"No Fault" Suffering Is An Easy Sell

The people of Judah were exiled to Babylon because they were unfaithful to the Lord. [1 Chronicles 9.1]

Surely the scripture above is just wrong. Right? 

Bad things happen to good people, right? (That's in the Bible somewhere, right?)

The people of Judah, just experienced an unfortunate fate because evil exists in the world, right?

No, none of my statements above are right. Judah suffered exile because they were unfaithful. They sinned. They "made their own bed hard and then had to lie in it," as my grandfather used to say.

Why is this so difficult to see? Because people are proud. It is certainly more self-serving to make out our suffering to be no fault of our own. And, because people are so spiritually gullible, this "no-fault" suffering is an easy sell (however dangerous it may be).

It is easier to live a prayerless and faithless life without daily reading of the Bible. And, just to make sure no guilt creeps in, a little "almost truth" is prescribed as a weekly preventative measure (teaching that bad things happen to good people), just so no one gets the idea that maybe they need the Bible and prayer in more than token doses.

Here's the deal. My statements above expose me. My powerlessness over so many circumstances I encounter is testimony that I too have swallowed the "no-fault" pill. Instead of seeking out and repenting of sin in my life in order that the power of the Holy Spirit imparted by Jesus can fully operate in me, I have immunized myself by negating the solid Biblical principles that obedience yields blessing and disobedience yields cursing. 

In most cases, we simply cannot bear the thought of how deep our sin goes in order for some of the bad things to happen that we experience. It's just too deep - and it certainly makes it easier to claim "no-fault" making it our to be an opportunity for us to "learn something amazing about God in His Sovereignty" (no real prayer or reading of the Bible required) instead of taking personal responsibility.

Why not "go overboard" repenting of sin? As a good measure, wouldn't that be safer than finding ways to claim "no fault"? Again, the problem lies in our own spiritual laziness - it is simply easier to claim no fault.

Father, I cannot claim "no fault." Scriptures like 1 Chronicles 9.1 are too clear that bad things happen to faithless people. Help me to be willing to pay whatever price to stay true to Your teaching in the Bible. Help me to avoid pride in every circumstance.