What Did You Do Wrong?

When God seems to be against us

A few weeks ago, I interviewed a Christian leader who has built a large, well-known company. In increasing measure, his growing family is participating in this remarkable success story. In talking with this leader about how one builds a legacy, I found little nuance in his positions. His point of view basically was, “raise your children right and everything else takes care of itself.” Well, yes, no one would argue the importance of raising your children “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” But we’ve all seen a range of outcomes in the path children take, no matter how godly the family of origin. “Run your business the right way and God will bless you.” Again, no one would argue the principle, and we could cite many supporting references from the book of Proverbs, but happy endings don’t occur quite so automatically in this sphere, either.

God has indeed rewarded this man for his faithfulness with his family and his business. Perhaps God, realizing that he would prove faithful with what was entrusted to him, chose to entrust him with the riches that come from outstanding success.Apparently that is his story, and he has no reason to tell a different one.

But a different thread also runs through Scripture. The book of Ecclesiastes, which follows directly after the encomiums in Proverbs about the results of prudence, diligence, and faithfulness, points out that “The race is not to the swift, or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise nor wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all” (Eccl. 9:11).

A few years ago, I was preparing a message for an upcoming Sunday morning. I planned to center on a passage in one of Paul’s letters, and the passage was in part a quote from Isaiah 52. I spent some time rereading Isaiah 51-55. These chapters in Isaiah, culminating in the great messianic prophecies in Isaiah 53, are masterpieces of encouragement to trust in our faithful God.

But as he writes of the sufferings that Christ would undergo on our behalf, Isaiah depicts them as unjustly rendered: “By oppression and judgment he was taken away. . . . though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth” (Is. 53:8, 9). And the prophet goes on to say this: “it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer” (v. 10).

Jesus did everything right – I think we would agree with that. But his faithful obedience was rewarded with torture and a humiliating death. We know that he did all this for us – “he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him” (v. 5).

And yet, one additional twist of the knife for Jesus must have been this: the knowledge that the very people he suffered for were judging him and finding him wanting. “We considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted” (v. 4). Honestly, to me, that sounds something like the judgment that the business leader I spoke of earlier might have rendered: “If he was punished, he must not have done everything right (like I have).”

To one extent or another, we all make these kinds of judgments. Failure is judged harshly, and we usually assume, even if only unconsciously, that a shortcoming of one kind or another must have led to it.

But might it sometimes be true for one of us, as it was for Jesus, that “it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer”?

Photo by Nik Shuliahin 💛💙 on Unsplash

Peter seems to think so. In 1 Peter 3, he quotes Psalm 34: “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer” (1 Pet. 3:12), but he goes on to say, “do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ” (1 Pet. 4:12, 13).

Earlier in the letter, he writes that we “through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is to be revealed in the last time. . . . though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” 1 Pet. 1:5, 6).

Does this seem consistent to you? If God’s power doesn’t shield us from suffering grief in all kinds of trials, what exactly does it shield us from?

Our culture abhors suffering. Anything needed to prevent or to minimize suffering must and should be done. But God not only allows it – it seems he sometimes immerses us in it.

Peter tells us why: the trials that bring suffering “have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, honor, and glory when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Pet. 1:7).

Reading these things makes me realize that I value faith much less than God does. God seems willing to smash up anything if stronger faith is the result. I – want other things too. My pain threshold isn’t very high. And sometimes, when I’ve lost something I wanted, or my pain threshold is exceeded, I am convinced that God has a screwed-up sense of values, not me.

But I also lack a true perspective on something Jesus saw clearly: the reward. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus “for the joy set before him endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2).

I am disappointingly weak and unstable; God will help me become stronger if I respond to the treatment he prescribes. It is also true that sometimes I may do good and suffer for it anyway. This too will bring good to me in the end – if I do not give up.

I believe that. What do you think?