Why Do Good Things Happen To Bad People?

Scripture Reading: Psalm 73

Focus Verses: Psalm 73:2-3  “But as for me, I almost lost my footing.  My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.  For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness."

Why do good things happen to bad people?  A different question we sometimes ask is “why do bad things happen to good people?  Both of these situations seem to be an injustice, but yet we see both situations every day in our world. 

 

Let us answer the first question.  Psalm 73 was written by a man named Asaph.  In verses 4 and 5 he says "They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills”.  Sometimes we feel like Asaph did.  We see people with nicer or bigger homes than us.  We see people with more money than us, when all the time they are living godless lives.  But yet, we are tempted to envy them.  We wonder why God allows this to happen. Verse 16-17 says, “So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.  But what a difficult task it is.  Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.”  The godless are headed for an eternity separated from God in a place called Hell.   All the riches accumulated here on earth will have no meaning in eternity.  We may not have everything we want on earth, but for those who have faith in Christ our eternity will lack nothing in Heaven. 

Let’s now try and answer the second question: “Why do bad things happen to good people?  The short answer is, there are no good people.  Romans 3:23 says “for all have sinned.”  Therefore, not one of us is good.  But sometimes we see bad things happen to people.  Maybe a baby gets a disease and dies.  We can't completely understand why things like that happen, but we must trust that God is sovereign and He knows what He is doing and has all things under His control.  Perhaps one day when we arrive in Heaven we will see more clearly and understand better why God allowed some of these things to happen. Meanwhile, we draw near to Him and trust that He is always with us through our life. Verse 26 says it well, "My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart: he is mine forever."

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries