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In order to get some perspective on such a broad word as “why” I decided to put it into Biblegateway to see what came up. As you can imagine, There were more references than I could manage. But it was interesting to see all the questions starting in Genesis, in many stories through the Pentateuch, its history and narrative, then in poetic books like the Psalms as well as prophetic books like Isaiah and on to the New Testament. I gained an interesting perspective on the “why’s” of the Bible.

In these days when so many are asking a variety of “why’s”, it is helpful to see what some of the “why’s” in the Bible are…and how they were answered. I’ll share a few in the Scripture at the end of my comments.

One thing we can say about ourselves is that we have been a very privileged people. stop As a nation, we have had access to superior teaching about GOD. The Gospel has been freely disseminated in our culture. We have been blessed in every way: natural resources, financial blessing, generally good weather, etc. But we have gotten to the point where we have taken our many blessings for granted. We have turned away from the GOD who has given us these blessings in a similar was that Israel did. More and more of our institutions have become corrupt. Television and movies that reflect a large portion of our culture, belittle those who believe in Jesus or have even have Judeo-Christian values.

When bad things happen, we ask “Why did you let this happen, GOD?” It seems a little bizarre doesn’t it, when we haven’t often given Him credit for all the blessings that have come our way? Here are a few explanations I came across. Of course, they don’t apply to every situation.

Ah, sinful nation,
    a people laden with iniquity,
offspring of evildoers,
    children who deal corruptly!
They have forsaken the Lord,
    they have despised the Holy One of Israel,
    they are utterly estranged.

 Why will you still be struck down?
    Why will you continue to rebel?
The whole head is sick,
    and the whole heart faint.
 From the sole of the foot even to the head,
    there is no soundness in it,
but bruises and sores
    and raw wounds;
they are not pressed out or bound up
    or softened with oil.

 Your country lies desolate;
    your cities are burned with fire;
in your very presence
    foreigners devour your land;
    it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.
 And the daughter of Zion is left
    like a booth in a vineyard,
like a lodge in a cucumber field,
    like a besieged city.

When you spread out your hands,
    I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
    I will not listen;
    your hands are full of blood.
 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
    remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
     learn to do good;
seek justice,
    correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
    plead the widow’s cause.

 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
    they shall become like wool.
 If you are willing and obedient,
    you shall eat the good of the land;
 but if you refuse and rebel,
    you shall be eaten by the sword;
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 1:4-8, 15-20

Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
    forget not the afflicted.
 Why does the wicked renounce God
    and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
    that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
    you have been the helper of the fatherless.
 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
    call his wickedness to account till you find none.

 The Lord is king forever and ever;
    the nations perish from his land.
 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
    so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

Psalm 10:12-18

For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning,
that we should love one another.
We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother.
And why did he murder him?
Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.
Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.

I John 3:11-13