Why Do Bad Things Happen (To Good People)?

God gave people free will (God leaves room for us to be human).

Our world is not a perfect world.

Sometimes there is no real reason (circumstantial suffering).

Bad Things happen to everyone, including good people (no exceptions for nice people).

Bad Things and suffering are the punishment for Sin

Common Old Testament theme

Hebrews would stray from following God’s laws

Prophets would warn of impending doom if they did not repent.

Defeat by foreign armies due to lack of repentance.

Repentance finally occurs and God blesses them again.

Bad things and suffering are the result of sin.

Can God stop bad things from happening?

Can good come from bad?

Book of Job

Summary:

Terrible things happen to Job. He loses his money and his land. His children die. He gets sick. Job and his three friends talk about why these things happen. God tells Job and his friends to trust him. God then heals Job and gives him many things again.

Lesson:

Bad things happen sometimes to God’s people. We don’t always know why. But we trust God anyway. We love him because he is God. We don’t love him for the good things he gives us.

Chapter	Highlights / Key Stories
1	Job was good (1:1), God thought highly of Job (1:8), Satan destroys Job’s riches and family.
2	We accept good things from God. We should also accept trouble (2:10). Satan makes Job very sick.
9,12	Job says God isn’t fair.
40,41	God shows his greatness to Job.
42	God blesses Job again and makes him well.