Where Is the God of Justice?

The Old Testament and Suffering

Michael E. W. Thompson

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9781610972628
• eBook ISBN: 9781630877118
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

What does the Old Testament say about the problem of suffering? Though Christians believe themselves to be held in the care of the God of love and strength, they yet find that sufferings come their way. Moreover, whole communities, even whole nations, experience terrible sufferings--all of which frequently raises the question, "Where is the God of justice?"Those parts of the Old Testament that deal with this question are here considered and discussed, both those that understand suffering as due to human sinfulness and those that raise serious questions about that sort of understanding. Further, here are Jeremiah's questions about why he, as the Lord's prophet, must suffer; the gentler questions in Ecclesiastes; the perplexing life experiences of Joseph; the agonized prayer of Habakkuk; those most urgent questions in the book of Job; the outspoken words of psalmists; the radical talk about a "suffering servant"; and the confident hope expressed in Daniel. Thompson argues that while the Old Testament cannot always give us answers, it does point us to God for hope in the midst of suffering.

1

Suffering

A “Deserved Calamity”?

The novel of Albert Camus The Plague is about the crisis for the town and port of Oran in the north of Algeria when so many of its inhabitants were beset with plague, and desperate measures had to be taken to control and contain the crisis. Thus all travel in and out of the town was stopped, the hospital was needed for the care of those who had contracted the plague, the doctors—including Dr Rieux, one of the main characters in the story—and other medical workers were under great pressure. There were many deaths, and we are told that among other things taking place the ecclesiastical authorities “resolved to do battle against the plague with the weapons appropriate to them, and organised a Week of Prayer.” This culminated on the Sunday with a High Mass, the sermon in the cathedral being preached by Father Paneloux, a Jesuit priest, we are told, “who had shown himself a stalwart champion of Christian doctrine at its most precise and purest”. Father Paneloux began his sermon, “Calamity has come on you, my brethren, and, my brethren, you deserved it,” and a little later he said, “Thus from the dawn of recorded history the scourge of God has humbled the proud of heart and laid low those who hardened themselves against Him. Ponder this well, my friends, and fall on your knees.”1

Now whatever we may feel about the appropriateness or otherwise of Father Paneloux’s sermon from a caring and pastoral perspective, it has to be said that he was adopting a thoroughly biblical point of view. In fact, he was sharing with his fellow citizens one of the biblical understandings and interpretations of the meaning of suffering, namely that it is brought upon a person or a community though their sinfulness. Thus the priest’s strong words about his people currently suffering a “deserved calamity.”

This approach is prominently there, for example, in the book of Deuteronomy, a work presented to us in the form of a great sermon or speech by Moses that was addressed to the people of Israel on the eve of their crossing the River Jordan and going over into the promised land. The point is made that as long as these people walk in God’s ways, and obey his commandments and ordinances, then all will go well for them.2 Thus, for example (for this theme is oft-recurring in this book), we read, “You must therefore be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn to the right or to the left. You must follow exactly the path that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you are to possess.” (Deut 5:32–33)

The theme is also to be found in the so-called Deuteronomistic History,3 in particular in the books of Kings.4 In fact it is something of a leitmotif, a prevailing theme in these books, to the extent that the reign of each of the kings of Israel and Judah is assessed in terms of their faithfulness, or unfaithfulness as the case may be, to the commandments of the Lord, and it is on the basis of this that the successes and failures of their reigns are assessed. In fact, after the reigns of David and Solomon remarkably few kings are given positive approval and commendation, certainly none in the northern kingdom of Israel, and only two in the southern kingdom, Hezekiah and Josiah. About Hezekiah the historian records, “He did what was right in the sight of the Lord just as his ancestor David had done” (2 Kgs 18:3). So this author warms to and elaborates on his theme and, pointing to all the successes of Hezekiah’s reign, affirms that faithfulness to God leads to success in life.

He trusted in the Lord the God of Israel; so that there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah after him, or among those who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following him but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. The Lord was with him; wherever he went, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. He attacked the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city. (2 Kgs 18:5–8)

And then there was Josiah, king of Judah, good king Josiah, who came into his kingship when but a child, yet who did so many good things; in particular, according to the Deuteronomistic Historian, instituting a reform of the Jerusalem temple, throwing out liturgical artifacts that were to do with false, non-Israelite ways of worship, and setting about promulgating a book of the law that we are told had been found in the temple, having a Passover ceremony the celebration of which, according to the Historian, had for long years not taken place (2 Kgs 22–23). Thus the writer enthuses about Josiah,

Moreover Josiah put away the mediums, wizards, teraphim, idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, so that he established the words of the law that were written in the book that the priest Hilkiah had found in the house of the Lord. Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to the law of Moses; nor did any arise after him. (2 Kgs 23:24–25)

On the other hand, Deuteronomy speaks of the fate of those who turned their backs on the ways of life laid down by God, as is made clear in the following passage (which gives the appearance of being a comment on the harsh experience of exile): “They turned and served other gods, worshiping them, gods whom they had not known and whom he had not allotted to them; so the anger of the Lord was kindled against that land, bringing on it every curse written in this book” (Deut 29:26–27). Or again, in 2 Kgs 17 we have an extended explanation on the part of the Deuteronomistic Historian why it was that the northern kingdom of Israel had in 722 BCE been defeated by the Assyrians with many of its citizens being taken into exile. “This occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had introduced. The people of Israel secretly did things that were not right against the Lord their God” (2 Kgs 17:7–9a) This sinfulness, so this writer affirms, would lead to exile, and thus he explains why it is that the kingdoms of both Israel and Judah experienced the harshness of life in exile. About Israel he says, “The people of Israel continued in all the sins that Jeroboam committed; they did not depart from them until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had foretold through all his servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their own land to Assyria...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Preface
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Suffering
• Chapter 2: “All is Vanity”
• Psalmic Interlude 1
• Chapter 3: Via Dolorosa for Jeremiah
• Psalmic Interlude 2
• Chapter 4: Watching and Waiting
• Psalmic Interlude 3
• Chapter 5: New Light on Suffering
• Psalmic Interlude 4
• Chapter 6: The Great Debate
• Chapter 7: The Long View
• Chapter 8: Retrospect and Reflection
• Bibliography