Why Suffering?
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My Sin
Proverbs 6:27-35; 11:17b, 29a; 14:32a; 15:18a; 18:6, 28:1a, 10a, 17; 29:6a, 22, 24; 1 Peter 2:20a, Sin has inevitable earthly consequences. (11/24/14)So far we’ve seen that suffering doesn’t originate with God, and that much suffering originates from sin and evil. So far I’ve been preachin’, but now I’m going to start meddlin’, because this week I want to show that some of my suffering is the direct result of my own sin. You probably know – either from experience or from observation – that if you drink too much at one sitting, you will inevitably have a hangover the next day. You probably won’t say, “Why am I suffering?” More likely, you’ll say, “Why was I so stupid?”
If I commit a crime, I’ll end up in jail. If I’m spiteful and unkind to my friends, I’ll end up alone. In short, if I commit a sin, I’ll suffer for it. Even if I repent and God forgives me, I will still suffer the inevitable earthly consequences of my sin. We need to learn that sometimes when we are suffering, we should be asking, “Why was I so sinful?”
1 Kings 11:1-13, Case Studies: Solomon (11/25/14)
Do you know the saying, “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime”? Certainly many proverbs and the word we saw yesterday from Peter show that this is God’s attitude. God loves you, but part of his love is that he isn’t going to save you from the inevitable earthly consequences of your sin. If he did that, how would you ever learn not to sin? It’s just as Jesus said: “If you don’t believe me when I tell you about things on earth, how will you believe me when I tell you about things in heaven?” If there are no consequences on earth for your sin, why should you believe that there are consequences in the afterlife? Bottom line: some of my suffering is the direct result of my own sin, and I should use that suffering to learn and change my ways.
King Solomon committed the sin of apostasy. He started worshipping many foreign gods in addition to the one true God. God told Solomon that because he had not followed God, Solomon’s people would not follow his own dynasty after his death.
1 Kings 12:1-19, Case Studies: Rehoboam (11/26/14)
Solomon deserted God, and Solomon’s people in turn deserted his dynasty. Solomon instituted both military and civilian drafts and high taxes to pay for his building programs. By the time Solomon died and Rehoboam came to the throne, Rehoboam had learned some bad habits from his dad. When the people came to him to ask for some relief, he responded with arrogance and cruelty, not to mention a large dollop of political naïveté. The latter might not be a sin, but arrogance and cruelty are, and they cost Rehoboam the greater part of his kingdom. Ten of the twelve tribes rebelled and subsequently made Jeroboam ruler of the new kingdom of Israel.
Esther 3:1-11, 6:1-12, 7:1-10, Case Studies: Haman (11/27/14)
Jesus tells us, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” One excellent reason for following this maxim is that if you sin against someone, it may backfire in such a way that you are the one who suffers from it. Today’s reading is in three parts.
- First, Haman hates Mordecai, a Jew, for not bowing down to him, and Haman decides to eliminate his problem by eliminating all Jews. He does this not knowing that the wife of the King is a Jewess.
- Second, Haman inadvertently arranges for Mordecai to receive a great honor from the king, and he has to carry out the honor personally, which is humiliating and makes him hate Mordecai even more. He decides to build a huge gallows to hang Mordecai.
- Finally, Haman’s plot against the Jews is revealed by Queen Esther. The King is infuriated. Then he discovers (as he thinks) Haman assaulting the Queen. The gallows that Haman has built for Mordecai is conveniently located, and the King orders Haman to be hanged.
