But the Lord did not want to destroy David’s dynasty, for he had made a covenant with David and promised that his descendants would continue to rule, shining like a lamp forever. (2 Chronicles 21:7)
Read: 2 Chronicles 21:1-23:21, Romans 11:13-36, Psalm 22:1-18, Proverbs 20:7
Relate: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Sometimes I think people throw this question around like a bug spray. Whenever they want their friendly neighborhood Christian evangelist to go away and bother someone else, they simply throw this question out into the air. Some people are genuinely asking the question out of a position of love or of deep pain but a vast majority of the time the people doing the asking are showing a level of concern they never otherwise would have. They are talking about the victims of whatever the most current news cycle is displaying even though they have never and will never do a thing themselves for those same victims. Or they could be using the more generic “starving children in Africa”. To that I have only to say I know an orphanage of such children in Africa that has raised more than $800 to help out Syrian refugee victims. Just further proof that it is often the most needy who are also the most generous, but I digress…
One very similar question that is not so often asked is: “Why do good things happen to bad people?” Did you ever notice this? Did you ever wonder why this question is so much less popular than its opposite? My personal theory is that it happens to hit so much closer to home. I mean, bad things happening to good people, usually if I am asking about that I am speaking about someone else. Most of the time I know why the bad things that happen to me are happening. My electric went off because I was too lazy to pay my bill on time. I got sick because I am not taking care of my body as I should. Yes, there are random things out of my control but most of the bad in my life is the result of the bad I have put on it. However, if I were to balance things out I think it is fair to say I have been unjustly blessed far more than I have been unjustly cursed. If any of you reading this don’t agree with me in your own personal life, I would encourage you to become more involved with the truly unfortunate near where you live. If you don’t know many then come on down to my neck of the woods (er… desert) for a month or two. I promise it will be eye opening. We are all when we are honest receiving good we don’t deserve far more than bad.
React: In the case of Jehoram this is crystal clear and scripture even tells us exactly why he was being blessed even though he was only a small step below a Hitler or Stalin type ruler. He was being blessed because a King named David, who lived hundreds of years earlier passionately pursued after God. David was no saint himself. He committed murder, adultery, nepotism, he was often an arrogant king and a poor fatherly role model. Yet in spite of all this, he was quick to repent and always turned back to God who he loved with all his heart through all his failures. As a result, God faithfully maintained his descendants on the throne for centuries to come. For how many generations will my right choices echo down through time? How many of the descendants of my own great grandchildren be blessed because of the way I pursue after God today? Could they end up being blessed because of my love for God? Could the blessings in my own life be the product of my grandparents grandparents? Scripture says the bad choices we make can echo down through generations but the good ones will ring out for millennia. What kind of impact am I leaving behind?
Respond:
Dear God,
Thank you for not giving me what I don’t deserve. I have been blessed far beyond what I deserve. I know that some of this is because of the rich legacy I have been born into but far, far more it is the product of the family I have been adopted into. You have chosen me and called me Your child. Now You continue to bless me in ways beyond counting. You have given me Your good and taken my bad and I can never begin to adequately express my gratitude. Now help me to do as You have done. Help me to be a blessing of good even when the world around me is not. Let my love for You ring down through time.
Amen
THE RIVER WALK 
I love this statement: “if I were to balance things out I think it is fair to say I have been unjustly blessed far more than I have been unjustly cursed.”
That right there is spot on. It’s what the Israelites forgot on their way to Canaan. It’s what we forget whenever we complain. I try very hard—when I am troubled—to remember my blessings aloud. But when I just need to lay my burdens before the Lord, I have made a practice of saying, “I know you have given me more than I deserve, but I am afraid/troubled/distressed and you are the one I trust to confide in.”
It is notable that of the ‘big 6’ large world religions, only christianity and islam engage in evangelism at scale. The practice moves the discussion from low key philosophy to intense selling of doctrine. Discounting all the ‘law of attraction” new age charlatans; scholars have not assigned them a unitary label, nor do they embrace one. I personally do talk to the mormons and jehovahs witnesses when they turn up, which doesnt mean they arent annoying, but they tend to lose interest when one starts talking about witchcraft, psychedelics, and daoism, particularly if one is presently enmeshed in a narrative that runs against consensus reality. Interesting post, as usual.
I like the phrase, “Sometimes I think people throw this question around like a bug spray.” What a good thought. Thanks for a very insightful article.
Thank you for a thought provoking post. The whole question of why God allows evil boils down to the fact that we live in a free will world. God has given us a choice. Good or evil. Of course, He does everything He can to help us choose the good. Some people are still overwhelmed by the enticement of evil. Therefore, others have to suffer from those people’s choice. Even so, God still does everything He can to help both those who are suffering from others’ choices and the people making the bad choices. His help is ALWAYS and only good and it’s always from His perspective of doing the best for each person for their eternal salvation. We all have examples of someone, including ourselves, who learned more from making a poor choice than from making a proper one. Our proper choices do help our descendants, but ultimately they will have to make their choice as well. We can send our prayers ahead for them by faith.
Thanks for sharing this. The question why good things happen to bad people is really provocative and one I don’t ask myself enough. I think we tend to avoid this question because it can make us feel guilty for not getting punished for our poor actions. However, I also think we avoid this question because it forces us to confront the reality of grace, a grace which points to the love of God himself who saves us even though you’re all accounts sin has made us guilty and deserving of punishment.
I guess I’ve pondered that question concerning my own life. Diabetes early on as a child of 12 or 13 side effects, Hashimotos (thyroid), Dupuytrens, and joint issues etc. I’ve come to this conclusion for myself at least, it really doesn’t matter…you either believe God is good and loving, or you don’t, in spite of the circumstances. Yes, we live in a fallen world…it rains on the just and unjust, but it all boils down to ‘faith’, and knowing who God is.
Very thought provoking post and one that we needed to hear. Thank you.
Thank you for such a “spot on” post. One to keep on reading every time bad comes for a visit.😊
When I think of bad things happening to good people, I think of Job, a saint who God gave over to Satan to test his faith, when they reduced him to nothing from a life of blessing to hell. All to test his faith!
“why do good things happen to bad people?” Food for thought.