Joni Tada - When God Seems Unjust: Suffering through Injustice

ilker canikligil

The morning of March 26, 1976, was beautiful. But for Vicky Olivas, the date reminded her of happier times before her husband left her. It was now just Vicky and her two-year-old son. Facing an uncertain future, she headed for a job interview. She had to start somewhere.

Vicky had problems finding the address the employment agency gave her. There were only factories in the neighborhood, and she debated whether or not she should go to the interview. But a passerby pointed her down an alley to the last door on the right. She stepped into a dim front office. The place smelled damp and closed in. Since there was no receptionist, she peeked around a corner and called, Is someone here? She cautiously made her way down a hallway that opened into a warehouse where Vicky found two men sitting at a desk.

After introductions, the man who seemed to be the boss leaned back and looked Vicky over. She felt terribly uncomfortable under his stare. He directed her back toward the front office to fill out some forms. As she scribbled in her address, she kept thinking, I shouldnt be here... somethings not right. At that moment, the man closed the door behind him, clicked the lock, and motioned her toward another hallway. The next thing she knew, he grabbed her around her chest and threw her against the wall. I asked them to send somebody just like you, he hissed, ripping her blouse. Vicky strained to push him away and suddenlybang! The room and the man spiraled away as Vicky slumped to the floorshe had been shot in the neck.

Panicking, the man dragged her into a bathroom. Vickys face rubbed against the cold tiles and she felt something wet and warm trickle down her neck. Blood! Is he going to kill me? she wondered, as he dragged her to a car. In a crazy turnabout, the man dumped her off in an emergency room at a nearby hospital and fled. While doctors worked on her, Vicky told the whole story to a policewoman who happened to be there. Nobody believed her until they went back to the warehouse and found her purse, blood, and a gun in the trash can. The man was arrested.

The story sounds like a movie of the week on TV, but it is not fiction. And the resolution has an even sadder twist. The attacker, who had three other convictions of attempted rape, was released after three years in jail. Vicky is spending her life completely paralyzed.

I first met Vicky at a rehab clinic. I was moved by the anguish written all over her face. You can understand. For the most part, the criminal went scot-free. She, on the other hand, was dealt a lifetime sentence of quadriplegia. She could have written Psalm 73:34: For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. Maybe you could write the sameand those around you may not even be arrogant or wicked.

You could be a single woman who has served God faithfully for decades and has always longed to be married, as you watch yet another young friend wed a godly man.

You could be a young mother who must watch her two-year-old die slowly of cancer while your girlfriends fret about their childs broken arm or grades at school.

You could be a hardworking salesman who holds fast to good ethics, while a conniving coworker cheats his way to the top, receiving praise and promotion.

You could be carrying the heartbreaking scars from a terribly abusive childhood or former marriage.

Life isnt fair. It is full of injustice. And the unfairness of it all can be so demoralizing. Husbands cheat on wives... drunk drivers slam into schoolchildren at crosswalks... and rapists walk out of jail, move to other states, and start all over again. Where is God amid such devastation? Why does evil seem to so often have the upper hand? And what can we do about it?

A Psalmists Anguish

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.

He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.

In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims,

He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.

His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.

He says to himself, God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.

Psalm 10:14, 811

Two Responses

Cosmin Nahaiciuc

It is natural to entertain the thought that God seems unjust (a dangerous thought, but entirely natural). When injustices happen to us, we feel its only right to justify our anger and critical spirit. If you point out some peoples bitter or critical spirit to them, they immediately tell you about how badly they have been treated, let down, or deeply hurt by others. But are there other ways to respond to injustices? Just consider...

A Natural Response: God, if he is God at all, must hate injustice, and so he must have been helpless to prevent my terrible mistreatment. I need to make up for Gods inactions. And if the other person is not exposed, brought to justice, or punished, then I must take matters into my own hands and use criticism, slander, or hold grudges to make certain they are, in some way, paid back.

A Supernatural Response: God hates injustice and, yes, the awful person who mistreated me deserves to be exposed, brought to justice, and rebuked. But whether or not that happens, I will not be bitter nor retaliate; I will return good for evil and bless rather than curse.

God Has Called You

Yes, a supernatural response is a totally unnatural response to injustice. But if you are a Christian, God has called you to endure unjust suffering without bitterness or revenge, or even the desire to hurt back. For God is sovereign; God is in control and, yes, even wicked people cannot thwart his purpose: The Lord works out everything for his own endseven the wicked for a day of disaster (Prov. 16:4).

There are many things wrong and unfair with life in this world. A Christian is to work for and seek justice, as well as expose the wicked acts of people. However, Christians are not to return evil for evil but to do good to those who hurt them or let them down.

God wants to extend his mercy to this world through the declaration and demonstration of the gospel of Christ. God loves justice and he wants us to extend his righteousness and justice throughout the world, for Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you (Ps. 89:14). As we reclaim this sinful world under the banner of the King, we show the world what the kingdom looks likeand so we work for justice and peace (Deut. 27:19; Ps. 82:3; Prov. 31:89) and we endure our own suffering patiently.

Our Calling as Christians

Kevin Carden

For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.