Why Do the Righteous Suffer
& the Wicked Prosper
Through the millennia scholars and theologians struggled with this question. Books and theses abound on this topic, each with different avenues of study and theories on its resolution. Atheists and agnostics use this as a reason for doubting GOD’s existence or that GOD is truly Good. The book of Job in 42 chapters explores this dilemma, but in the end offers no solution. In the book of Malachi, the people use this as an excuse for not living righteously, deeming righteousness unnecessary and possibly conducive to suffering. In the book of Habakkuk, the prophet challenges GOD over this issue.
Indeed, the suffering of the righteous, the fragile, the widow and the orphan comprise the theme of many a worthy novel. Not one of us escapes this life without suffering in some way, and for some, in many ways, at many times. While the LORD Jesus encourages us, “You must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me” (LUK 9:23), most prefer not suffering, even for the LORD
People complain about the various things gone wrong on the Earth, such as, “the population explosion endangers all.” Let’s start with that. The dangers of over-population represents one of the fallacies of the wisdom of men. YHVH ([Yah-Whah] GOD’s personal name, EXD 3; short for “I AM that I AM”) always puts enough food and provision on the earth for every baby that is born. However, the real issue can be traced to those men who do not do well. That is, they do not freely share, they hoard or sell at too high prices or refuse using the blessings GOD gave for good. Farmers who can grow crops are paid NOT to grow crops because of market fluctuations, disregarding that there exist places in the world where those crops are needed. Sometimes we simply suffer because the wisdom of man is not true wisdom and creates problems rather than solving them; not mentioning man’s greed and other failures.
When famine truly exists, it results from disobedience to GOD or His Laws. Wherever in the world the gospel has flourished, even for a short time, the people prosper, women receive proper respect and government is well. Wherever the gospel has not gone, we see backwards development in society, people worshipping things and not GOD, and very much unwell in those lands, including famine, drought and other disaster. Those conditions exist because they ignore what should be obvious, “the heavens declare the glory of GOD,” (PSM 19:1) and worship idols and do things contrary to the Law of YHVH. All creation cries out so that all men should know, “there must be a Creator!” When missionaries come in and spread the gospel, everything begins changing for the better as people understand Who GOD is and worship Him.
Whenever we see one born disabled in any way from birth, most think, “Why did GOD do that?” Some even believe GOD meant it for a purpose, such as the perfection of the ones who give that babe care or that they have deserved that burden in some way. It never occurs to them that YHVH set that spirit in a perfect body, which suffered corruption under the hand of evil. YHVH CANNOT create imperfection; that defies His character; ALL GOD’s work is PERFECT (DTR 32:4). However we know the forces of evil maliciously hate man and their goal persists “to steal and kill and destroy,” but Jesus says, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (JHN 10:10). The LORD ultimately turns all the work of the devil to GOOD (RMN 8:28); but sometimes we suffer in the interim.
In the same way, GOD does not assign to us sickness, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares YHVH. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (JRM 29:11). GOD originally designed sickness as one of the curses for breaking the law of GOD (DTR 28:15-68), administered by the demons which remain on earth for that purpose. However, that does not demonstrate what happens on Earth in these days; one may experience sickness or other oppressions in the flesh apart from sin, because demons do not stick to the rules.
YHVH possesses the ability of ordering plagues as He did to Egypt when necessary, but the forces of evil willingly carry out those curses because they hate mankind and enjoy his suffering (ZCH 1:15). We cannot claim ever that we have no sin, but the forces of evil do not always wait for permission in afflicting us; they do anything they believe they may get away with doing without necessarily having provocation. Inappropriately, GOD gets the blame for many things not His work or His desire.
We read in the Scriptures that Jesus (YHVH in the flesh, carrying out the will of the Father), “Went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil” (ACT 10:38 ESV). Jesus healed and delivered ALL, proving that those conditions were not of GOD. In one case, where sin was an issue Jesus specified, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven!” (MTH 9:5; MRK 2:9; LUK 5:23) and in another warned, “See, you have been made well. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you” (JHN 5:14).
