Natural Evil

[brrrilliantsteve]

Natural Evil - This natural evil occurs when bad things happen in nature (floods, hurricanes, drought, earthquakes, etc.) that cause so much pain and suffering, not just for humans but for animals as well.

One of the great questions that all believers in a Loving God have had to deal with is the question of this Natural Evil. After all, if God is in control of the creation, why would such things happen?

In reading Job I have highlighted some points, and invite your thoughts.



Job 1:9 And Satan answered Jehovah and said, Does Job fear God for nothing?
Job 1:10 Have You not made a hedge around him, and around his house, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock have increased in the land.
Job 1:11 But put forth Your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face.
Job 1:12 And Jehovah said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only do not lay your hand upon him. And Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah.

Job 42:11 And came to him (Job) all his brothers, and all his sisters, and all those who had known him before. And they ate bread with him in his house, and consoled him and comforted him over all the evil that Jehovah had brought on him. Each one also gave him a piece of money, and each one a ring of gold.


Here Satan tells God to put forth his hand (against Job) so that Job will curse God.
BUT God trusts Job's faith and replies to Satan saying all that he has is in YOUR power.

The "Natural Evil" that follows is a result Satan trying to get Job to curse God.

Interestingly Job's family blame Jehovah for the "Evil that Jehovah had brought on him". This sounds a lot like what we hear people saying when ever a Natural disaster occurs.

Toward the end of the book of Job, (chapter 38), Job’s inability to explain features of the Creation led him to recognize the greatness of God and to trust Him (chapter 42), despite everything that had happened. Today, those of us living after the Cross, have a view of the Creator also as our crucified Redeemer, something that Job never had, at least not as clearly as we do. How much more, then, should we trust in the Lord’s goodness toward us, knowing what He did for us?

 

[aspen]

People had a primitive understanding of the nature of God back when Job was written. They were more concerned about the Sovereignty of God (God was EVEN responsible for natural disasters - unlike the Greek gods or the Danish gods) rather than the love and mercy of God. After meeting Jesus we have good reason to believe that God loves His creation and uses the groaning pains of the world to bring about a greater good (the evil in the world is never worth the lesson - Jesus wept over the death of Lazareth, but He will bring good out of the mess we have made.

 

[biggandyy]

Floods, hurricanes,volcanoes, etc are neither evil nor good. They are neutral because they are not subject to any form of morality or ethics.

ANY teaching or doctrine that might follow will necessarily be invalid sine the initial premise is demonstrably flawed.

 

[brrrilliantsteve]

I totally agree with you Andyy, there is nothing evil about the natural world. God created it and it was good. The natural world was not given the gift of free will. God Did however make the natural world subject to it's own set of commandments and told the seas (for example) "You shall come to here, but no further; and here your proud waves shall stop." Job 11:38

The inflection of Evil in these cases is directed towards he who has control of the Natural elements. Some like Job's brothers and sisters blamed God for all the calamities that befell him. Job on the other hand never does curse God, despite Satan's attempts to deceive him into believing God had wrought these events onto him.

Are "Natural Evil's" are brought on by judgements of God, or allowed to occur to refine Jesus followers, or a direct result of Satan flexing his muscles, or simply the result of the Natural elements following their "commandments" in response to the sin which has entered this world? (I don't know, maybe a combination of all of them.) But 2 things are clear.


"Everything was created by him, everything in heaven and on earth, everything seen and unseen, including all forces and powers, and all rulers and authorities. All things were created by God's Son, and everything was made for him. God's Son was before all else, and by him everything is held together". Colossians 1:16, 17 (CEV)... AND

"The hand that sustains the worlds in space, the hand that holds in their orderly arrangement and tireless activity all things throughout the universe of God, is the hand that was nailed to the cross for us.”

We, like Job, should be ever grateful and never blame or curse God for what ever comes our way, because we know that God has our backs.