have instigated or intensified Hitler’s pogrom in an attempt to disrupt God’s plan.

          Nevertheless, the magnitude of this crime staggers the imagination! The two issues I’ve mentioned are an attempt to understand, to find a cause, but they are not certain. They also do not address a more fundamental question: How could God allow whoever is responsible to murder six million Jews? Why did He not intervene, as He did in the exodus from Egypt? I confess to you that I do not know. In the end, I must appeal to two other issues. One is the finality of life. We have a short view of events. From our perspective, death is the end of life. From God’s perspective, death is a transition from one life to another. It is true that six million died, but they did not cease to exist. If we can grasp this long view of events, it is possible to see that God did not abandon His people.

          The final issue is perhaps the most important. We do not presume to understand how or why God does certain things—His ways are often inscrutable (Isa 40:12-17)—but we can rest in the faithfulness of God. He has stated and demonstrated repeatedly His concern for His people and His commitment to their welfare, even when they have not been particularly loyal to Him (Jer 31:35-37). He has promised that they will occupy the highest position in the future culmination of His plan, the Messianic Age (Dan 7:27; Zech 8:23). Those who would serve God must ultimately believe God. Often faith is all they have during difficult times (Job 13:15; Hab 2:4). As you remarked, “My parents never lost their ability to believe.”

          Such conviction sounds irrational to an observer who does not know God but—and here, I can only imagine your parents’ position—it is not blind faith, contrary to reason. The observer sees just the immediate situation, the cause of distress. He does not have the national tradition nor the personal experience of a relationship with God. Faith is a recognition of our place in the scheme of things and of our limited purview. If God exists, and if He is all-powerful and all-good as He claims, then we must assume He has the best interests of His people at heart and will work that out in His own way (Jer 29:11), however confusing or unfathomable it may be to us (Isa 55:8-9). The alternative, that He is not all-powerful or not all-good, will lead His people to despair of life or to forsake Him entirely. Either way, they are the poorer, for they cut themselves off from the One who gives life meaning, even in the face of death.

          Your question touches a very important matter and places you in distinguished company. Abraham, Job, Moses, Elijah, Jonah, and Habbakuk all wrestled with it. What is most important, however, is that, having asked the question, we pursue it to some resolution, as they did. That resolution need not be the answer, but it must be an understanding that permits us to affirm the powerful and loving character of God.

          I hope this discussion is of some help and that I have not presumed too much theological background. (You mentioned that your own religious commitment is not particularly strong.) These remarks are neither final nor complete, but they represent essentially my understanding of the situation in light of what the Bible says. If anything is not clear or you wish to explore some point further, please let me know.
          Paul


          Endnotes: See the pdf
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