He Is Always Just

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 22:18-19, And the king said to Doeg, “You turn and kill the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod. 19 Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep—with the edge of the sword.

Why? How often do we ask this question when we see or hear about something tragic that happens to someone we know, whether family, friend or acquaintance? How often do we ask this when we hear news of some tragedy where innocent lives are lost? A young person seems to die before they have the opportunity to really live, or some accident happens that takes the life of entire families at the hands of some careless or cruel person(s). Why does God allow this? Well, the honest answer is that we may never know while we are here on earth. What we do know is that God is in control of all that He allows. Quite often we see events take place and do not understand why they are happening, but God knows every detail and knows why He is allowing what He is allowing, because He has a purpose in allowing such events. We may not agree, in our own limited way of thinking, since we have a limited perspective on the circumstance behind what is taking place, but God sees the whole picture. He accomplishes His plan and purpose in what He allows, and He often chooses not to reveal what that is to us. Does this make Him an unjust God? Certainly not! God is always just, regardless of the circumstances. Quite often we want God to take vengeance on those we think deserve His vengeance and want God to eradicate evil, but we overlook the fact that if God were truly to do that, He would have to destroy us as well. Wait! What do you mean? “I’m not like these people who are committing all kinds of crimes and hurting others!” “I try to live a good life and I try to be good to others.” These statements may be true, but God says, “There is none righteous, no not one.” (Romans 3:10). Because this is true, Romans 3:23 also says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” The consequences of this truth are found in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death…” So, if we want God to eradicate evil and stop bad things from happening to “good people” we must start with our own unrighteousness and go from there. I cannot think of anyone that would want that. Praise be to God that He has given us eternal life in Jesus Christ, as we know from the second half of Romans 6:23, “But the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” In Romans 9 we see God’s perspective on His justice and our opinion of His justice. Romans 9:15 states, “For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.’” Romans 9:20-21 also states, “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ 21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?” In this particular instance, God allowed Doeg to kill Ahimelech, other priests and a number of men, women, children and livestock. What exactly was accomplished by all of this? On the surface we see nothing but tragedy. We see the consequences of Saul’s wickedness and what happens when we move further and further away from the Lord. We see the long reaching consequences of man’s disobedience to God in the Garden, and the overall wickedness of men. However, there is also another side to this coin. God, in 1 Samuel 3:11-13, reminded us that He would keep His word concerning what He said about cutting off the descendants of Eli for his failure to intervene in his sons’ sins against God in their service to Him in 1 Samuel 2:31. To us this may seem unfair because of the “collateral” damage suffered in everyone else who was killed, but this was part of God’s judgment on Israel for their rejection of God and their choice to have a king rule over them instead. Much of what happens in our lives are the consequences of sin and man’s rejection of God. We may want to point a finger at the Lord and blame Him for all the wickedness that happens in the world, but the truth is that regardless of what God allows, and how things work out, He promised that they all work out for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28). The bottom line is that no matter what God allows, He is always just in allowing whatever He deems to be right in order to accomplish His will and plan. He will always fulfill His Word and promises, even if we do not understand why He does it the way He does it. He is God and many times we just have to remind ourselves of that, trust Him, and lean on Jesus to find the comfort we need in those times of tragedy.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).