Adversity and Evil

The question of why evil is in the world is an age-old one that mankind has always struggled to understand. It is so difficult to see others, especially those we love, struggling with adversity, often more difficult than when having such times ourselves. It is easy to lose focus on how God works out character and maturity in them, as well as us, when someone we love is going through hard times. It is painful to see others we love suffering and afflicted with the many challenges of human existence, but Jesus said:

These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you will have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NASB

While we deal with the adversity in this life we are given, particularly through evil allowed to grow in the hearts of men and women, Jesus Christ our Lord reassures us that He has overcome the world in us. He is with us to give us peace and courage through all Father God allows to come our way. We accept His way of using redemptive justice, His corrective discipline, as an agent of change in our walk with Him.

Adversity brings growth when you are spiritually educated by it. The bigger challenge, for unbelievers and believers alike, is recognizing that, since God created everything, He created our adversary, satan, as well. The God of the universe has never lost control of any of His creation. Consider the scriptures, below, that clearly—and perhaps shockingly—state that God created evil:

“Former of light and Creator of darkness, Maker of good and Creator of evil, I, Yahweh, make all these things.” Isaiah 45:7 Concordant Literal

“The One forming light and creating darkness, causing peace and creating disaster; I am the Lord who does all these things.” Isaiah 45:7 Amplified

The word, “ra” translated “evil” from a Hebrew word that means “adversity, affliction, calamity, distress, misery.” It is variously translated as “disaster” (NIV, HCSB, Amp), “calamity” (NKJV, NAS, ESV), and “woe” (NRSV). Many Christians, including Christian ministries, settle this question of evil by denying the truth of this scripture. There is no darkness in God, so how could He create evil?

Yet it is clear that God created all things:

“Yahweh has made everything for its outcome, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.” Proverbs 16:4 Concordant

When we view the outcome of evil from our human understanding, there is no easy way to comprehend a good God creating it. How is it possible that wickedness has an outcome, a purpose in God? Is it all due to man having his own will, because God has allowed human nature to do whatever? Yes, man has a choice, but God has been prepared for that since that time in the Garden when Eve chose self over God and Adam followed her. Our almighty, omnipotent God was not caught unprepared for that to happen!

We know that our God is a God of contrasts: light with darkness, life with death, good with evil. Through these contrasts, we see the true nature of our Lord. His ways are above our ways and His thoughts higher than ours, but it is much easier to bring God down to our human reasoning, to deny or explain away these scriptures that clearly state our God created all things, including our adversary, satan, for His purposes.

Jesus said that satan was not a fallen angel, as is often taught, but was a liar, a murderer and the “father of all lies” from the beginning. He stated this to the scribes and Pharisees who were opposing Him and John confirms it:

“‘You are doing the works of your father.’ ‘We are not illegitimate children,’ they declared. ‘Our only Father is God Himself.’

Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message.

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 Berean

“The one who practices sin [separating himself from God, and offending Him by acts of disobedience, indifference, or rebellion] is of the devil [and takes his inner character and moral values from him, not God];

for the devil has sinned and violated God’s law from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8 Amplified

Satan appears in the heavens but was never an angel who fell, bringing other angels down to earth with him. He is the serpent in the Garden, condemned to operate in the earthly realm of human life. Peter warns against satan’s rule over the earthly, fleshly lives of humans:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 ESV

Given this, the question we must settle in our hearts is this: “Is God who He says He is?” Does He remain a God of love and mercy, creating everything and ruling over all of His creation? He is omnipotent, all-powerful, and therefore has rule over satan. Back in the Garden, He limited satan’s authority to the earthly realm of our flesh. By the book of Revelation, satan has grown to be a devouring dragon, defeated in the heavens, but still able to operate in our earth along with his evil spirits—angels or messengers of evil:

“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them!

But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” Revelation 12:7-12 ESV

Our adversary the devil is the ruling spirit influencing the minds of men through deception and lies. And the worst that satan does is to deceive us into accusing our brethren in the Lord. If you want to see satan’s nature revealed, see the ways he tempted Jesus in the desert. If the father of lies is allowed to come to test God’s most precious Son, why is it so hard to accept that God will use him to test us too? Jesus Chris was tested in His mind, in the sinful thoughts that came to Him to do something in self rather than full obedience to God His Father. He overcame, showing it is possible, making a way for us to overcome.

“Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry.

The devil said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.’ But Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’

Then the devil led Him up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.

‘I will give You authority over all these kingdoms and all their glory,’ he said. ‘For it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. So if You worship me, it will all be Yours.’

But Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’ Then the devil led Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.

‘If You are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You carefully; and they will lift You up in their hands so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’

But Jesus answered, ‘It also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.” Luke 4:1-13 Berean

Three times the devil presented ideas to our Lord that were selfish, soulish, and sinful. He was hungry and vulnerable to using His spiritual authority for self, creating food to satisfy the lust of the flesh. When that did not work, satan went on to tempt Jesus with the lust of the eyes, to grant authority over the kingdoms of the world. He states that all Jesus could see would be his if He worshipped him.

The earthly realm is satan’s domain and he has been granted authority by God to rule and reign over the earth, having power and influence, stature and authority over humanity, Jesus refused, again quoting Father God’s word which He knew well. Satan then appealed to the temptation to put God to the test, to prove God’s faithfulness according to the pride of life—who Jesus was as the Son of God.

How many of the Lord’s people have and are doing this very thing, settling for what earthly, perishable gain there is while forsaking a higher spiritual calling? There are those who know key spiritual truths but won’t preach them because they would lose their followers, their position, and their income. Think what a show some would have made of Jesus’ ministry if any carnal thoughts had been allowed to dominate the heart of our Savior. Satan misused God’s word to deceive through appealing to the pride of life, tempting Jesus to show everyone who He is as God would not allow Him to be hurt.

Jesus used the truth of the word to rebuke him. Are these not familiar thoughts that are conceived in the heart of every man and woman who sins? God does not tempt us. Instead, it is in our own hearts, in the fleshly, selfish realm of the soul—our mind, will, and emotions—rather than under the rulership of the holy spirit, that is tempted:

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” James 1:13-16 NKJV

Satan was tempting our Lord by appealing to His own human desires, just as He continues to do with all of us. This passage ends with satan leaving Jesus “until an opportune time.” Satan had many opportune times from then until the cross. Did not Father God allow satan to work in the hearts of the Jewish leadership of the time? Satan thought he had won as Jesus hung on the cross, but the victory was the Lord’s when He rose from the dead. Is that not revealing Who was in charge of this time of trial and temptation Jesus experienced for 40 days and 40 nights? Jesus always did what the Father showed Him to do. Jesus was led by the holy spirit into this experience and it did not end there, it had just started.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Jeremiah expresses the same questions we have about evil flourishing in the world, expressed in the familiar words of The Message:

“You are right, O God, and you set things right. I can’t argue with that. But I do have some questions:

Why do bad people have it so good? Why do con artists make it big? You planted them and they put down roots. They flourished and produced fruit. They talk as if they’re old friends with you, but they couldn’t care less about you.

Meanwhile, you know me inside and out. You don’t let me get by with a thing! Make them pay for the way they live, pay with their lives, like sheep marked for slaughter.

How long do we have to put up with this—the country depressed, the farms in ruin—and all because of wickedness, these wicked lives? Even animals and birds are dying off because they’ll have nothing to do with God and think God has nothing to do with them.” Jeremiah 12:1-4 The Message

Jeremiah talks it over with God by first establishing his belief and trust in God’s righteous nature. But therein is the dilemma! He knows that God is righteous, so how come the wicked prosper? Haven’t most of us considered these questions, with some of us going on to ask God about it? The literal translation states that Jeremiah “contends” with the Lord, from the Hebrew word “riyb,” additionally meaning “to toss,: grapple, wrangle, hold a controversy, chide, complain, debate, plead, strive.” It is a strong word that is used here for Jeremiah’s discussion with God.

As Jeremiah did then, so should our first actions be now. We ask God about it, presentgin our dilemma and lack of understanding to the Almighty, stating our case. He already knows it anyway and Who will be more wise in answering this controversy of the heart? Jeremiah really wants to know and God does not turn away those who sincerely inquire about His ways. Jeremiah also clearly acknowledges God’s rulership and authority over all when he states that God has planted the wicked and allowed them to grow and prosper, but the question remains: “Why?”