One may suffer with sickness if unconfessed sin or habitual sin persists in the life of a believer. In saying this, the writer implies not that if one remains afflicted with sickness, sin must be the cause. Although some take that stance, we must remember that the forces of evil constantly strive in causing misery and corrupting the LORD’s good work whenever they feel they might get away with doing so. They have no sense of “fair play,” but in fact, promote and pride themselves in the opposite.
We read of one account when this was assumed and Jesus corrected His disciples, “Now as Jesus was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth, 2 and His disciples asked Him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ 3 Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of ĔLOHIM (GOD) would be displayed in him’” (JHN 9:1-3). The LORD explains here that not that GOD caused the sickness, but that He glorifies the Father in healing the sickness and reversing the works of evil. GOD still heals, but at times, we must contend for our healing.
Mark, one of the twelve, records the LORD’s last words as He ascends into the clouds, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well” (MRK 16:17-18). The issue here, obviously, is a matter of believing. Can the unrepentant heart really believe? Is there not that lurking doubt?
Healing may not happen for a variety of reasons, not always the believer’s fault and certainly not GOD’s fault. This booklet only touches the subject and deals not with all the issues blocking healing. Believers may unknowingly have iniquity in their bloodline through the activities of their ancestors which the enemy uses as a basis for accusations or even find themselves under curses by local witches and never have any idea of it. You may not know who the local witches are, but if you are a godly Christian, they know who you are.
The bottom line, here, remains that the church and believers for the most part have little or no understanding of the very real and very dangerous spiritual battle surrounding us, nor have they been prepared for spiritual warfare. Nor do believers truly understand the deep passion of the LORD for His children and the great lengths in which He strives for our wellbeing. The LORD suffered an horrendous death for our purchase, will He not most willingly do anything else we need?
The real question in these situations is really, “Why didn’t GOD intervene?” This writer believes most questions of this sort and most dilemmas of exposition remain problems because of the inherent insufficiency of Man in knowing His Creator well and how YHVH operates. In addressing any difficulty concerning the LORD and His ways, we must first begin with the acknowledgement of His known and professed character and not approach from the opposite direction as the unbelieving do, i.e., “GOD cannot be good because”…
YHVH is Good and cannot be otherwise (PSM 73:1; NHM 1:7) for if He is not Good, He cannot be pure and holy as He claims and therefore cannot be eternal. GOD and GOD alone IS eternal because of the purity of His character. We see the opposite with Satan and the other fallen angels/so-called “gods.” At their transgression, they fell into a state of progressive deterioration, which cannot be interrupted or remedied by any means and therefore, they cannot be everlasting. Although many, many millennia may intervene, the fallen ones eventually undo themselves and lose their powers by persisting in evil. Unlike Man, no provision exists for angels who fall, because they, originally fashioned in holiness, received their inheritance at their creation so that they have no reason for covetousness or discontentment that might cause their falling.
All the false gods, so popularly extolled today, created by YHVH initially as holy angels (but now fallen), not only are not eternal, but they are not omnipotent (all-powerful) as YHVH, nor omniscient (all-knowing) as YHVH, nor omnipresent (ever present) as YHVH and never were. Their characters have been corrupted and nothing they do can stand the test of purity. Their day of reckoning quickly approaches when they all MUST kneel before YHVH their Creator and receive their final judgment and confinement for their rebellion and usurping dominion not assigned to them. Some because of their activities have already gone into confinement (JUD 6) awaiting the final judgment.
We also read in the Scriptures that, “YHVH is slow to anger and great in power; YHVH will by no means leave the guilty unpunished” (NHM 1:3). GOD must dispense perfect justice in maintenance of His divine character and yet we see here His patience with Man. The Apostle Peter attests, “YHVH does not delay the promise, as some esteem slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but all to come to repentance” (2 PTR 3:9). When Moses saw the back of GOD from the cleft of the rock, He (GOD Himself) cried out, “YHVH, YHVH, an ĔL (GOD) merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (EXD 34:6).
