Why the Innocent Sometimes Suffer

Is It God’s Will?

by Doug Schofield

Sometimes we can’t help but ask ‘why’ when we see innocent little children suffering from some dread disease; or the elderly people who drowned in their nursing home beds in the wake of hurricane Katrina, or a family who has lost a child in some tragedy. It is natural that we should have such a response because, at least for most of us, our lives are largely untouched by the everyday tragedies of life. There are even many who have experienced difficulties in life, have overcome them, and will acknowledge that on the whole they are indeed most richly blessed. But then some sad tragedy strikes close enough to stir our emotions, and the natural instinct seems to be to ask ‘why’?

One of the most inappropriate characteristics of human nature, which seems to be especially rampant in society right now, is the abdication of personal responsibility. No one seems to want to accept responsibility for their own actions; instead there is great energy expended in trying to fix blame anywhere else except where it belongs. It’s not new; Adam tried to shift the blame for his sin in Genesis 3:12, (“...the woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I ate.”) The grossest ineptitude gets whitewashed with an overdose of trying to place blame for failings at the feet of others. Most people simply do not want to accept responsibility for their own actions, or lack thereof. When hit by some misfortune many people seem naturally to want to say ‘why’, looking for answers outside of themselves.

Judges 6:13, “And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us?” 2 Chronicles 7:21, “…why hath the Lord done thus unto this land…?” Job asked ‘why’ more than a dozen times; he was suffering such misery that he even asked repeatedly why he had not died at birth. King David, in Psalms 88:14 said, “O Jehovah, why do You cast off my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me?” He was no doubt feeling as though God had abandoned him to the misfortune that he had suffered. Matthew 27:46, even our Lord Himself said, “… My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

“WHY, indeed?” There are some questions for which we simply cannot know the answers on this side of eternity, Deuteronomy 29:29, “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God…” However, the topic of human suffering is not one of those things. The Bible gives us answers. Many people have difficulty reconciling in their minds just how it is that our Heavenly Father, the God of the universe, can allow certain things to happen to certain people. After all, He is supposed to be all powerful, all knowing, all loving – and that’s just the point. It’s because he IS all those things that things happen which are beyond our ability to comprehend. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts,” Isaiah 55:9.

The difficulties we experience in this life, even the tragedies and disasters, all occur for a reason - the law of cause and effect. No, it has nothing to do with God bringing judgment on any one individual or group because of sin. Luke wrote in Acts 10:34 that God is no respecter of persons. (Also Romans 2:11). He will not single out some to suffer and others not to. God does not exact retribution against mankind in that manner any more. Oh, sin most definitely has consequences which are often manifested in this life; both directly upon the offender, as well as upon innocent unrelated individuals. But those are consequences; they are by no means punishment for sin. Once God destroyed almost the entire population of the earth because of sin, (Genesis chapter 6); and afterward He promised that He would not destroy the world in that manner again because of man’s sin, but next time He would destroy the world by fire. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. And the earth and the works in it will be burned up,” 2 Peter 3:10. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,” (Romans 6:23).

The simple fact is, that because of God’s love for mankind, he granted to man the freedom of choice. “Made in the image and likeness of God”,(Genesis 1:26), means that we, like Him, are endowed with the ability and freedom to make choices. It is inherent then that those choices will have consequences. A great portion of the Bible is filled with examples of choices and consequences in order that we may be able to learn this great and important lesson. Cain chose to worship God in his own way instead of following God’s command and he was rejected; the people of Noah’s day chose to ignore God in their lives and were destroyed; Samson chose to compromise his integrity and lost his strength; the people of Sodom and Gomorrah chose to live in sin and were destroyed; and the list goes on and on.

Much of the suffering we experience does come about as a result of choices we have made; (i.e. lung cancer, AIDS, cirrhosis of the liver may be usually traced to choices made by the individual; thousands were killed by the recent tsunami because they chose to live on the coast). Many times there are those who suffer because of the choices of other people; (i.e. the children who go without adequate food or clothing because of a dad’s gambling habit; the baby born with AIDS; the family who looses its dad because of some drunk driver, etc.)

Sometimes many people suffer because of the choices made by previous generations. Millions starve in India because their ancestors taught the false doctrine of reincarnation, thus abundant cattle roam freely while people refuse to slaughter them for food because they might be eating grandma. The entire race of humanity suffers the toils of labor because of the sin of Adam, (Genesis 3:17-19). Likewise, many benefit from the good choices made by others. Polio is almost unheard of today; penicillin is widely available to restore health and prolong life. We enjoy the convenience and freedom of transportation provided by the automobile. Sons and daughters grow up to become successful, productive members of society helped along by choices made by their parents, and others end up in prison for the same reason because the lack the will to choose to do that which is right.

God has put into place certain natural laws which, when observed will produce beneficial consequences, but ignoring them will result in tragedy. The laws of gravity, of inertia, and of electromagnetism are but a few of the examples. God will not set aside nor suspend those laws to keep someone from suffering the consequences of violating them. One of the first laws of nature is that of reproduction after kind, (Genesis 1:21, 25; 6:20 and 7:14). Thus the continuation of life on earth is accomplished; but likewise, the spread of disease results from failure to observe certain other laws. The law of gravity makes it possible for us to live on earth, but God will not suspend that natural law to keep someone who jumps off a building from death.

We face many choices as we go through life, and make many decisions. Every one of those choices will carry with it some consequence – and, of course, the ultimate choice we must make is whether to be obedient and faithful to God or not. In Exodus 32:26 Moses asked “Who is on the Lord’s side?” Joshua asked the same question, (Joshua 24:15). Jesus said, “Whosoever will, let him come…” (Revelation 22:17). God has granted us the freedom to choose whether we will serve Him or not. That is the most important decision of all, and like every other choice we will ever make, it too has consequences. But, unlike all other choices, the consequences are eternal.