10-7-2018 “The Problem of Evil”

Sermon: “The Problem of Evil”

Hebrew Bible Lesson: Job 1:1, 2:1-10

“The Book of Job has to do with the most painful and unavoidable questions which can arise in human experience. These questions arise in connection with experiences of arbitrary suffering, but in their most extreme form they go on to call into question the meaningfulness of life and of existence as such.”

~ J. Gerald Janzen

There aren’t many times in the Lectionary cycle that we get to read the Book of Job. I fell in love with this text in seminary. This is a book made up of poetry and prose. Many scholars believe that it is the oldest text in Scripture. Both God and Satan make key appearances and, more than any other book in the Bible, Job presents the theodicy question. Theodicy is one of those twenty-five cent theological terms which means the problem of evil. The basic argument goes like this: if God is all-powerful and all-good, then why does evil exist? The eighteenth century Scottish philosopher David Hume had a field day with this question and levied one of the greatest attacks against theism (the belief in God). Hume’s position can be unpacked by asking a couple questions:

Is God unable to prevent evil?

If he can’t, then he isn’t all-powerful.

Is God able to prevent evil, but chooses not to?

If that’s the case, then he isn’t all-good.

Hume has created a quandary that is hard to escape. It’s like the prosecutor asking someone on the stand, “So, have you overcome your drug addiction?” How do you answer that? Yes… I mean no… I mean… You’re trapped!

What do we say about an all-powerful and an all-good God in the face of horrific evils? First, we need to examine the different types of evil that exist. Most theologians and philosophers say there are two basic categories of evil:

Moral Evils are the horrific things that we do to one another. We rape, kill, steal, torture, exploit…the list is endless.

Natural Evils are the second kind. These are the horrific things that nature thrusts upon us: tornados, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, diseases…this also seems like an endless list. FOOTNOTE: some philosophers will say natural evils aren’t really evil, because nature does not have a conscious. In other words, Mother Nature doesn’t say, “You know, I really don’t like those people in that country so I am going to throw a flood their way.” While that is true, natural disasters and diseases cause all kinds of suffering.

So where is God in the equation? Can he not stop such evils — and if he can, why doesn’t he? There are no easy answers and, if you turn to Job, you’ll be even more confused. Job’s suffering is the result of a bet between God and Satan. I had a parishioner yell at me one time when I said this. “God doesn’t gamble,” she shouted. I told her that he may not gamble, but he surely entered into a bet with Satan. If you don’t believe me, read the text. I didn’t write it. Don’t shoot the messenger!

Here’s the bet. Satan is a member of God’s court. His job is to bring charges against people. The Hebrew word for Satan, has’satan, literally means the prosecutor. So, all those jokes you’ve heard about lawyers have a bit of a biblical basis! One day, Satan, who is a member of God’s court, is asked by God if he (Satan) has “considered Job,” whom God claims is the most righteous man on earth. Job is also wealthy and has a large, wonderful family. Satan literally plays devil’s advocate here and says, “Well of course he is faithful and righteous. You’ve given him everything. Take it away and he will curse you to your face.”

God accepts the challenge Satan is allowed to do whatever he wants to Job — and he does. His possessions are plundered, his seven children are killed, and even Job’s health is compromised. Still, Job maintains his faith, offering one of the most memorable lines from the Bible: “The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

So God wins the bet and we do not see Satan anymore in the story. Satan disappears halfway through chapter two. There are forty more chapters to go!

The rest of the story is a long poem in which Job’s friends basically blame him for what has happened. “You’ve must have done something to bring the wrath of God on yourself,” they basically say. “Admit your guilt and maybe God will be merciful and will put you out of your misery!” With friends like Job’s, who needs enemies!

Job wants an audience with God, and he eventually gets one. God basically says, “You cannot understand why I do what I do so don’t question it.” We know that this has been the result of a bet — and we’re sure that Job could understand that, too — but let that go. God also wants to punish Job’s friends for not saying what is true about God like Job has. In other words, God is saying that Job is correct: he is innocent, and you know he is, because his suffering is a test.

So where do we go with all of this?

Natural evils aside, the evil we see in the world is not caused by God. We — individually and collectively — are responsible for the evil that exists in the world. Why does God not prevent it? There is actually an easy answer for this: free will. The cost of granting humanity free will is that we will misuse this gift. God’s omnipotence is not compromised by this. Likewise, God’s total goodness (his omnibenevolence) is not compromised by our sin. Instead of asking God “Why me?” when evil unfolds, we should ask ourselves “Why us?” meaning why do we cause such harm to our sisters and brothers?

But there is an answer early in Job’s story. When his three friends arrive, they do nothing. They sit with him in his grief and they say nothing. After this, when they do speak, they blame Job for his sufferings saying that he must have done something to bring God’s wrath upon himself. Prior to this, they do what might be the best thing a friend can do for one who is grieving. They don’t offer answers. They don’t try to fix it. They don’t offer platitudes such as, “God doesn’t give anyone more than he can handle.” They simply sit with their friend.

The presence of evil in the world may be a test, but it isn’t a test for those who suffer. Rather, it is attest for the rest of us. What will we do when we are faced with a grave injustice — or simply with a person (friend or otherwise) who is mired in grief? Will we try to solve their problems or say something that makes us feel good or will we be a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on for that person? I do not believe that God is testing the one who is suffering, but he may well be testing the rest of us.

Evil is not something God embraces, nor is it something that God is unable or unwilling to stop. That is not the point. God does embrace those who suffer and calls upon us to respond. How we respond to injustice and suffering is the ultimate answer and the ultimate meaning of it. Amen.