Cause and Effect – in Which Life?

In 1981 Rabbi Harold Kushner published a book that would hit the best seller list for many weeks and remain in print for decades, even recently being available for Kindle. He suggested answers to the question that is as old as creation itself, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Coming out of personal and unexplainable tragedy himself, he drew his readers to replace the question of "Why did this happen to me?" with the more appropriate and actionable question, "What do I do now that this has happened?" Not why is my life devoid of meaning, but how do I put meaning into my life. Over the centuries most everyone that has come thru tragedy or injustice with a forward looking attitude has practiced this exercise.

 

Solomon suggests abundant examples of relationships between righteousness and blessing in Proverbs 11, versus evil and ruin. One might think at a first reading the good people always see good things. Examples:

v. 2 – Righteousness delivers from death.

v. 3 – Righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them – the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.

v. 4- Righteousness of the upright delivers them.

v. 5 - The righteous man is rescued from trouble – it comes on the wicked instead.

v. 9 – The godless destroys his neighbor but thru knowledge the righteous escape.

v. 10 – When the righteous prosper the city rejoices; when the wicked perish there are shouts of joy.

v. 11 – A city is exalted thru the blessing of the upright, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

v. 13 - The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.

v. 19 - The truly righteous man attains life, but he who pursues evil goes to his death.

v. 21- Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free.

v. 23 - The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.

v. 27 - He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it.

v. 28 - Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

v. 30 - The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.

v. 31 - If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

Good rewards for good behavior as a basic value system for children in every family, workers in companies, participants in institutions, seems to be suggested here as a biblical promise. So when tragedy strikes, is it the sign of sin or evil? Sometimes yes. But what tends to be missed in these cursory readings and even the prosperity gospel promoters that appear in every generation is that there is no timeline suggested here. It is possible that one's righteousness, for example, might find its reward in the lives of one's children, or even grandchildren. And if that is to happen, one definitely must take on the attitude Rabbi Kushner suggests that the real question is not what caused this, but what do I do with my life that I have now. In the search for that answer, there may be clues to clarify the first question. But whether or not they come, the results to the second question can multiply good upon good in generations to come. And therein lies the greatest legacy anyone can leave behind – a life worth living and one lived for the right purpose.

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