Considering the justice of YHVH, the modern church speaks readily of GOD’s loving and lovely nature, but hesitates in dwelling upon the equally important aspect of the need for His judgments. Because YHVH is holy, He MUST judge sin. From the Scripture mentioned previously by Peter, we see that the LORD reluctantly judges because of His great love and mercy, but He does when needful.
The wicked temporarily seem prosperous but the writer of Psalm 73 contemplates, “I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4 They have no struggle in their death; their bodies are well-fed. 5 They are free of the burdens others carry; they are not afflicted like other men. 6 Therefore pride is their necklace; a garment of violence covers them. 7 From their prosperity proceeds iniquity; the imaginations of their hearts run wild. 8 They mock and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. 9 They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongues strut across the earth…
16 “When I tried to understand all this, it was troublesome in my sight 17 until I entered ĔLOHIM’s sanctuary; then I discerned their end. 18 Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin. 19 How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors! 20 Like one waking from a dream, so You, O YHVH, awaken and despise their form” (PSM 73:3-9, 16-20).
The Psalmist here refers to the lack of understanding of the wicked, because they do not comprehend the precarious danger of their position when they commit their evil deeds which must in the end reap evil rewards. In the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus the Beggar, the LORD Jesus speaks of the plight of the wicked as the Rich Man in Hell cries out in agony, “But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony” (LUK 16:25).
The entire parable implies not that if one is rich on earth that his end lies in Hell, but the parable shows the opportunities that the rich man had of doing good, but instead he selfishly used the resources GOD gave him for his own pleasure, ignoring even an obvious opportunity of blessing the beggar at his very gate.
Even so GOD declares, “‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign YHVH, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live”’ (EZK 33:11). The LORD grieves that some of His children have sided with Satan, abandoning the good things He planned for them and consigning themselves to judgment.
The prophet writes, “The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity” (ISH 57:1 ESV). In this verse, we see sometimes GOD removes the righteous from coming evil, so that they do not suffer. We see this happening with Methuselah before the flood. At the birth of Methuselah, his father, Enoch, was shown the destruction of all the Earth, coming at his son’s death, so he named him, “At his death, it comes!” and Methuselah indeed died right before the flood of Noah. The fact that he lived longer than any other man in recorded history (969 years), also shows GOD’s extreme mercy.
Many have disregarded YHVH in their lives, instead choosing a religion of non-creation, which requires no supernatural intervention and no accountability to a Supreme Being. These adopt a theory of the “accident of creation.” Scientists today grapple with the fact that although some have espoused randomness and chance in their theories of the origin of creation, no evidence of randomness or chance appears by scientific methods of investigation.
Every part of creation, examined by scientific means, exhibits such perfect order that chance and randomness appear as impossibilities. The Scriptures affirm, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD” (PRV 16:33). Scientists now realize they cannot even produce truly random numbers. In fact, to the contrary, the universe is extraordinarily precise and all mathematical calculations prove it. Scientists call this the anthropic principle, meaning that creation seems tailored for Man’s existence. Creation shows evidence of such skillful design that in many of its operational systems, the slightest deviance would result in the collapse of that system and make life impossible.
Even the so-called simple cell actually consists of a minute community of complex machinery that defies replication even with our advanced technology. The precision and the finite nature of creation display not only the hand of the Creator, but His moment by moment care necessary for its continuance. GOD stays involved with His creation and knows everything that transpires. GOD loves you and never changes in His attitude (JMS 1:17), only you can break that relationship by choosing things other than YHVH.
With that Biblical view of the character and uniqueness of our GOD YHVH, we may continue our journey, exploring the enigmatic WHY of things in the earthly realm. Part of the answer lies in how and why GOD created Man. For this, we must go to the book of Genesis, “Then GOD said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it” (GNS 1:26).
GOD created Man for fellowship, that Man might enjoy and receive the blessings of close relationship to his Creator. While YHVH Himself cannot help loving Man because He created Him and Man belongs to Him, the LORD, on the other hand, gave Man the ability of choosing whether or not he would return that love and seek fellowship with YHVH. When GOD created Man this way, He understood the risk that Man might not respond to His love, but Man’s own sovereignty must produce the desired result in true love and not enforced in any way.