Jeremiah knows the hearts of those doing evil are far from the Lord while God knows Jeremiah’s heart, his innermost being, and, further, God has tested it. He asks God to deal with the wicked, particularly as they deny God in their hearts, thinking He knows nothing about what they do. Jeremiah points out that the wicked are destroying God’s creation, the animals and the birds. Avarice—the extreme greed for wealth and material gain—rules within them, directing their actions.

Isn’t this our present 21st-century condition as well, as we choose ways of living in this world that gravely harm the earth’s atmosphere and the habitats of other living creatures? When given a choice, human flesh decides to serve itself at the expense of others, including this earth where we all, as well as future generations, must live. It’s challenging to imagine that we humans will get our act together to save the environments so essential to all creatures, including us. But God Himself promised He would not destroy the earth.

“Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: ‘I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you--the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you--every living creature on earth.

I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.’

And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind.

Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth." Genesis 9:8-17 NIV

God has promised to sustain and restore all of creation, including mankind. He is the ultimate rule of our earth, now our temporary homeland. He will take care of it all as we and all else are His creation. Do you think God Almighty will return to dwell in His people without regard for all creation who cries out to Him, as Jeremiah stated. Consider this passage in Romans:

“For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.” Romans 8:19-23 NIV

The creation did not choose to be subjected to death, awaiting and longing, even groaning for the redemption and restoration of all things as God has promised. God set it up this way and He is the only One who can fix it. This provides a different understanding of God’s ways when undeserved evil comes into our lives though we are righteous. This is why many Christians avoid the account of Job, a righteous man who suffered because God allowed him to be tested by satan.

But there are lessons to be learned about adversity and evil in the account of Job. Here was a righteous, blameless man in God’s eyes, and he lost everything. God allowed satan to take all of his prosperity, his family, his health, everything but his life. It was a test of Job’s faithfulness to God, not just in the wonderful, abundant times of blessings but when deep hardship and loss is allowed to happen.

If God allows this for a blameless man, what can the rest of us anticipate? It is most uncomfortable to consider what God Himself consented to happen to His faithful servant:

“In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.…

One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.’

Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.’ ‘

Does Job fear God for nothing?’ Satan replied. ‘Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.’

The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.’ Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” Job 1:1; 6-12 NIV

Job was like no one else on the earth, blameless and upright before God, fearing (reverencing) God and turning away from evil. Satan comes among the sons of God, just like he always has. He is not a son, but a servant of God. His domain is the earth realm, the fleshly realm of humankind, as he was sentenced to do in the Garden of Eden. That’s why he reports roaming around as the ruler of this earthly domain. And God allows satan to test Job, just as God allowed satan to test Jesus, His only begotten son.

While Jesus had nothing, Job had much prosperity in family and possessions. Job’s so-called friends try to comfort him, saying he must have done something to cause his distress. This is human reasoning, assuming that when bad things happen, we must have done something to deserve it. Job knows better because he did not deserve the multitude of afflictions God allowed to come upon him. He does not rail at the devil because Job knows with Whom he has to deal:

“Is my complaint directed to a human being? Why should I not be impatient? Look at me and be appalled; clap your hand over your mouth. When I think about this, I am terrified; trembling seizes my body.

Why do the wicked prosper, growing old and powerful? They live to see their children grow up and settle down, and they enjoy their grandchildren. Their homes are safe from every fear, and God does not punish them. Their bulls never fail to breed. Their cows bear calves and never miscarry. They let their children frisk about like lambs. Their little ones skip and dance. They sing with tambourine and harp. They celebrate to the sound of the flute.They spend their days in prosperity, then go down to the grave in peace.

And yet they say to God, ‘Go away. We want no part of you and your ways. Who is the Almighty, and why should we obey him? What good will it do us to pray?’ (They think their prosperity is of their own doing, but I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.)

Yet the light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished. Do they ever have trouble? Does God distribute sorrows to them in anger? See, their well-being is not in their own hands. The wisdom of the sinful is far from me.” Job 21:7-17 NLV

Job is contending with God, just as Jeremiah did. He is asking the Lord why he is having all this suffering and affliction, when those who are not righteous, but wicked, are doing well. He acknowledges that he does not understand the sinful nor why they prosper, seeking to comprehend all this adversity sent his way that he does not deserve. The answers his friends provide sound familiar because they are from human reasoning, neither enlightening nor comforting to him.

