Why don't bad things happen to bad people?
A sermon on Habakkuk 2:2-20 and why Christians sing at injustice
“Why do bad things happen to good people?”
It’s a classic question asked by the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, ancient Greek philosophers, authors, poets and artists of all stripes. In fact, every religion or philosophy must, at some point, wrestle with this question.
However, there’s another intriguing question that acts as a counterweight to this one.
“Why don’t bad things happen to bad people?”
Why do the wicked seem to prosper? Why don’t evil men and women get what they deserve? Why does injustice flourish in our world?
These are the questions that the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk is dealing with and which I explore in this latest sermon on Habakkuk 2:2-20.
Bouncing off Jared Dodson’s Christianity Today article, I dig into God’s response to Habakkuk’s second complaint (from 1:12-2:1), the five woes promised against Babylon, and why the proper response to God’s lingering but assured justice is to sing.
You can listen to or watch the full sermon in the links below.