Welcome to this week’s Sabbath Bible study. We’re excited about the goodness of GOD and all His wisdom. Today’s study is to answer a question, why does GOD allow bad or evil things to happen to what appears to be “good people.” In this study we will go into this question and hopefully we all get some understanding from it. Praise the name of the LORD. Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? If we look at all the suffering going on in the world, we always tend to shake our heads it appears the innocent have been given the short end of the stick. Why is this, and why does this happen?

A Look at Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People

The Bible does give some answers and we’ll look at a few and hopefully we gain understanding from this. Let us begin in the ninth chapter of St. John

¹And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

² And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

³ Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

⁴ I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

Jesus tells us here that it is not the sin of a person or their parents that cause the difficulty for them in life, but more so that the works of God may show forth in such a person. In my book, The 7 Great Lies All Christians Believe…Even the Good Ones,I document how I was able to get through my hardships and challenges in life. It was through the grace and mercifulness of God. God’s works are manifested in me. The bad things that have happened to me and how I came through them are all because of the glory and power of God.

Romans 8

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

We all do know this scripture, how all things work together for good to them that love God and are called to His purpose. How do we love God, we keep His commandments (St. John 14 v15). So even in our struggles we know that good is going to come out of this. That is amazing if you RECEIVE it!

Understanding why bad things happen to good people in the world

Let us read about a good brother who had a lot of evil befall him in his life. Let’s go to Genesis chapter 37

⁵ And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

It is obvious his brothers hated him, because it said they hated him even more when he came telling them his dreams.

²⁰ Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

His own brothers decided to kill him and throw him in a pit.

Genesis 37 

²⁶ And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

²⁷ Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

At last they just decide to sell him for some money and just like that, separated him from the people he loves most, his dad and his brothers, his family. Look at all this evil being poured on this teenager.

³⁶ And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.

Joseph went to work for this Egyptian and things were okay until the bosses wife wanted to sleep with the Hebrew. Joseph resisted until he could not and he was wrongfully accused of trying to sleep with her.

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Genesis 39

²⁰ And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.

²¹ But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

In all of this God was with him. You may be saying that sure is some way for God to stay with you, but this situation could have been much worse if God was not with him. Now in all this struggle God Almighty gave Joseph the ability to interpret dreams and he used this God given talent to not only get out of jail but to become second in charge in all of Egypt.

Genesis 41

³⁸ And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?

³⁹ And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:

⁴⁰ Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.

⁴¹ And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.

All that evil done to the just boy ended up with him helping to save lives in Egypt. We and people who have evil done to them have to let God work and figure out why God allowed bad to happen to them. If they love God regardless, they will see that all things work for good for them. Let’s see what Joseph’s trial was all about…

Genesis 45

⁴ And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.

⁵ Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

Joseph had the heart to forgive his brothers and told them not to be angry with themselves, God sent Joseph to Egypt through their evil way to preserve life. Do you believe Joseph would have gone down into Egypt on his own? Sometimes God knows we won’t do something so He makes it a story for us.

Genesis 50

²⁰ But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 

What people mean for evil against us, if we love God, keep our faith, God means it for good. Your story, their story can inspire and save many people’s lives. This is why bad things happen to good people sometimes. Now let’s get another big reason why.

Isaiah 59

¹ Behold, the Lord‘s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

² But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

³ For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

⁴ None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

The real problem is breaking God’s commandments. That is the real problem, sin. This separates God from you. Which is better, a father in the house showing love to his children and wife, or a father that sends the family a child support check and alimony? When we are separated from our father, we are not getting the full benefits. We are not under His full protection. We have to mend that separation by keeping God’s Word and the testimony of Jesus Christ. God has written that He will turn His face from His children until they acknowledge their offense and seek Him.

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People

These are the two major reasons why evil happens to good people; one to show the power and works of God and also to let us know that our sin has separated us from Him. We need to understand this and pick up our cross and keep walking in the Word of God. Even if you do not know God, leave by the good moral code of doing no evil, loving your fellow brother and sister, and loving life. All things will turn out for your good. God bless you today in the name of our Lord Jesus, Amen.

This is why bad things happen to good people. Stay with the Lord because all things work for good to those who love the LORD.

Koko Ishe

BibleStudyMinistry.com