Why? Part 1: A Very Good, Perfect World

To understand why bad things happen to good people, we must start by finding a point in time when bad things did not happen to good people.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" - Genesis 1:1 (NLT)

This familiar Bible passage continues from here with God's creation of light, day, night, atmosphere, land, water, vegetation, stars, sun, moon, and animals.

Thanks But No Irrigation Needed Here

In God's world of very good things, there was no waste, nor was there a lot of work. No digging, hoeing, or watering in this camp.

'When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil. Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land.' - Genesis 2:4-6 NLT

• Imagine every plant being watered from undergroundsprings without manmade irrigation.
• Vegetation that grew fruitfully in spite of dirt that was not cultivated.
• Rain did not exist until Genesis 7 when God sent rain to flood the earth due to an excess of sin. No rain, then no storms. No storms, then no seasons. No seasons, then no extreme cold or hot.

A Perfect Match with Innocence to Boot

No late night quarrels here.

""So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. 22Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.23“At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’ ”This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame."" - Genesis 2:21-25

It's Nice to be King Adam and Queen Eve

Everything a guy or gal might need at their fingertips.

'Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.' Genesis 1:29-30 NLT

The Topper, God Strolls in the Garden Too

Spoiler Alert: This is where Adam and Eve get the world in trouble. We will look at this in Why? Part 2: Sin Enters the World

But how about the casual nature of God's relationship with Adam and Eve? How cool it would be to hang-out with God in the garden!

"When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?'" Genesis 3:8-9 NLT

Only Five Rules to Live By

Seems simple enough, hard to go wrong here.

'Then God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.'" Genesis 1:28 NLT

and

"The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, 'You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.'" Genesis 2:15-17

• Be fruitful
• Multiply
• Govern the earth
• Watch over the garden
• Don't eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil

In the Beginning, Life for Adam and Eve Was Very Good Indeed

"And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day." - Genesis 1:31 (NLT)

• Limited effort vegetarian diet
• Perfect weather
• No shame, no clothing
• Perfect companionship
• Stress free
• 5 rules to live by

So Far So Good

In the beginning, bad things did not happen to good people.