When God arrives to speak to them all, He first chastises Job for thinking he can understand the Almighty God of the universe, Who created all things and established the known world in all its glory and splendor. Job then repents in sackcloth and ashes, admitting that God is God and he is not; that he has spoken of things too high for him to understand. God then defends Job as an honorable and upright man to his friends, chastising them for their errors in addressing Job’s afflictions.

So, consider how often we, as modern-day Christians, are “Job’s comforters,” providing neither comfort nor wisdom to those struggling with what God allows for His own, precious people who serve Him? Casual explanations from the mind of man, blaming them for their own undeserved sufferings, are not comforting in these dark times of the soul. Sometimes the only thing we can tell another who has suffered unspeakable things is that we do not know why but we are confident that it is not because God does not love them.

God does answer, though we may not understand or even agree with the answer He tells us. One response from the Lord in comprehending the horrors of this world:

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18 Berean

Most of us have not gone through atrocities, only hearing about it rather than living through it. Many others have and do live through this, including those who serve the rest of us by callings that involve danger and disaster on a daily basis. As Job teaches, God’s saints are not spared. Instead, it is a part of God’s plan to make us like Him, bringing future glory to God. The verse right before that statement in Romans states:

“And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.” Romans 8:17 NIV

God commands us not to take another’s life, so even in serving one’s country in war and in keeping the peace and safety of the nation. It nonetheless is breaking God’s laws, no matter how justified and necessary. It takes God to settle this in the hearts of those who have been called to do so, to keep the rest of us safe. Such things are far beyond my understanding, but I have seen the struggles of damaged souls who had to kill in order to stay alive as well as to protect the rest of us. This is just the beginning of answers.

Each person has to resolve the issue of adversity and evil as a believer as they walk with the Lord in their experiences. We can look to the Psalmist, who states:

“Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills.

Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits. They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression.Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.

Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. They say, ‘How would God know? Does the Most High know anything?’ This is what the wicked are like—always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments. If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children.

When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.” Psalms 73:1-20 NIV

The author of this Psalms struggles with the same issues, deeply troubled in his soul, until he enters God’s presence. He is stating a familiar lament: “Why bother doing right, pleasing God? What’s the point when the wicked are doing better that I am as Your servant?” Then God gives him understanding, that the end, the destiny of the wicked, is different from their beginning. The appearance of prosperity and ease is swept away by God’s hands, either on this earth or as they face judgment when their rank is called upon to face the Almighty.

We are stuck in time, but God has an eternal plan that will bring all to a conclusion that glorifies Him. The great prophet, Jeremiah, the righteous servant Job, and the writer of Psalms 73 all had the same issue: dealing with the outward prosperity of those who do evil while the righteous suffer and are afflicted day and night. What did they do? They talked it over with God, not accepting the reasoning of their minds, their fleshly view of the external rather than the heart.

Each knew it was God’s business whom He chose to prosper, and none would choose the way of the godless sinner over the path of affliction and sorrow with God. Many testify that painful adverse experiences have made them stronger, often equipping believers specifically for the work of their calling. These experiences include excruciating loss and devastation that have been surrendered to God for His will to work in us.

Which lives testify more of our Lord: the one who is blessed and always prospers in serving Him or the one who continues to serve Him despite trouble and affliction on every side? Not all God’s people are called, chosen, and faithful, going all the way with the Lord, but some surrender to suffering as our Lord was required to do. He strengthens us through every adversity as we seek to live in the realm of the spirit rather than remaining “earth dwellers.”

We are enabled to yield to God, see the eventual good the Lord creates, trust Him through it all. And as the song says, it will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Called to be a son of God is a call to endure discipline through trials and testings, times of adversity that can be hard to endure. God states very clearly:

“And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: ‘My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you’.

For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.

Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?” Hebrews 12:5-7 Berean

We desire to follow the Lord, to be like Him. Adversity and suffering will come on this earth, including our eartt. It is a critical part of our growth. We may wish it weren’t so as this life brings so many things very hard to bear, but He promises comfort, healing, peace so that we will be like Him. We are empowered to glorify God the Father in spite of, as well as because of, what He allows in our lives.