It is often asked, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"
To try and answer that question today,
I'm going to talk about "Why do Good things happen to bad
people".
One of the strangest lawsuits in US court
history was filed on September 14, 2007.
It was filed by Nebraska Senator Ernie
Chambers.
First elected to represent North Omaha's
11th District in the Nebraska State Legislature in 1970, Chambers was
successfully re-elected in every ensuing election through 2004.
On April 25, 2005, Chambers became
Nebraska's longest-serving state senator, having served for more than 35 years.
He was seeking to stop evil and injustice
in the world, and he actually filed a lawsuit against God. The lawsuit sought a
permanent injunction against God's interference in this world.
Senator Chambers said of God, "He
has allowed certain harmful activities to exist that have caused grave harm to
innumerable people in the world."
The lawsuit charged God with causing
fearsome floods, egregious earthquakes, horrendous hurricanes, tornadoes,
plagues, famines, devastating droughts, genocidal wars, birth defects, and the
like.
Chambers continued in the lawsuit, saying
that God has allowed "calamitous catastrophes resulting in the wide-spread
death, destruction, and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's
inhabitants including innocent babes, infants, children, the aged, and infirm
without mercy or distinction."
Eventually the lawsuit was dismissed with
prejudice.
I find it interesting, as well as
amusing, that the Nebraska court ruled they could not properly notify God
because they did not have his address.
Senator Chambers, on the other hand,
disagreed with the ruling.
He claimed that because God is omniscient
and knows everything, he should have known he was being sued and appeared in
court to defend himself.
While we may ridicule Senator Chambers
for his ill-reasoned accusations, and claims, we might want to recognize his
honesty.
At this point you may be asking me
"Why would I want to recognize his honesty"?
Well, you see, Chambers is not alone in
seeking to put God on trial. For
centuries, people have put God on trial.
Whenever humanity is faced with the
incongruities of life—that bad things happen to good people, or worse, that
good things happen to bad people—God goes on trial.
I find myself doing the same thing
sometimes when I watch all the senseless killing on the evening news.
Or the devastation and deaths wreaked by
natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, eathquakes and flooding.
To get some insight on this question,
let's turn in our Bibles to Psalm 73.
This is where we meet Asaph.
Asaph is identified with twelve Psalms
and is said to be an ancestor of the Asaphites.
The Asaphites were one of the guilds of
musicians in the First Temple. This information is clarified in the Books of
Chronicles.
In Chronicles, it is said that Asaph is
identified as a member of the Levites.
He is also known as one of the three
Levites commissioned by David to be in charge of the singing in the house of
Yahweh.
In Psalms 73, God is on trial in this
lament.
The psalmist functions more as the
defense attorney than the prosecuting attorney.
Psalm 73 begins the third book of the
Psalter, which is the collection of some of Israel's prized hymns, ballads, and
congregational hymns.
As most of us know, not every psalm was
composed by David. In fact, not all of the psalms, as we have them in our
English Bibles, are recorded chronologically.
They are compiled in an instructive
theological order: an order that is designed to shed light on the unpredictable
path of life.
That's why the psalmist can say in Psalm
119, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."
There are five seperate books in the
Psalms. Book three is the smallest of
the five, with 17 psalms. This is where
we find Psalm 73.
Much like Leviticus, the third book of
the Pentateuch, this third book of the psalms focuses acutely on the holiness
of God.
That Psalms 73 opens the third book is
important for our application of the holiness of God to the ugly aspects of
life.
When this Psalter opens, it does so as an
invitation to consider the path of wisdom.
It stands as a road sign to contrast two
paths of life: one is the way of wisdom, the other the way of wickedness.
It makes no assumptions as to which way
you will choose; it only invites you to pick the path of wisdom.
One might think, that those who choose
wisdom—that is, those who continue as students and practitioners of the wisdom,
would have lives that bleed prosperity.
In real life,this definetly is not so.
Time and time again, Psalm 73 echoes
forward to us that even those who live wisely face difficultys, up to and
including premature death.
Biblical wisdom is no sure prevention
from trouble, but it is a cure for heartache.
