SUFFERING takes many forms in the biblical stories – loss in battle, destruction of the nation, ravaging illnesses, premature death, great physical pain, rejection and loneliness, spiritual torment, disbelief about God’s goodness…

In the Creation stories God is good and powerful and just. God made a good world for humans to enjoy, but the man and woman must bear the responsibility for pain and suffering in the world.

Sin leads to suffering  – and the hurt will be passed on to others (Ezk 18, Jer 31:29-30). The blessings and curses of Dt 27 and 28 indicate the connection between ethical or unethical behaviour and its consequences. The story of Achan (Josh 7) indicates than an individual’s sin has ripple effects bringing suffering to others. But the mystery remains: why should Manasseh, the worst king of all live a long and easy life, but the good king Josiah die a premature death? God ‘makes people deaf or dumb, seeing or blind’ he says to Moses (Ex 4:11) – so it’s not just human behaviour which causes pain…  Ezk 18 and Jer 31:29-30 address the complaint that ‘sins of the fathers’ cause ‘the children’s teeth to be set on edge’. Is that fair? Ezk affirms that ‘the soul that sins shall die’ (18:4, Dt 24:16). But Second Isaiah (40-55) offers a vision of hope.

The Lament Tradition (eg. many of the Psalms) attempts to cope with human suffering by bringing it all to God’s attention, but they then mostly move to praise. Job – the classic biblical discussion of the problem of suffering -  includes the strong suggestion (from Job’s ‘friends’) that as God rules in the world, such awful things would not be happening to Job unless he deserved them. The Book of Job has one of three OT references to Satan causing suffering (Job 1-2; 1 Chron 21, Zech 3). Eliphaz suggests that Job’s suffering may be good for him. But the prologue and epilogue affirm that Job is a case of innocent suffering: the notion of retribution is not a universal explanation – but God offers no reasons for why Job had suffered, and Job is content to live with the mystery.

Eschatology: In a future age there will be no war (Mic 4:1-4, Is 2:2-4), wild and domestic animals will sleep in peace (Is 11:6-9), there will be bountiful harvests (Amos 9:11-15), and all people will know God’s will and do it (Jer 31:31-34). The ‘Suffering Servant’ (Is 53) will suffer for the benefit of others. God will ultimately win, and bring back people from the dead to execute the justice they didn’t receive in their lifetime (Dan 12:1-2).

The New Testament asks two main questions: why did the innocent Jesus suffer? And why are his followers persecuted too? The Beatitudes (Mt 5:3-12) tell us the ‘blessed’ are those who mourn, the meek, the hungry and the poor etc. Jesus says victims of accidents or oppression are no worse than those who escaped (Lk 13:1-5); in John 9 the man born blind suffered not through his parents’ sin nor his own;  but everyone will be accountable in the future judgment. The suffering and death of the Messiah was all according to God’s plan, and Jesus’ followers must also be willing to take up their cross and suffer for the sake of spreading the gospel (Mt 16:24-25).

The epistles offer two areas of encouragement: the promise of resurrection (1 Cor 15); and God can work good even out of suffering (Ro 5:3-5). Suffering can make us better persons (He 12:3-11). Some – like Paul – can even ‘rejoice’ in their sufferings: God’s reassuring presence is always a reality.

(Summary: Anchor Bible Dictionary, article on Suffering, Vol. 6, pp. 219-225).

Rowland Croucher

June 2012

See also here:  http://jmm.org.au/articles/30358.htm