The question in the title of this article has been asked by numerous people during the history of the world; it could have been asked by several people in the Bible. The person who actually voiced this sentiment, however, was Gideon. When the Angel of the Lord told him that God was with him and that he was “a mighty man of valor,” Gideon responded:
O my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, “Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?” But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites (Judges 6:13).
Gideon represents the way many people think today regarding God when things are not going well. They wonder, “Why has God forsaken me? Why doesn’t He care about me any more?” Implicit in questions like these is the idea that God has fallen down on the job–that He is somehow failing in His responsibilities.
Notice that the solution to the problem is seldom sought within the individual; the search for an explanation begins outside of self. Perhaps the fault lies in society’s evil influence, or in one’s genes, or maybe even with God; surely I have not brought any of this on myself. Victims of AIDS (and their allies in the news media) absolutely bristled when anyone suggested that the virus might be God’s judgment upon them for their “against nature” practice of homosexuality. Such a notion was rejected without even a minimum of consideration. Why, the very idea that God might hold someone accountable for his sins!
The fact is that God has and might very well bring a measure of judgment upon an individual or a group of people for the sins they have committed. Such was the case in Gideon’s day. When the people cried out to God because of their treatment by the Midianites, God sent them a prophet, who explained the event to them:
“Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. Also I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed My voice'” (Judges 6:8-10).
Here we have a Divine commentary on the reason they were being dominated by the Midianites–they had not obeyed God’s voice. Specifics are not cited in this particular case; all that is revealed is: “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian. . .” (Judges 6:1). They had probably strayed doctrinally (idolatry again), which in turn led them into immoralities. The results of their sins brought about their punishment.
When people experience evil, the first question (rather than the last) should be, “What have I done? Is this suffering my fault? Am I failing to obey God?” Yet for some reason self-examination seems to be the last avenue people want to explore. After seven years God sent a prophet to inform Israel of their offenses. Gideon remained perplexed, but disobedience was the cause.
Three Options
There are three ways to look at evil occurrences: 1) They are never sent by God as punishment for one’s sins; 2) They are always sent by God as punishment for disobedience; 3) They may or may not be directly brought about by God as retribution for rebelliousness.
The first option is refuted by Judges 6:10, which specifically states that one’s actions have provoked God. Furthermore, we know that God chastens those whom He loves (Pr. 3:11-12, which is quoted in Heb. 12:5-6). Therefore, the first course of action to pursue is self-evaluation–an honest and brutal one.
A cursory examination that downplays obedience will not suffice. Some are so shallow that they probably figure if they attended worship once or twice last month, such would be more than sufficient to please God. Never mind the times they willfully missed being gathered at the Lord’s table with other brethren to honor the One who redeemed them. Never mind that they have not encouraged a brother or a sister, comforted anyone, opened their homes in Christian hospitality, attempted to lead lost souls to Jesus, devoted themselves to holy living, or even read the Book. One wonders how some could ignore God any more than they possibly do.
Yet they still desire to be called by the name “Christian,” and they want all the benefits to which they think they are entitled. They are not unlike the Israelites of old, are they? They had not totally discarded Jehovah when they pursued other gods. They still knew what He had done in the past; they had passed down from generation to generation the account of their deliverance from Egypt and the miracles God had performed. Too bad they could not equally remember His Divine laws and commandments, such as not having any other gods before Him and not making any graven images.
Some appear to have the philosophy that it’s their job to enjoy living and God’s job to take care of any problems and hindrances that would get in the way. The Jews were way ahead of their time; they were multi-cultural (not to mention multi-deital) before it became politically correct. They must have reasoned that, as long as Jehovah remained in their pantheon, they could worship others, also. Probably the general philosophy was that it didn’t so much matter whom one worshipped-as long as he was sincere.
But God does not accept all who say, “Lord, Lord”–especially when they put other gods (or their equivalent, such as materialism, comfort, etc.) on an equal plane or when they erroneously conclude that some semblance of religion is all right even though they ignore specific commands (Matt. 7:21-23). God expected out of Israel what he also expects of us–“to do the will of the Father who is in heaven.”
Those who would insist that every unfortunate circumstance is definitely the punishment of God for a person’s sins also make a mistake–the same one that Job’s “friends” made. They accused Job of bringing upon himself all of his misfortunes. He needed (in their estimation) to acknowledge his sinfulness and repent.
When Job tried to explain that he had not violated God’s laws in any way that corresponded to the misery he was experiencing, they accused him of being hypocritical: “So, you don’t sin, eh?” Of course Job sinned, but he was humble and repentant. He had examined himself–probably much more thoroughly than his unhelpful visitors ever had; he knew he had not merited such suffering. And he was right. God can afflict the unrighteous, but it is equally true that the devil afflicts the righteous. All of the apostles (except John), who preached the gospel and lived righteously, were persecuted and put to death, as were many Christians. It is not safe to assume that all tragedies are the result of a person’s individual sins.
The third option is the correct one–sorrowful situations may or may not be punishment from God. One must evaluate carefully to make the right determination. If God is chastising us, we must repent and be restored. If the devil is troubling us, we need to call upon God for strength to endure (Heb. 12:1-4).
Understanding
When suffering does descend upon us, we look for logical explanations. We want to know why we are in this particular predicament. There may be no answer that satisfies us. Job was not given one in the midst of his suffering; and when God answered him, it was to inform him that he was not in a position to demand an answer.
Of course, we are in a much better position to understand than Job was; we have his story recounted, as well as many other passages of Scripture which reiterate the point of that book. Paul, for example, asked the Lord three times to remove the thorn in his side, “a messenger of Satan” (2 Cor. 12:7), but God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Understanding, however, does not make enduring less painful, but it helps to fortify the soul.
Let us not lose sight of these facts, lest we become like the people of Gideon’s day, who still retained a knowledge of God (and His wondrous deeds) but could not understand why He had deserted them. “Why then has all this happened to us?” There is a reason–either God is punishing us because of our sins, or the devil is afflicting us because of our righteousness. If the first alternative is true, we must repent; if the second, we must endure, as did Job and Paul.