According to 1 Chronicles 23:2-5, the
38,000 Levites were divided by David into four divisions.
To the last division of 4,000 was
assigned the musical side of worship. Out of this division, a select company of
288 singers was singled out and divided into 24 courses.
These were placed under different song
leaders, and of these leaders, Asaph was the chief of sacred music, 1 Chron.
16:5.
Of all people, why would Asaph—the chief
worship leader—write something so indicting, scathing, and envious as this
psalm?
I'll tell you why. It is because the
existential experiences of life can deceive your vision and disrupt your faith.
It is the same reason many people don't
pray, don't read the Word of God, and don't trust in God.
It is because a misplaced perspective is
our enemy's tool to keep us away from God.
This psalm argues that if you cannot see
good in your future, then the problem is not with God, but with your vision.
This text raises the question of
perspective: how do we view life when good things happen to bad people?
The text is tailored to teach us that the
incongruities of life will destroy your faith unless you regularly enjoy God's
presence.
When the incongruities of real life and
right theology trespass on the domain of your theological comfort, don't look
down, around, or within, but look up.
When the harsh realities of life disrupt
your neat theological categories, get to the sanctuary.
It in the sanctuary, you realize that God
really is good.
As the curtain rises on Psalm 73, its
premise leaps forward.
Look at verse one, it says, "Surely
God is good ... to those who are pure in heart."
In other words, God is nothing but good
to his covenant people.
Asaph came to realize that in spite of
the incongruities of life which is described in verses 3-14, God still, is
good.
Though the truth is that God is good,
life has real circumstances that force doubt upon us.
When I was growing up, my parents taught
us a prayer of thanksgiving that we said before every meal which started out,
"God is great, God" is Good, let us thank Him for our food...".
Yet, I don't always see life match up to
that proclamation.
As you read this psalm, you can feel the
tension in Asaph's lament.
The good news I have for you is that the
Christian has the privilege of addressing the perceived contradictions to God.
Scholars tell us that the grammatical
construction of verse two intentionally disjoins the thought that "God is
good".
There is a clean break at verse two. In
it, Asaph sets in contrast his own thoughts and experience against verse one.
In verse two he says, "But as for
me". This is intended to suggest
that his experience contradicts the declaration of verse one, where it says,
"God is good".
You can feel the tension in Asaph's
lament and you can see the comparison.
The good news is that the Christian has
the privilege of addressing perceived contradictions to God.
Let me ask you, is this not how life
sometimes goes? That there are moments when our experience doesn't line up with
what the Bible says it should be.
When wickedness seems to win, when the
high courts rule against the will of God, when reckless police officers shoot
the unarmed, and when evil men grow in power and influence.
The experience of life does not appear
perfectly aligned with the providence of God. In these moments, we can
inadvertently trade what we know for what we see.
We can know truth, but experience can
cause us to doubt truth. This psalm reminds us that not all truth is visible in
its final application.
Some truth is like fruit, like an apple.
It is there and alive in seed form, but it has not yet expanded into the final
fruit that we can enjoy and eat.
One must appreciate the honest response
of the psalmist to the apparent prosperity of the wicked.
You can feel the toil in his reflection?
Verse 2
says, "[M]y feet had almost slipped".
Then verses 4-12 run a list of why he
almost stumbled.
These are benefits directly opposed to,
or mutually incompatible to the promises made in Psalm 73 verse 1.
In verse 4 he tells us the wicked do not
struggle but rather that the bodies of the wicked are "healthy and
strong".
The verse suggests that the wicked are
strengthened, not weakened.
Look at verses 5,6,and 7, it says,
"They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued
like other men. Therefore pride compasseth about them as a chain; violence
covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more
than heart could wish."
The verses say that the wicked enjoy
visible happiness. Externally, they parade their pride like necklaces.
They show off their violent deeds,
including those they got away with, like the clothing they wear.
The wicked enjoy internal prosperity just
as much as their external happiness. What a combination! They have been so
satisfied that their eyes bulge out from fatness. They want for nothing.
