The problem of evil is a philosophical inquiry that attempts to argue against the existence of God by drawing attention to the reality of evil. Evil can be defined as immoral actions or events that bring about suffering or grief. Evil is the opposite of good. The thought would go something like this: Why would a perfectly loving and perfectly beneficent God allow evil to exist? I don’t think a perfectly loving and perfectly beneficent God would allow evil to exist, but evil does exist in the world around us. Therefore, it seems less likely that God exists. While there have been a multitude of philosophical arguments mounted against theism, the problem of evil is a uniquely powerful one. How so? Because it’s personal. All of us, everyone, at some point during our earthly existence will experience pain, suffering, and evil. Sure, we can offer theodicies (this is just a fancy word for when philosophers try to offer arguments that demonstrate how God’s existence can be compatible with evil) or poke holes into someone’s counterarguments, but these seem to fall on deaf ears when we are speaking to a father who lost his daughter to a drunk driver on a routine early Sunday morning drive home. Evil is not simply a lofty concept; it is an experience. There have been a lot of thoughtful and intelligent Christian thinkers who have done great work at addressing the problem of evil. However, one individual tackled this inquiry head-on thousands of years ago within the pages of the Old Testament.

Habakkuk is a prophet living around the late seventh century B.C. in Judah. He is living during a time when the southern kingdom of Israel has completely forsaken God (once again), and they are choosing to practice all forms of wickedness and debauchery. Habakkuk is living through a time of pure evil. This causes Habakkuk to cry out to God and ask “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?” (Hab. 1:2). Grave injustices are being committed amongst God’s people, and God appears to be silent. Why isn’t God doing anything about this? Doesn’t God care that the poor are being abused and social outcasts are being tormented? God responds in verse 6, “I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own.” (Hab. 1:6). Notice that evil does not surprise God. God is not caught off guard by the events occurring in Judah. God sees evil. God sees the grieving father and his family. God is raising up the Babylonians to punish the Israelites for forsaking His precepts and practicing injustice amongst themselves. Habakkuk offered his questions, and God provided him with answers. End chapter. Well, not quite.

Habakkuk is not satisfied with that answer. “Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?” (Hab. 1:13b). How can God use the Babylonians to punish His people when the Babylonians themselves are a severely wicked nation? Notice how humans are upset when God seemingly leaves evil unpunished, but at the same time, criticize the mechanism by which God chooses to discipline people. Food for thought. God responds by telling Habakkuk that He is going to use the Babylonians to punish Judah, but the Babylonians will be punished for the atrocities that they are choosing to commit out of the wickedness of their hearts (Hab. 2:6-20). In Hab. 2:16, God says “The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you (Babylon), and disgrace will cover your glory.” Babylon will eventually experience God’s wrath. God does not have a complacent attitude toward evil. God is actively working to bring good out of evil.

While the problem of evil is a formidable argument against generic theism, Christianity presents a uniquely satisfactory perspective within this conversation. The Christian God, who sees evil and is actively working to bring good out of evil, enters into the evil human world to bring about the most supreme form of good. Jesus Christ experiences the effects of hunger, injustice, violence, anger, jealousy, bitterness, hatred, bribery, selfishness, and pride through the humans that He knitted in their mothers’ wombs. Creation kills the Creator. Allah has never sweated, Brahma has never died, Vishnu has never experienced thirst, the Buddha was never betrayed by a close friend, and Zeus was never crucified for a crime he did not commit. “Who (Jesus), though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8). The God of the Bible suffers. The God of the Bible experiences evil, but most importantly, the God of Scripture has conquered evil.

In God’s second response to Habakkuk, there is a subtle promise that He shares that we may not notice if we do not pay careful attention to the text. “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Hab. 2:14). There is coming a day when the earth will no longer be filled with violence, oppression, and evil. There is coming a day where the entire earth will be perfectly filled by the knowledge of the incomparable glory of God. This day is made possible through the cross of Christ. God used the ultimate act of human evil to bring about the saving of the human race. I know what you may be thinking at this point. Cool story Darbentz, but what about that father you mentioned who lost his daughter to that drunk driver? What possible reason would a loving God have for allowing such a senseless act of violence and death to occur? My honest answer: I do not know. I am unable to give specific reasons as to why God allows specific acts of evil to occur. What I do know is this: for the Christian God, evil is not simply a lofty concept, it is an experience that God the Son bore on His back as He traveled to Calvary. I find comfort in the fact that I serve and worship a God who can relate to my suffering, who suffered on my behalf, and conquered evil once and for all. A God who will wipe away all the tears from our eyes as His glory wholly fills every inch of the globe. I hope and pray we can all find comfort in these truths, even when we do not have all the answers.        

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet:

Though the fig tree does not bud

and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength;

he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

he enables me to tread on the heights.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

By Darbentz O.