Have you ever wondered why "God allows bad things to happen to good people?" If so, perhaps the following article may answer at least part of that question.

>Most of us are quick to blame God whenever things go wrong in our lives, but how many ever remember to thank Him for the storms - the problems, stresses and strifes? The storm, after all, could be His way of teaching us a lesson of some kind, something we need to know that we could never learn any other way. It could be a test of our faith to remind us Who is in charge. Or, it could be a situation He wants us to personally experience so that we can use it to help someone else in the futre. Who knows why God allows bad things to happen to us? He's God; He can do whatever He wants.

One thing is for sure: Whether our limited human minds choose to believe it or not, YHWH (Yahweh) has His reasons for the things He does, and whatever He does is always perfect.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

The short answer is, we are in a fallen world. God allows us to suffer sometimes because:

• We inherited our sinfulness from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).
  
  
• YHWH does some of His best work in and through "broken vessels" - those who have suffered and grown stronger in their faith because of their suffering.
  
  
• We must learn to recognize that "bad times" are part of our growing process. When the sun always shines, there's a desert below....

After thousands of years of trying to teach Man to obey His Torah, YHWH sent us His "Son" Yeshua who was "an arm" of YHWH (Isaiah 53:1). While Yeshua's death on the cross did not take away Man's suffering, it did abolish the need for animal the sin sacrifices that were apparently implemented immediately after the "fall" (see Genesis 4:1-8 where we see Cain and Abel presenting sacrifices).

Yeshua (YHWH-Come-in-the-Flesh) died for us! He personally experienced strife and suffering, and what's more, He chose to do it! His death on that stake was surely most excruciating. During His ministry He was persecuted; He was flogged, cursed, and spat upon, and His ultimate death on the cross was violent and gruesome. Because of our transgressions, He was pierced through unto death. (Please see Zechariah 12:10).

Talk about suffering! Let's examine what the Scriptures say about Yeshua's death:

Mark 15: 1. And immediately in the morning the chief priests with the elders and with the scribes, all of the assembly took counsel and they bound Y'shua and led him away and delivered him to Peelatos. 2. And Peelatos asked him, "Are you the king of the Yehudeans?" And he answered and said to him, You have said it. 3. And the chief priests were accusing him of many things. 4. And Peelatos again asked him and said to him, "Will you not answer the accusation? See how many are testifying against you! 5. But Y'shua did not return an accusation, so that Peelatos was amazed.

6. Now he was accustomed during every feast to release to them one prisoner, whomever they wanted. 7. And there was one who was called Bar Abba, who was a prisoner with the ones who made insurrection - those who had committed murder in the insurrection. 8. And the people cried out and began to ask him as he was accustomed for them to do. 9. And Peelatos answered and said, "Do you desire that I release to you the King of the Yehudeans? 10. For Peelatos did realize that the high priests had delivered him up from envy. 11. And the chief priests incited the crowds all the more that Bar Abba should be released to them. 12. And Peelatos said to them, "What then do you desire that I do to this one whom you call the King of the Yehudeans?

13. And they again cried out, "Put him to death on the stake!" 14. And Peelatos said to them, "For what evil has he done?" And they all the more were crying out, "Put him to death on the stake!" 15. And Peelatos desired to do the will of the crowds and release Bar Abba to them. Then after Y'shua was scourged, he delivered him to be executed on a stake. 16. The soldiers led him away into the courtyard that was the Praetorium. And they called all of the company of soldiers. 17. And they dressed him with a purple robe, and wove and placed a crown of thorns on him. 18. And they began to salute him with, "Hail King of the Yehudeans!"

19. And they were striking him on his head with a reed. And they were spitting in his face and were kneeling upon their knees, and were worshiping him. 20 And while they mocked him, they stripped off the purple robe and dressed him with his own clothes and took him out to put him on the execution stake. 21. Then they compelled one who was passing by, Shimon, a Cyrenian who was coming from the field, the father of Alexandros and of Rupus, to carry his stake. 22. And they brought him to Gajultha, the place that is interpreted, "The Skull." 23. And they gave him wine in which was mixed myrrh to drink, but he did not take it. 24. And while they were nailing him on the execution stake, they divided his garments and cast lots for them, who should take what. 25. And it was about the third hour when they nailed him to the stake. 26. And the reason for his death was written in the inscription, "This is the King of the Yehudeans."

27. And they executed him on the stake with two robbers, one at his right and one at his left. 28. And the Scriptures were fulfilled that said, "He was reckoned with the wicked." 29. And also those who were passing by were blaspheming against him and nodding their heads and saying, "He will tear down the temple and build it in three days. Indeed! 30. Deliver yourself and come down from the stake!" 31. And likewise even the chief priests and the scribes were laughing amongst each other and saying, "He gave life to others, yet he is not able to give life to himself.

32. The Mashiyach, King of Israel, come down now from the stake that we may see and believe in you!" And even those who were (being) executed on the stake with him were reviling him. 33. And when the sixth hour arrived, there was darkness over all the land until the ninth. 34. And in the ninth hour, Y'shua cried out in a loud voice and said, Eil! Eil! lemana shabakthani, that is "My El! My El! Why have you spared me?

35. Then some of those who were standing there who heard were saying, "He calls to Eliyahu!" 36. And one ran and filled a sponge with vinegar and fastened it on a reed to give him to drink. But they said, "Leave him alone. Let us see if Eliyahu comes to take him down. 37. And Y'shua cried out in a loud voice, and he died. 38. And the curtain of the door of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom. 39. And when the centurion who was standing near him saw that he cried out thus and died, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of Elohim!" (AENT)

Isaiah 52:14Just as there were many who were appalled at him - his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness.

John 19: 33. And when they came to Y'shua, they saw that he was dead already and they did not break his legs. 34. But one of the soldiers struck his side with a spear, and blood and water immediately came out. 35. And the one who saw it has testified and his witness is true and he knows the truth. He spoke that you also may believe. 36. For these things happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled that said that, "Not a bone of him will be broken." 37. And again another Scripture that said that, "They will gaze at him whom they pierced." (AENT)

Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Soldiers nailed His feet, one over the other to a rough splintered cross. Foot joints where the nerves are, were severed as jagged nails entered in. Severe pain was inflicted, as huge rough nails were hammered into tender flesh. Think about how badly it hurts when you bang your shin bone. Not only did it hurt but, in order to keep His lungs from collapsing and cause Him to suffocate, He had to push himself upright on His wounded feet.

Yeshua, the Divine Sin Sacrifice, bore the sins of those who rightly deserved the punishment of YHWH. He was the innocent sufferer dying for the guilty. He was suffering for our transgressions. Why did He do it?

Psalm 119:176 says: "I strayed like a lost sheep; seek out your servant; for I do not forget your mitzvot (commands). We are like a flock of dumb sheep that have all gone astray. All of us are destitute of salvation. We all have gone our own self-seeking way. We became egocentric instead of God-centered....

The bottom line is: We are in a fallen world and bad things can happen to anybody. The key is how we react to both, the good and the bad times/situations. Do we immediately whine and cry and blame God whenever things are bad? Or do we act like mature believers who trust that YHWH has our best interests at heart and recognize that "stuff happens" and that YHWH is in control, no matter what? Your reactions to life's situations will help YHWH separate the sheep from the goats on Judgment Day....