Why Does God Allow Tragedies? (1 of 5)

A few months ago, I shared on Facebook the following quotes from an online devotional I was reading:

"God gives us the freedom to make choices. In giving us that freedom, He is not going to keep us from using it however we want to. He will never force us against our wills to go in the directions He wants us to go. God gave us the freedom to choose between right and wrong, and if this world seems deeply troubled, it’s because we humans keep making bad choices."

"Giving us free will was risky on God’s part because we have a tendency to misuse it."

(from The Lies We Believe About God, by Dr. Chris Thurman, read on YouVersion)

I had a friend respond with questions. Here I paraphrase:
- Why doesn't [God] save more from tragedies?
- Young girls are being raped and murdered. Why won't he save that kinda stuff?
- Why does a sweet, kind God not save children?

This friend rightly suggested that these questions are tough for many non-believers. They are difficult for many believers as well. Numerous resources exist, many I have not personally read, although since the questions were asked, I read some of them, prayed, and asked a few other people, too. I will do my best to address these and answer the question about why God allows tragedies, understanding that I don’t have all the answers myself either.

Because I compiled a lot of information and ideas, I am dividing this topic up into five posts. I hope you will be able to read all of them, consider what they say, and find some peace.

Here we go!

1.      1. Everyone has free will to make the choices that they want. Unfortunately, in the cases that we are considering, those choices affect more than just the person making the choice - which is actually true for every decision we make, just to differing levels. People are affected, whether the wrong choice was to lie, steal office supplies, watch pornography, or much more egregious cases of rape, murder, and abuse. The Bible says that the sins of one person affect the children to the third or fourth generation (Numbers 14:18, Exodus 20:5, Exodus 34:7, Deuteronomy 5:9). (Many translations of the Bible actually say that “He punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation,” but we have to remember that we are not reading the original language. It is my belief that there is a translation issue here, because each person will be judged for their own sins and not those of another person (Ezekiel 18: 4, 13, 17-20). I believe that it means that the effects/consequences of the person’s sin can be felt for three or four generations.) There is good news though! The Bible says that those who love the LORD and keep his commandments will benefit their children for a thousand generations (Exodus 20:6, Deuteronomy 5:10, Deuteronomy 7:9)! That is much more than three or four generations!

2.      2. God is not ignoring sin. He is just and will repay sinners for their actions. It might not be in the time that we think He should do it, nor in the way that we think He should deal with it, but that is not for us to decide. He does promise us, though, that He will deal with sin.

a.       “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to revenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord,” – Romans 12:19

b.       “The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.”  - Nahum 1:2-3

c.       “God presented him [Jesus] as a sacrifice of atonements, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance, he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished,” – Romans 3:25 (Justice will come.)

d.       “…he does not leave the guilty unpunished…” – Exodus 34:7

e.       “…Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished…” – Numbers 14:18

f.        “When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed,” – Revelation 6:9-11 (This passage is a little difference, since it is dealing with martyrs for the faith, but it still addresses justice for those who persecute others, especially those of the faith.)

g.       “But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction…” – Deuteronomy 7:10

h.       “Do not say, ‘I’ll pay you back for this wrong!’ Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you,” – Proverbs 20:22
i.     " Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism." - Colossians 3:25
j.         “’No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will show myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards, they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God,’” – Ezekiel 28:24-26

Before I move on, I do want to point out some great news: God also forgives sin! We are ALL sinners in need of forgiveness. Romans 3:23 tells us “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The crux of this, however, is repentance. We must recognize our sin and call it what it is – sin. We must be sorrowful over it and ask God to forgive our sin. We must be willing to put forth the effort to change, to turn away from the sin. If, in good faith, we do these things, He will forgive. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives,” – 1 John 1:9

It may be hard to accept, but even rapists and murderers can receive forgiveness from God for their past sins - if they truly repent and turn their lives over to God. Matthew 20:1-16 contains a parable from Jesus that is often referred to when considering people who accept Jesus later in life - even after committing sins all their life - can still receive the reward of eternal life with God. It is for God to decide, not us.