Life’s Not Fair

“Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness.” Ecclesiastes 3:16

September 18, 2023

If God is sovereign and controls all of the circumstances of life, if everything is beautiful (appropriate) in its own time, then what about all the ugly things that happen in this world? The three words “under the sun” (26 times) assist us in getting at the message of Ecclesiastes. It’s a mad, mad, mad world, delusional, because Adam and Eve accepted Satan’s meal invitation in the Garden of Eden. One of the evils that runs amuck in this “present evil age” (Gal. 1:4) is injustice. We accept stories with good endings but what about discovering that the Lone Ranger was a cattle rustler, Snow White dies and the witch kills the prince, or two civilian airplanes are flown into the twin towers by Islamic terrorists in New York City? There are puzzles in life that don’t get resolved. Solomon was not ignorant of the fact that we live in a fallen world filled with corruption, but without God. However, the rest of the story is about the good news of Jesus Christ, even though there are judges who receive bribes and criminals who plead insanity and escape the consequences of their crimes are only the tip of the iceberg called injustices. We are told that “God will judge the righteous and the wicked” (3:17). There is a payday coming someday. In the mean time, the believer in Jesus Christ must learn to trust God with the injustices and inequities of life. As for the unbeliever, Jesus said, “…unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:5).
H
“Against what day? The day when sudden anguish crushes the soul; When ruthless pain and cold, relentless sorrow take bitter toll.
Day of life’s direst need or death’s dark sleep, I am persuaded that my God is able my soul to keep!”
Margaret Clarkson