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It started with the story in Genesis 27 of Jacob and Esau. In a nutshell, Esau is Isaac’s first born son and Jacob tricks him out of his birthright with a pot of stew and some well-placed goat hide. And just like that, Jacob the deceiver, steals the birthright from his brother. I get a little miffed every time I read about the connivance and deceit that goes on behind the scenes in this story. While thinking about this unfairness another Bible story that seems unfair came to mind. It was Job, a good guy that loses it all. Understanding that story is no small undertaking. And in the New Testament, the Christian-murdering Saul is given a second chance. What about the parables of Jesus where some people are given more talents (gold) than others and the guy that gets the least buries it and gets scolded? Or the one where workers who were hired in the last hour received the same wages as those who worked all day? And don’t forget the prodigal son who demands his inheritance, runs away and blows it all then comes crawling back to find a welcome home party fit for a king.
Each of these stories makes me want to shout, “That is unfair!” It is a gut reaction. Isn’t God supposed to set things right? If he doesn’t care about justice then what is this all about? Why did God put all these difficult stories in the Bible? By the way, this is more proof of the Bible's true author because humans would have edited these stories a long time ago. And why did so many of Jesus’ parables address tension over perceived injustices? We humans care deeply about justice; at least justice on our terms and in our own eyes. We care about justice from our point of view. So how do we reconcile the appearance of inconsistency in God’s justice?
While comparing these stories I saw something that I never noticed before. In each of the stories above, the point was not the bad or good circumstances but how the main characters reacted to those circumstances. Take a quick look at the end of each story. Jacob the deceiver ended up struggling many years with his father-in-law and with God. He learned obedience and became the father of the Israelite nation. Job ended up even closer to God with a new view of God’s justice and blessed beyond measure. Saul the murderer, given a second chance became the Apostle Paul who is still teaching us 2000 years later. The servant who buried his talents remained bitter and fearful. The hired workers who worked all day for their promised wages got what they signed up for and the prodigal son was given a second chance just as God gives us all.
In each of these instances God’s justice was in the changed life, or lack of, rather than on the unfair event. It seems that God’s justice does not always happen by changing our fortune but by changing our hearts. His currency is not ours. That is why it is so hard to understand some of those Bible stories and why we struggle to understand God's justice. God is a just God. There are many scriptures that tell us this in both Old and New Testament. Here are a few of them.
Psalm 50:6 NIV
[6] And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.
Isaiah 5:16 NIV
[16] But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts.
Matthew 12:18 NIV
[18] “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
Revelation 19:11 NIV
[11] I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.
We expect him to heal our body but he chooses to heal our hearts. We expect him to reward our good behavior, but he sends rain that helps us grow. We expect him to punish people who do us wrong but he chooses to give them (and us) a second chance. We expect him to make things easier on us because we are good God-fearing folks, but he allows the tragedies of this world to prune us and force new growth in other parts of our life giving the opportunity to draw even closer to him. We expect God to change our situation but God chooses to change our perspective in life. Just because we lack the ability to predict God's justice doesn't make him unfair. We must start dealing in God’s currency to begin to understand his justice.
Isaiah 30:18 NIV
[18] Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
Zechariah 7:9 NIV
[9] “This is what the Lord Almighty said: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.
Lord, help us to exhibit your true justice, full of mercy and compassion, and accept your justice even when we don’t understand.
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