A few days ago, we tackled the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" In today's passage, Job raises the question on the flip side: Why do good things happen to bad people?
If you have ever been annoyed at the success of "bad" people, you may have asked yourself (or even God?) this question. It's hard for most of us to understand why messed-up people can appear to have such picture-perfect lives. It's contradictory to modern, New Age self-help logic (like much of the stuff from The Secret). And in some ways, the idea that good things happen to bad people seems contradictory to other portions of the Bible (e.g. "A man reaps what he sows..."). Right?
Not necessarily. Eventually, we face consequences for our actions--those consequences might happen here on Earth or they might happen in heaven. That's God's call.
Let's review what Job said:
"But who are we to tell God how to run his affairs?
He's dealing with matters that are way over our heads.
Some people die in the prime of life,
with everything going for them—
fat and sassy.
Others die bitter and bereft,
never getting a taste of happiness.
They're laid out side by side in the cemetery,
where the worms can't tell one from the other.
Basically, Job is saying that God's not a genie who follows our commands. Some things in life we just don't understand. I can't understand why good things happen to bad people (or vice versa)...but it's probably because I don't fully understand God's grace and God's justice. However, I am forever thankful that God far surpasses my limited expectations. Aren't you?
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