Monthly Archives: October 2023

October 20, 2023 · 8:30 AM

How Can a Good God Allow Human Suffering?

Horror and war have erupted in Israel.

Our entire team, including our dedicated staff and missionaries, is profoundly saddened and shocked by the terrorist acts.

However, we can find comfort when tragedy strikes as we look forward to the day when our Lord will “wipe away every tear from [our] eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain” (Revelation 21:4).

Our hope does not mean we do not face suffering before the wondrous day mentioned in Revelation 21:4 (John 16:33). Brutality like what the Hamas terrorists did may stir us to cry out, “Why, God?! How could You allow such crimes to happen?”

Our evangelistic newsletter this year seems especially timely—“Purpose-Filled Suffering.”

Many think a good God would never allow people to suffer because suffering hurts, and a good God should alleviate pain. If removing pain is beneficial, and an all-good, all-powerful God exists, it would make sense for this God to eliminate all pain, right?

Religious and non-religious alike have posed this question. For some, it is the reason they abandon their beliefs. For others, this question is why they commit themselves more deeply to faith. Those who turn from faith see the matter as a logical argument either against the existence of a good and powerful God, against the existence of God at all, or both. They reject the idea of worshiping the God of the Bible in the face of excruciating suffering. Those who embrace biblical faith despite the existence of suffering view the dilemma as resolved by the presence of a good and powerful God. They find peace and solace in following Him.

How do we reconcile these divergent views? One key could be to differentiate between suffering caused by moral failure and suffering caused by other reasons. However, no matter what the cause, pain and suffering are always emotional situations, which adds to the complexity of the problem.

Consequences of Moral Evil

Some suffer because of moral evils like theft, murder, and rape. Yet, people also suffer from cancer, miscarriages, and hurricanes destroying homes. Moral evil is when humans intentionally cause suffering. However, not all suffering is the result of moral evil.

Sometimes, when we consider the problem of evil and suffering, our own experiences can easily blind our hearts and bend our logic. So often, we cannot find the reasons for our suffering or the pain of a loved one. We seek comfort in the answers but find little help making suffering sensible.

Maybe suffering causes us to run from God when we should consider running toward Him instead. Divine help and wisdom are always available by simply reading the Bible. The Psalms have long comforted those who have faith in God and those who do not. The psalmist’s words eloquently mirror our pain and lead us to a God who identifies with our suffering. Knowing this often provides some relief from the loneliness of suffering—we are not alone.

The Intellectual Problem

The Bible and our shared experiences indicate God created humans with self-determination—the ability to choose and perform evil acts. Those choices are ours. Our poor decisions do not stain the One who made us. For example, two virtuous parents can give birth to a child who becomes a murderer, but the child’s evil acts do not mean the two righteous parents are not virtuous.

Why would God create humans and permit them to do evil deeds? It could be because God also wants us to experience love. Love, by definition, can only be freely given. No one can program a robot to love genuinely. No one can force someone to love another person. Love must be a freely chosen decision. Since love cannot be compelled, human beings must have the freedom of choice to experience it.

We should also reconsider whether God abolishing all moral evil is desirable. Choice is a significant theme in the Hebrew Scriptures. If God were to take away the possibility of making the wrong choice, making the right choice is no longer a choice at all. The Bible considers the consequences of bad choices when we are told, “I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity” (Deuteronomy 30:15). Yet, God still tells us to “choose life in order that you may live” (Deut 30:19). He gives us the ability to choose so we can choose to love.

Suffering and the Existence of God

Now, regarding the problem of suffering not caused by the evil of others, we must ask if human suffering and the existence of a good God are mutually exclusive. Can we show how human suffering does not necessarily negate the existence of an all-good and all-powerful God? Is it possible to show how suffering can produce good?

It is understandably challenging to see how good might come from suffering while we are still going through it. As a result of our circumstances, we may see suffering as an argument against God’s existence or His goodness. We can be prone to viewing suffering as always evil. But if we can show how the experience of suffering might produce something more meaningful than the suffering itself, it might produce the very solace those hurting are seeking. Discovering faith in the midst of suffering takes reflection and courage, especially when you may not have been brought up in a home where God was part of your everyday life. Sometimes, we simply need to see the good suffering can produce when viewed through the eyes of faith.

Good Can Arise from Suffering

We have all experienced temporary pain, especially physical pain, producing some good, including necessary surgery, physical exercise, or a dental visit. Emotional discomfort can also lead to good results when we, for example, forgive someone. Pain and suffering do have obvious benefits at times.

If suffering were inherently incompatible with goodness, then there would not be any benefit from these sources of pain. However, we know this is not the case.

Not only can these discomforts produce positive outcomes, but they may also prevent greater suffering later. The pain endured following heart surgery is inconsequential compared to dying without the surgery. Pain experienced when exercising sometimes helps prevent future injury and sickness. The uncomfortable interactions we endure when apologizing and forgiving sustain relationships and families. Persevering through suffering can sometimes prevent greater suffering later on.