2 Peter 2:9-19, Sinners are slaves to corruption. (11/28/14)
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Peter makes an interesting and powerful argument about the end result of personal sin. We don’t commit habitual sins because we are “free to do as we please.” Instead, habitual sin shows that we are slaves to corruption. The words translated slaves and enslaved in vs. 19 mean just that – slavery, not hired service. The word translated corruption means destruction and moral depravity, not taking bribes or embezzlement. It’s no wonder that my sins cause me to suffer, because they mean that I’m selling myself on the auction block, and my price is destruction and death. Random Walk in a Gallery of Religious Art, Step 45: Luke 22:55-62, Peter’s Denial, by Carl H. Bloch (7/31/15)
Somebody Else's SinLeviticus 19:10; Amos 8:4-6; Luke 16:19-31, Greed and societal injustice case suffering. (12/1/14)Last week we saw that a good deal of my suffering is the result of my own sin. Well! Enough of that! This week we’re going to look at the case for some of my suffering being the direct result of someone else’s sin. This is a time of year when even the Grinches are likely to throw a nickel into the Salvation Army’s bucket. Nevertheless, one of the chief causes of suffering is greed on the part of people who either want more or won’t share from the bounty they already have. Acquiring wealth is not, in and of itself, a sin. Both acquiring wealth by unscrupulous means and keeping more than you need when you could use it to alleviate suffering are sins, as we see in today’s reading. In particular, they are sins that cause hunger, illness, homelessness, and other kinds of suffering. As I’ve mentioned before, I know you and I are wealthy, because we wouldn’t be sending and reading this email if we weren’t. We should be especially careful not to be Grinches at any time of the year. Ezekiel 4:1-17, Prophets often suffer for the sins of the people. (12/2/14) Being a prophet is a tough job. When the queen isn’t putting a price on your head (1 Kings 19:2) and the king isn’t throwing you in jail (1 Kings 22:27), God is asking you to make sacrifices on behalf of a sinful people. God tells Ezekiel to act out a parable of the punishment that Jerusalem will undergo for its long-term and unrepentant apostasy. The city will be besieged; Ezekiel must confine himself behind an iron griddle representing the siege. The people will be starving; Ezekiel is allowed to eat 10 ounces of grain and to drink about two and a half cups of water a day. He is to do this for a little over a year. The amazing thing about this is the nature of Ezekiel’s objection. Does he say the people aren’t worth the suffering he is to undergo? No. Does he point out that he’s God’s man and doesn’t deserve this treatment? No. His only objection is that using human dung to cook his food (as the besieged citizens of Jerusalem will have to do) will defile him. God allows him to used cow dung instead. Matthew 14:1-11, Prophets often suffer at the hands of the people. (12/3/14) God sends prophets only to sinful people; unfortunately sinful people often aren’t very happy about the prophetic message they receive. John the Baptist is one example of prophets who suffer because they take the message of God to the people who need it the most. Pray for missionaries and others who spread God’s word. Luke 10:30-37; Matthew 21:33-40, Crime causes suffering. (12/4/14) When you’re reading a parable, it’s normally important to think to yourself, “What is the single theological point of this parable?” Neither of today’s parables is about crime. The Parable of the Good Samaritan is Jesus’ answer to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” The Parable of the Wicked Tenants is about the reception given by evil people to God’s prophets and God’s son. Even so, I’m using these parables as illustrations of the idea that we may suffer as the result of someone else’s sin. This is especially true for criminal acts. Nearly all crimes cause the victims and the families and friends of the victims to suffer immediately, and often for a long time. Most crimes cause the perpetrator to suffer sooner or later. Nearly all crimes are sins; don’t commit them. 2 Corinthians 11:23-31, We may be privileged to suffer for Christ. (12/5/14) I’ve always been a little amused at Paul. For a person who says, “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Galatians 6:4) he spends a great deal of time telling his congregations why he is the least, the most, the proudest, the humblest, the hardest-working, the simplest, or whatever other –est you can imagine, of all the apostles. I think he was probably perfectly sincere in believing that he never boasted; that’s not what I’m talking about today. Paul suffered a great deal because of other people’s sins: he was lashed, beaten, stoned, robbed, betrayed, and worried nearly to death about the sins of his converts. Thanks be to God, who gave him the victory! More on Why Suffering? Suffering does not originate with God. Most suffering is caused by sin and evil. Some suffering results from my own sin or someone else's sin. God punishes sin to instruct us. Some suffering results from being in the wrong place at the wrong time. God is with us, and God and our Christian family share the burden of our suffering. Copyright 2014, 2015, 2016 by Regina L. Hunter. All rights reserved. This page has been prepared for the web site by RPB. Opinions expressed on this page are solely those of the author, Regina Hunter, and may or may not be shared by the sponsors or the Bible-study participants. Thanks to the Holy Spirit for any useful ideas presented here, and thanks to all the readers for their support and enthusiasm. All errors are, of course, the sole responsibility of the author. Our Sponsors: St. John's United Methodist Church, "Transforming Lives Through Christ." 2626 Arizona NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110 St. John's Music Ministries now has a YouTube channel, bringing you free concerts and choral music. Check it out! Traditional worship services are held Sundays at 8:15 and 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary. Casual worship services are held Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in the Family Life Center. 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