THIS is a hybrid or derivative of the age-old question, why do the righteous suffer?  A lot has been written about this question.  Yet many people are still making a lot of enquiries on it because what answers are available to the question have not satisfied the curiosity of people.  Here are some reasons that had been advanced for the suffering of the righteous. 

Some of these reasons encompass some of the reasons we shall itemise later as to why the innocent suffer and injustices and unfairness abound in the world.

a. The fall of man (original sin).

b. Divine purpose as seen in the story of Christ crucifixion and the  John 9 story of the man born blind.

c. There is also the greater good defense which means that in some measure evil and suffering are justified by the greater good they occasion.

d. There is also the big picture defense, that is, if we see the big picture behind the suffering of the righteous, we would glorify God for allowing the suffering in the first instance.

e. God uses suffering to chasten and purify.

f. God uses suffering to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in His chosen vessel sometimes.    

g. For humility and so that we would not forget God in times of  plenty and prosperity.  

We however need to make a quick clarification here. The innocent are not necessarily righteous. That is why the reasons I am going to give  here as to why the innocent suffer will be slightly different from the above.  A man could be innocent of a particular crime.  This does not mean he is not guilty of another.      The word righteous is therefore deeper and connotes a life of     sustained godliness after an initial and previous repentance and turning away from one’s sins and iniquities and acceptance of Jesus as one’s Lord and Saviour.  So why do the innocent suffer when and where they should not?

Envy and jealousy
These are probably the most significant twin-cause of why the innocent suffer.  If you consider the last chapter, envy and jealousy are the primary causes why those who afflicted the innocent did what they did to them.  Because Abel’s sacrifice was accepted by God, Cain his brother began to envy, then hatred came in, until he killed him. The reasons for hatred, envy and jealousy may be numerous.

People may envy you because God is with you.  They may not even know God is with you and envy you because of God’s work in your life.  This was Isaac’s case as was revealed in Genesis 26:12-14.
James nails it rightly when he said,

But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.  James 3:14,16.