Man, then, became lord over creation and YHVH personally became His tutor, meeting with Man daily face-to-face (GNS 3:8-11). Although Man fell into disobedience almost immediately by yielding to Satan instead of obeying GOD, legally transferring Man’s dominion temporarily to Satan, the LORD always honors the sovereignty originally given to Man. Man regained dominion by our Savior’s work on the cross, but creation still groans because Man’s dominion must yet undergo enforcement.
The short answer concerning why GOD allows evil on the earth consists of three major factors that this writer identifies:
1) GOD gave Man dominion over creation and Man’s duty in that role requires he performs justice, not GOD. YHVH does not willingly intrude upon the sovereignty He gave Man even though Man, by nature, is wicked and unwise in his fallen state.
2) Satan hates YHVH and His offspring Man and desires wiping out all of mankind and making them suffer as much as possible in the process, but GOD must wait for the enactment of justice on Satan until his evil comes to its fullness and there remains no ground for a plea of injustice.
3) GOD, at various times, for different reasons, finds it necessary that He tests His children.
Although, these reasons might not sit well with Man, they reflect the perfect justice of GOD. This writer remembers, once upon a time, when cartoons and movies had heroes and when things got bad, Popeye pulled out his can of spinach and declared, “That’s all I can stanz and I can’t stanz no more!” We do find similar occasions in the Scriptures where the LORD unwillingly interferes with the rule of Man, simply because He MUST, as in the case of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. For this story let us go again to the book of Genesis.
“Then YHVH appeared to Abraham by the Oaks of Mamre in the heat of the day, while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent. 2 And Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.” (This is not the first time Abraham encounters the person of the LORD, so he knows Him by sight.)
3 ‘“O YHVH,’ said Abraham, ‘if I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will bring a bit of bread so that you may refresh yourselves. This is why you have passed your servant’s way. After that, you may continue on your way.’ (They probably have just come from Heaven, but Abraham assumes they have been traveling and follows the customary greeting of travelers.)
‘“Yes,’ they replied, ‘you may do as you have said.’ 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, ‘Quick! Prepare three portions of fine flour, knead it, and bake some bread.’
7 “Meanwhile, Abraham ran to the herd, selected a tender and choice calf, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 Then Abraham brought curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and he set them before the men and stood by them under the tree as they ate…16 When the men got up to leave, they looked out over Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them off.
17 “And YHVH said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I AM about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of YHVH by doing what is right and just, in order that YHVH may bring upon Abraham what He has promised.’
20 “Then YHVH said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great. Because their sin is so grievous, 21 I will go down to see (for Myself) if their actions fully justify the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will find out.’
22 “And the two men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before YHVH. 23 Abraham stepped forward and said, ‘Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous ones in the city? Will You really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous ones who are there? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?’
26 “So YHVH replied, ‘If I find fifty righteous ones within the city of Sodom, on their account I will spare the whole place.’ 27 Then Abraham answered, ‘Now that I have ventured to speak to YHVH—though I am but dust and ashes—28 suppose the fifty righteous ones lack five. Will You destroy the whole city for the lack of five?’
“He replied, ‘If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy it.’ 29 Once again Abraham spoke to YHVH, ‘Suppose forty are found there?’ He answered, ‘On account of the forty, I will not do it.’
30 “Then Abraham said, ‘May YHVH not be angry, but let me speak further. Suppose thirty are found there?’ He replied, ‘If I find thirty there, I will not do it.’
31 “And Abraham said, “Now that I have ventured to speak to YHVH, suppose twenty are found there?” He answered, ‘On account of the twenty, I will not destroy it.’
32 “Finally, Abraham said, “May YHVH not be angry, but let me speak once more. Suppose ten are found there?” And He answered, ‘On account of the ten, I will not destroy it.’ (Abraham may have been considering his nephew Lot, his wife, his two daughters and their betrothed and their servants would surely make ten.)
