Why Good Things Happen to Bad People
One cannot ask why bad things happen to good people without also
feeling the same tinge of injustice when we contemplate why good
things happen to bad people. This is the question that anguished
the Psalmist. He found himself in terrible distress and agony of
soul. He says, "My feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my
foothold."
The Psalmist was experiencing a very old problem; one that is
still with us today. He had begun to observe the prosperity of
the wicked. He began to notice that the ungodly, the
unregenerate, the un-repented people; those who had no need for
God, who did not acknowledge God or believe in God; who did
their own thing, lived for themselves, behaved as they pleased,
seemed to be having a good time in this world. The unbelievers
who made and lived by their own rules, played their own songs,
and danced to their own music was enjoying all the wealth and
pleasures of the world, whereas he himself, a godly man, was
having a very difficult and hard time. He laments, "They have no
struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free
from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human
ills." Nothing seemed to go wrong with the ungodly. It seemed as
if by some special privilege they were exempt from the strains
and struggles of daily living. They are always enjoying
prosperity. But as for himself, he says, "Surely in vain have I
kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every
morning."
The Psalmist wondered why he was having so many problems and so
much trouble in his life, while the ungodly were having none. So
he began to think about it and ponder it until it became an
obsession. He was on the verge of saying what many of us find
ourselves asking, is there anything in religion? Is there any
point in trying to live the Christian life? Is it worthwhile
trying to live right and do right and walk right? Is there any
purpose in trying to live the godly life?
The Psalmist, like all of us, was tempted by the Evil One. Satan
wants us to reject Christ and all that He stands for. Envy is
his deceptive tool which he uses to draw us away from the godly
life. To envy is to desire what you do not have. It may be
wealth, talent, good looks, intelligence, youthfulness and a
thousand other things. Envy makes us mean and evil toward the
ones we envy.
Matthew tells us that it was out of envy that the people handed
Jesus over to Pilate and demanded that He be crucified. Jesus
said envy comes from within and makes a person unclean. Paul
said, love does not envy and those who envy will not inherit the
kingdom of God. Paul told Titus (and us) "we ourselves were also
once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and
pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one
another." But when we found salvation; when we experienced the
love of God our Savior, when we experienced His mercy and
forgiveness, rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, all those
old things passed away and all things became new. Envy passed
away and was replaced by the love of God in Jesus Christ. James
tells us, "If you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your
hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does
not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For
where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil
thing are there."
If you find yourself experiencing feelings of envy, stop and do
some serious self-talk. This is what the Psalmist did. He found
himself on the slippery slopes of envy, but he began to talk to
himself. He did not say a word to anybody but to himself he
said, "Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in
heart." The psalmist was saved from an awkward position. He was
slipping to Satan's strategy but he talked to himself. He told
himself, "Now if I say this - if I tell how I feel, I will
offend the children of God." So he took a stand. He could not
understand, so he took a stand on what he knew to be right. This
held him firm and kept him from falling away from the faith.
There are many times when we do not understand what is happening
to us; when we do not understand our experiences; when we do not
understand how providence works. But, if we will just take a
stand on what we know to be right, it will keep us from falling.
The Psalmist continues and states that when "entered the
sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. He
began to understand that there was no need for him to be envious
of the prosperity of the wicked because their prosperity is in
reality but an illusion. He began to understand that the ancient
deceiver had played tricks with his vision and used slight of
hand to distract him from the reality of God.
But after entering the sanctuary, the Psalmist realized that
prosperity is but an image, a fashion show of what is to pass
away; like a pleasant dream that pleases us only for a little
while - while we are asleep - but when we awaken, we discover it
was not real. The psalmist then admonishes himself for his own
stupidity. He said, "I was senseless and ignorant" to envy the
wicked; to be jealous of the perishing. His thoughts then
returned to his own happiness in God when he realized how much
more he had in the Creator.
We need not concern ourselves when good things happen to bad
people. We keep our focus on God, our Creator.
Scriptural Reference: Psalms 73.
Sidebar Quote: Hatred is active, and ENVY passive
dislike; there is but one step from ENVY to hate. Johann
Wolfgang Von Goethe