"Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?"

 

Psalm 73:1  Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart.

 

Questions the Psalmist Addresses:

1.    Why is there evil in the world? Some people solve the problem by denying that evil exists, but substitutes illusion for fact.  And then some just plain deny that God exists.   Matthew Henry said that the Psalmist Asaph got the victory by degrees. As you understand the various stages that  the writer went through in his struggle, you will better grasp the solution to this perennial problem of evil in the world.

2.    Why do bad things happen to good people?

3.    How do you witness to a world that sees the godless prosper?

4.    Is it worth it to be a believer?

 

The Psalmist struggles with the problem of evil in the world in this Psalm, and it is only by going through several steps that he reaches a victory in understanding the dilemma.

 

“Look Back—Affirm Our Faith in God’s Past Goodness”

A.  It is good to believe in God, but better to believe that God is good—the writer affirms the faith as he looks back at the history of Israel.

B.   The history of Israel was a record of the goodness of God, and the writer knew it. 

1.    God made a covenant with Israel that He would bless and care for them if they would glorify Him by obeying His Law

2.    The Psalmist knew that God wanted obedience to that covenant from the heart

But now here is the problem.  Asaph was a faithful Jew, obedient to the Law, and he had a pure heart and clean hands.  But he was enjoying the goodness of God in his life.  His godless neighbors were in better shape materially and physically than he was.  Was there something wrong with his life that he could not see?  Sounds like Job.  How could he escape?