When Suffering Seems Pointless

What about pointless and involuntary suffering?

It is impossible to know precisely why we or our loved ones suffer outside of some obvious physical ailment or disease. We may never find the key to unlock the door to those unfathomably dark moments of personal suffering. The reasons for suffering often remain mysterious.

We often live with doubt, uncertainty, and the temptation to declare life’s greatest struggles meaningless. But we must fight these temptations. Faith while suffering is a much healthier response to our painful situation than logic and an over-analysis of what, in all probability, will remain shrouded in mist. We are the created—not the Creator—and therefore, we do not know everything, even about ourselves. We need to look to One who is above and beyond ourselves and has greater wisdom, understanding, and power than we do.

In the New Testament, the great Messianic Rabbi Saul (the apostle Paul) cried out in one of his letters, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). As difficult as it may be to believe, the Scriptures encourage us to trust God and seek His presence for the healing of our souls during times of suffering. He has a greater purpose for our pain than we realize. As the Hebrew prophet Isaiah wrote, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isa 55:8–9).

The Ultimate End of Suffering

Still, it is fair to say, “If an all-good and all-powerful God exists and suffering exists, then God should provide a solution to my suffering.” According to the Scriptures, God is our rescuer and redeemer. So much suffering in this world arises from human failure, which the Hebrew Scriptures call “sin”—my sin, your sin, others’ sin, and even our collective sin. Thankfully for us, God provides a way for our sins to be forgiven (Jeremiah 31:34) and for us to be transformed and begin the long process of being remade in His likeness—spiritually, morally . . . and from the inside out. As predicted by Isaiah,

But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. (Isa 53:5–6)

This prediction of a suffering Messiah who bore the sins of the world was fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah. He is the ultimate example of meaningful suffering as His death and resurrection provide forgiveness for the sins of all humanity—both Jews and Gentiles—by faith. If we submit our lives to Him, Yeshua also invites us to become like Him—someone who brings comfort and compassion to others experiencing suffering, enabling us to show God’s love to those who are suffering. We await His return, when He will wipe away every tear, and suffering will be no more—what joy awaits those who follow Him.

Ministry Amid Political Conflict

Shalom in His grace. Political turmoil within Israel, from protests to judicial change, is playing out for all the world to see these days. I thought I would comment on these tensions and provide some background for Israel’s recent struggles.

DIFFERENCES AMONG EARLY IMMIGRANTS TO ISRAEL

Zionism started as a secular movement in Western Europe primarily through the efforts of an Austro-Hungarian-born Jewish journalist, Theodor Herzl (1860–1904). His sole desire was to save the Jewish people from antisemitism and persecution. He could not have imagined the scale of destruction European Jewry would experience thirty-five years after his death at the hand of another Austrian—Adolf Hitler. Eventually, Herzl’s initiatives would secure a safe haven—a Jewish state—to protect the children of Israel from the virulent and vicious expressions of government-led antisemitism.

Inspired by the hope of a Jewish homeland in Zion and the words of Theodor Herzl, the founders of the State of Israel were mainly of Ashkenazi background (European Jewish people). Soon after the establishment of the state in 1948, there was a large wave of Sephardic Jewish immigrants to the Holy Land from North Africa. By the early 1950s, the Jewish population of Israel was 1.5 million. Of these immigrants, 650,000 came from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Afghanistan, Tunisia, and many other countries in the Middle East and North Africa. As European colonialism declined between 1945 and 1960, Muslims took control of their newly established nations and forced the Jewish populations to leave because they vehemently opposed the establishment of Israel.

For years, Islamic nations grew increasingly intolerant of Jewish people in politics, business, and academia. These countries came to restrict Jewish people as stringently as European nations did in the days before the Holocaust. The early Israeli settlers forged a common bond over the experiences of persecution, loss of jobs, and fleeing to a new country.

DIFFERENCES LEAD TO CONFLICT AMONG ISRAELIS

The Middle Eastern and North African Jewish populations had a distinct culture and religious life compared to European immigrants. The differences between these major groups of early Israeli settlers touched on every area of life, including marriage customs, cherished foods, synagogue liturgy, and even how they celebrated the Jewish holidays. Marriage between Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewish families in the early days of the modern nation of Israel was rare. Israel was a divided country from the beginning because of these cultural and religious variances.

ISRAEL’S DEMOCRATIC POLITICS

From the very start, the Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewish communities in Israel inherited a British-designed parliamentary system. This structure includes a prime minister, a set of democratic principles (without a constitution like Britain), and elected representatives. For the Eastern European Jewish population under communism and the Middle Eastern Jewish population, who often endured despotic leaders and persecution in Muslim countries, Israel gave them a chance to organize their lives to reflect historic Jewish values rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures.