33 “When YHVH had finished speaking with Abraham, He departed, and Abraham returned home” (GNS 18: 16-33).
Here we find an interesting little story (slightly abbreviated) showing a time when judgment became absolutely necessary from the abundance of cries (prayers) to Heaven for relief. The LORD, in this narration, honors the dominion of Man by more or less inviting Abraham’s participation in His decision.
The final outcome involved the total annihilation of four cities of the plain, including Sodom and Gomorrah, and the only people spared, Lot and his two daughters. The fifth city, Zoar was only spared because Lot interceded for that city as a small one where they might find refuge. However, after Lot saw what happened to the other cities, he feared remaining even in Zoar and hid himself and his daughters in a cave.
In another narrative, when 46 walled cities of the Southern Kingdom of Judah had been wiped out by the Assyrians and the righteous King Hezekiah remained under siege in Jerusalem, King Hezekiah spreads out a letter from Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, before the LORD in the temple, which contained slanders against YHVH and threats against Jerusalem if they would not surrender. That night, the Angel of YHVH (a title usually attributed to the pre-incarnate Savior), went through the camp and slew 185,000 soldiers and in the morning, when Sennacherib arose, most of his army lay dead around him. The enemy king retreated and returned to his home, where two of his sons slew him while he worshiped his god Nisroch (ISH 36).
In that incident, we see a case where the enemy, that is Satan, attempted taking more than permitted by the LORD (because of the people’s transgression) and the LORD stepped in and fought for King Hezekiah. This occurrence deals with another issue concerning the suffering of the righteous, the devil and his evil forces do not always adhere to the rules and restrictions laid out for their continued freedom until the time of their judgment. In fact, experience and history suggests that they do whatever they believe they may get away with doing, whether or not forbidden.
Even if the LORD knows what they will do, He cannot judge them until they do it. When He judges, the LORD must have before the court enough evidence, discounting His own testimony (as their Judge), proving their involvement before He may judge them. GOD, however, does intervene many times in such situations and circumvent the activities of the evil ones, if there exists a reason the LORD may display His mercy or grace. This writer remembers the prophecy to Abraham that his descendants would go into Egypt for 400 years, “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure” (GNS 15:16). The LORD waited until the time when His justice toward the Amorites was perfect.
One reason the current heresy of “unconditional” or “greasy” grace threatens the Church, occurs in such incidents where unrepentant believers give Satan a basis on which he may accuse and do not give GOD a reason for showing His mercy or grace. The writer refers to the teachings that the saved have license in their behavior because they have repented once and because of the certainty of their salvation, need not repent ever again. What nonsense!
The Apostle Paul adamantly teaches against this in more than one place, but consider the following, “What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?…15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness?” (RMN 6:1-2, 15-16). The truth is if a believer continues profaning the Name of the LORD by his evil behavior, GOD eventually must remove him for His Name’s sake before unbelievers.
When a believer keeps a repentant heart, that is, keeps “short accounts” with GOD, then even if the Accuser lodges something against that believer, the LORD has reason for granting mercy or grace. That was originally the purpose of daily communion. Not mentioning, of course, the possibility of persistent sin forming spiritual strongholds in the believer. If this seems impossible to the Reader, consider how many believers one knows who continue with smoking, gossiping or unforgiveness or other evil habits though saved for many years, because by the constant practice of their sins have opened a door to demons.
To our shame, many churches fail teaching on demonic oppression or deliverance or the dangers of sin, confining many believers to years of suffering and wondering why GOD has not helped or healed their situation and causing doubt that GOD even loves them. The writer refers not to possession by demons, which can only occur in the unsaved, but to spiritual strongholds in the soul, which eventually produce illness and even death. If we only knew how much the LORD yearns for us and how great His passion for us!
The last reason mentioned, of GOD’s need for, at certain times, testing or trying His children may challenge the believer more than any other cause and also remains the most mysterious and difficult test of our understanding. No doubt all reading this have personal examples of things going “wrong” with no obvious explanation.