Look at verse 7 and 8:
"They are corrupt, and
speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens, and
their tongue walketh through the earth."
Asaph is telling us their wicked
imaginations come to life. Not only are they free from external threats, but
they even enjoy peace of mind, completely untroubled by a good conscience.
The wicked strut through the streets and
have taken the place of God in this world.
You can sense that the psalmist is
haunted by this. He is tempted to believe that his dedication to God is for
nothing.
Do not, for one moment, think these
sentiments are unreal to us today.
Look at certain parts of the world to see
just how real this is, where injustice rides the coattails of the wicked.
North Korea, the middle east, parts of
Africa are just some of the places that come immediately to mind.
What are we to do with this blatant
success of the wicked?
But wait, a shift in Asaph's language is
coming up.
You see he based this assessment on what
some people believe goodness to be. He argued that the goodness of God is
demonstrated in a person's life by their material possessions and their
physical health.
But, in Psalms 73, Asaph then begins to
reckon that the proper criterion for understanding the goodness of God is not
health or wealth, but rather the character of God.
To know God is to know that He is good.
Conversly, to know that God is good, you have to know God.
I can identify from my past, in a lesser,
lighter way.
In the seventh grade, I asked my parents
for a particular brand of cologne for Christmas. The brand I wanted was quite expensive for
someone my age. I needed it to make the
right impression on a particular girl I liked.
We were not poor, but there were six of
us in the family and money was tight. My
dad worked hard, sometimes two jobs, to to ensure that we had a home, food to
eat, and cloths on our backs. There was
little money left over for frivolous things.
They could not afford to buy me the brand
of cologne that I wanted, so they purchased one of the imitation brands.
Needless to say I was disappointment in
the gift and also blamed the cologne and my parents when it didn't impress the
girl of my affection in the least.
Anyone could see that my parents were
good parents, but, if you were to ask me the question—"Robert, are your
parents good to you?", my response on that Christmas season would not have
been very positive.
It is not that my parents were not good
to me; it was that I was not looking in the right place for a demonstration of
their goodness.
After a while, Asaph was able to say that
God is good because he started looking in the right place to see God's
goodness.
He looked at God's abiding character and
faithfulness.
Life needs upward perspective
All of life is lived from a chosen point
of view.
That is not to say reality is determined
by perspective, but it is to say that reality is shaded by perspective.
Asaph examined his personal sacrifice for
God and counted it wasted.
In vain he kept his life from the stain
of vice. His faith seemed worthless. In honest reflection, he came close to
resignation; the burden of the wicked enjoying mass prosperity was too much for
him.
In verse 16 he makes a personal confession:
"When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me". After lengthy contemplation, God's way still
seemed tainted by iniquity.
What do we do with good things happening
to bad people and bad things happening to good people?
I don't know if this is a fair question,
as it assumes some people are always good.
Whether it is fair, the idea is clear.
There is a proper expectation that as
people of God, we have his faithfulness in us, and his consequent rejection of
the wicked.
But life still happens. In this world, we
do not always see the righteous on top and the wicked at the bottom.
This is an implication of the problem of
evil. Trying to unravel the perplexity of the problem of evil can often result
in unresolved disappointments.
There is one solution to the problem of
evil: get to the sanctuary of God. Go to the place of God's presence. You will
see something there that you will not see in the courts of Justice.
You can hear Asaph lamenting in Psalm 73,
verses 16-17:
"When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then
understood I their end."
The word "untill" is the point
of contrast and change.
"Untill" points to a break in
the proceedings.
The sanctuary is the place of
equilibrium. It is the place where the topsy-turvy nature of life - sets itself
on the solid rock.
The contrast between verse two and verse
18 could not be more vivid.
In verse two, Asaph says he almost
slipped because he saw how carefree the wicked lived.
Now, in verse 18, he sees that the ground
on which the wicked walk provides no sure footing.
It may seem that the wicked are riding
high, but give it time. After a while, those who disregard God will come
crashing to the ground.
The converse is our blessed assurance. We
do not merely rejoice at the rejection of the wicked: we celebrate that their
rejection indicates the eventual prosperity of the righteous.