These freedoms are some of the values Israel and the United States have in common. The two nations are democratic cousins and believe in the legal right to peaceful protest, an option most Jewish people did not have in Eastern Europe or Middle Eastern countries. Israelis also have the power of free elections—which is unique among all her neighbors—and can vote out the current government at the next election if the majority chooses to do so.

Yet, Israeli politics represents a complex mix of cultures and religious expressions, resulting in continued conflict and tension!

SECULAR/RELIGIOUS DIVIDE LEADS TO CHALLENGES

Vast religious differences within Israel, mainly between the secular and the religious, also flame the fires of political conflict. The ultra-Orthodox Jewish people, called Haredim, have a completely different worldview than those who are secular, whether they hail from North Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, or Europe. The ultra-Orthodox want to maintain their religious observance but are also eager for Israel to become a more religious state. You know what I mean if you have toured Israel during the Sabbath! For example, you might face the long wait for a Sabbath elevator, which stops on every floor of your hotel. Public transportation is limited on Saturday, and restaurants (kosher or not) usually close before sundown Friday evening, especially in Jerusalem, and stay closed until Saturday night. (If you would like to see this for yourself, we have a very special tour coming up in December to dedicate our new Tel Aviv Messianic Center. You can find more information about our once-in-a-lifetime dedication tour by visiting chosenpeople.com/dedicationtour.)

The ultra-Orthodox also have very large families (with an average of seven children) and believe in divine birth control! As a result, Haredi population growth has been significant over the years. Some demographers in Israel predict the ultra-Orthodox will become the largest Jewish population in Israel in the next twenty or thirty years. One estimate says the Haredim will comprise 16 percent of Israelis by the end of the decade. Currently, their number is approximately 1.3 million, or 13.5 percent!1 Although the religious Jewish community has different reasons than believers for their views, Christians around the world appreciate some of the values of the ultra-Orthodox as they oppose abortion, transgenderism, and, of course, believe the Hebrew Scriptures and are convinced God Himself pledged the Land of Israel to the Jewish people.

In a recent survey Chosen People Ministries sponsored, we discovered how the whole country—even the young people—are becoming more traditionally Jewish. This does not mean secular young people are turning to ultra-Orthodoxy, but it does mean many more believe in God, the coming of Messiah, and the idea they are God’s chosen people. More than 70 percent of those surveyed in Israel say they believe in God.2 So, “the times, they are definitely a-changing”—to echo the words of Bob Dylan.

LOVING ISRAEL AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE

As believers, we are called to love and proclaim the gospel to all people—despite whatever disagreements we may have (Luke 10:27; Matthew 28:16). Moreover, we are called to love and bless the Jewish people (Genesis 12:3; Psalm 122:6). We do not need to agree with the broad sweep of political views in Israel. We are to love all the diverse groups of Jewish people in the land and outside of it “because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts . . .” (Romans 5:5).

When we pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), we are praying the Messiah—the Prince of Peace—will reign in the hearts of Israelis and all Jewish people. Specifically, we are praying for supernatural unity to enable Israel to thrive, remain safe, and allow the gospel to go forth in peace and power during these difficult days. When conditions are unsettled, the gospel roars with power.

YOUR MISSION TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND TO ISRAELIS

We are seeing the power of the Holy Spirit among young adults, particularly in very secular Tel Aviv. As you know, Your Mission to the Jewish People recently purchased a property in the greater Tel Aviv area. We are now in the process of building and furnishing the new Tel Aviv Messianic Center so we can offer a safe, wholesome, peaceful place for believers and seekers to worship, study the Bible, and enjoy one another’s fellowship. It will be an oasis of peace in the world of political turmoil.

We are excited about this young adult movement taking place in Israel today as the remnant is growing in the Holy Land. So, what is next? We believe the words of the prophet Zechariah will soon come to pass, and Jewish people, whether religious or secular, Ashkenazi or Sephardi, will turn to the Messiah in droves, and then the Messiah will return:

I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. (Zech 12:10)

We can have a part in the salvation of Israel and the blessings of the Lord by proclaiming the gospel to Israelis.

We are standing for the Lord in Israel despite missile attacks, military threats, cultural disarray, and political differences dividing the nation and even families. It is not easy!

Thank you for caring, and I hope you found this explanation behind Israel’s recent struggles helpful. Your friendship, prayers, and support mean everything to us!

P.S. We cannot tell you how excited we are to see the build-out of our new Tel Aviv Messianic Center underway! The center is our response to the growing body of Messianic believers, especially among the young people in greater Tel Aviv. The Lord is working powerfully, and we are increasing our “tent.”

¹ Judah Ari Gross, “Haredim Are Fastest-growing Population, Will Be 16% of Israelis by Decade’s End,” Times of Israel, January 2, 2023, https://www.timesofisrael.com/haredim-are-fastest-growing-population-will-be-16-of-israelis-by-decades-end/.

² To learn more about this fascinating survey, check out: chosenpeople.com/new-2023-survey.