We find perhaps the best example of this in the book of Job, where Job (Whom GOD Himself attests as righteous), believing he is righteous because of his many good works, confronts the LORD with his great losses of family, wealth and health, as concerning the purpose for which YHVH afflicts him. GOD throughout the whole book never answers the question, but in the end Job finds that he was wrong in accusing the LORD as unfair as YHVH shows him Who GOD is in all His mighty works.
In the whole narrative, Job never gets an inkling that he was a part of the LORD’s challenge to Satan nor that YHVH showcased him before Satan because He loved Job. Job profited through the trial by learning more of GOD’s perfect nature and his own frailty and self-reliance on his own works for salvation.
Many times GOD tests us before a “promotion” or before we move into our next phase with the LORD. YHVH desires that we trust Him at all times, in all situations, no matter what the circumstance. We see an example of this in the book of Genesis, Chapter 22, “Take your son,” ĔLOHIM said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you” (GNS 22:2).
This command must have seemed very strange to Abraham, because YHVH never made such requests before in all the many years Abraham had known him. Although all the surrounding pagan nations offered human sacrifice, that was not the way with YHVH. Nevertheless, Abraham rose early the next morning, setting out for location the LORD described where the sacrifice should be made.
Abraham knows the LORD well enough by this time, that he hesitated not in the performance of all He commanded, perhaps, meanwhile puzzling in his heart how would Isaac produce offspring if he died. The writer of Hebrews records, “Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, ĔLOHIM was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead” (HBR 11:19) by providing the substitutionary sacrifice of a ram.
The Reader should consider that our situation today differs from Abraham’s in that he had not an express command from GOD against such things, nor a written word prohibiting it. When a believer receives a word, believed from the LORD, that word and the spirit that brought it, must be tested according to the WORD of GOD (1 JHN 4). YHVH sometimes tests us, creating in us absolute obedience and trust.
This writer considers also the circumstance of King Hezekiah when the LORD sends the Prophet Isaiah to him saying, “Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover” (ISH 38:1). In response, Hezekiah turns on his bed to the wall and cries out to the LORD, reminding Him of all the good he’s done in Israel. Before Isaiah leaves the grounds, YHVH sends him back, telling the King, He will add 15 years to his life and gives him some medical advice. One might ask, “Why did GOD tell Hezekiah he would die in the first place if He intended adding years to his life in the end?” The LORD certainly knew how Hezekiah would respond and what He Himself envisioned doing.
One may believe he would obey or trust GOD in any circumstance, but until tried, remains unproved and unresolved. The hard truth persists that man learns better in suffering than any other method of training and GOD trains us for Eternity, not just for this life. Even if GOD does not bring evil to us, He sometimes allows it as a means by which He may glorify His name in turning that evil into good, producing in us the fruits of righteousness. YHVH loves us too much that He would abandon us to our own folly or not help us in achieving all we might. He sometimes must try us and train us for our own good. Though GOD usually does not create evil in our lives if we are righteous, the LORD uses the work of the enemy for His glory.
The failure of Man in not ruling wisely or well, the contributing evil work of the enemy and the misunderstanding of our need for testing and training, create the illusion that GOD is not Good or powerful or caring. None of that is true! YHVH hates evil and loves justice and most of all, loves us! In the Day of YHVH, the LORD requites all the wrongs done on Earth since the beginning of time, finally bringing judgment on all evildoers and repairing all injuries to Man and to Earth. With the coming Eternal Kingdom, Man sees the reversal of all the curses on Man and Earth, and in the end, the removal of even death itself.
For millennia, YHVH has spoken to man about Who He is and attempted convincing rebellious Man that he belongs to GOD, his Creator and his Redeemer and that Man owes Him service. Our GOD, YHVH is a GOOD GOD, a GOOD, GOOD Father, Who only desires GOOD for mankind and desires to share the future in His magnificent kingdom with YOU!
The writer encourages the Reader, hope, believe and pray like you’ve never prayed before! These days require it.
Christian Stratiotes