The spiritual altitude of the sanctuary
is the perch from which we see life as it actually is. It is as if you can hear
Asaph saying in postmodern vernacular,
"When I walked in and the choir was singing 'How Great is our
God,' my vision started to even up with God's vision like the lense of a
camera. What was fuzzy became
clearer."
It takes what we see and hear in the
sanctuary to help straighten life out. We all need a "Untill" moment.
Traffic can be the most difficult part of
any trip. Every time Sue and I leave on a trip, I have Sue turn on the radio
hoping to hear local traffic reports.
We tune in and if we are lucky, we get
pertinent information relative to out trip.
Periodically, while listening to the
radio, we can hear the helicopters moving in the background.
The person giving the traffic report is
flying in a helicopter, which gives them to a larger vantage point.
The traffic report doesn't change the
congestion; it just tells us what we can expect up ahead.
The traffic report doesn't move the
accidents; it just tells us how to avoid them.
The traffic report doesn't eliminate our
problematic trip; it just tells us how to navigate through it.
I may not be in the helicopter, but the
station pays a reporter to get in there for me and stream back down to pavement
level what's going on ahead of us.
The Bible and the sanctuary every Sabbath
is our helicopter.
We come to the sanctuary every Saturday
to worship and see things as they really are.
We get to see that every valley will be
exalted, and every mountain will be made low.
We get to see that every rough place will
be made plain, and every crooked place will be made straight.
We get to see that the workers of
iniquity will soon be cut down and that they will wither like cut grass.
We get to see that one day, every knee
will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.
We get to see that the wicked—though on
top now—will soon be cut down, and we will be done with the trouble of the
world.
God alone satisfies. Psalm 73 gives us the blessed assurance that
the faith of believers will one day be vindicated.
Our faith is confirmed when we realize
the hope of glory. The future discloses the activity of God: he will expose the
wicked as fantasies.
Allen Ross, who taught at the Trinity
Episcopal School for Ministry and at the Dallas Theological Seminary, and
served as director of the Christian Leadership Center, in Tallahassee,
Florida. says it this way:
"Those who rebel against God will perish, but believers will find
joy and safety in God's presence. We will know that the prosperity of the
wicked was a sham. It was form without substance. When the wicked awake, they
will see their prosperity was a dream."
My conclusion is this: God is our
strength and our portion. This is why this psalm is in the Bible. We cannot
give up on God.
The solution to Asaph's dilemma is the
cure for our own. The nearness of God is our good. Ps. 73:28 says:
"But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust
in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works."
Theologians call this the transcendence
and immanence of God. Though God is so high that you cannot touch him, he has
come so near that he touches you.
You can encourage the nearness of God. In
the New Testament, James 4:8 says that if we draw near to God, he will draw
near to us.
Those who reject God will face the force
of spiritual gravity. Those who cling to God—though, at times, life seems to
contradict the promise of his Word—eventually they will find a victorious
outcome.
In Conclusion I want to leave you with
this.
A couple of years back I was watching a
college basketball game in the living room. It was a game charged with
excitement and intensity: my favorite team was fighting to stay in the NCAA
tournament. They were losing by one
point with less than a minute to play.
I was watching every play with scrutiny
and intensity. I wanted my team to win. I sat there in my teams jersey,
pretending as though I were sitting in the stands.
As the camera panned the crowd, you could
see the people in the stands visibly moved. They were jumping, leaping,
pounding on the bleachers, and screaming. I didn't move a muscle.
In fact, I sat and watched calmly. Given
my passion for my team and how much I wanted them to win, anyone who knew me
would wonder how I could sit so cool and collected with my team losing and less
than a minute to go.
At that moment my wife walked into the
living room and said to me, "Why are you're watching that game again, we
saw them win last night?"
You see, I was watching a replay. I there
was no need to get stressed, to sit on pins and needles. It was not because I
did not care, it was because I already knew the outcome of the game.
Through the Word of God, we can see the
future, too. We live life knowing the
outcome.
God judges the wicked because he is good.
Most of all never forget that God also
rewards the righteous, ... because he is good.
