If God Is Good, Why Is Life So Unfair?" (Part 2)

A Human Perspective On Life Will Lead To Questioning God’s Goodness Because We will See The Peace of The Wicked

Continuing our discussion from Psalm 73, Asaph is disturbed because from his perspective the wicked due not get their just due. In fact it is often the opposite. The wicked are "free from the burdens that are common to man." Rather that experience the turmoil of family problems, sorrowful times, fears, anxiety and trouble, etc., they experience peace. Of course no one’s life is totally trouble free, but Asaph is using hyperbole to express a point. The point being that from what he can see the wicked often have easier lives than the righteous. As Charles Spurgeon said, "Those who deserve the hottest hell often have the warmest nest." Why is it that the wicked are always "carefree" and at peace? Sometimes we will hear or read a biography of some notoriously wicked person and they don’t talk about how empty their life is, but rather everything we see and everything they say indicates that they live quite contented and peaceful lives. This could be very disconcerting to me as a pastor because I see the hardships that the righteous often go through. Something seems backwards and unfair here. "If God Is Good, Why Is Life So Unfair?" This is the question that comes to mind when we are viewing things from a human perspective. So far we’ve seen two reasons why people doubt God’s goodness

The very people who are often the most prosperous and live the most peaceful lives are also those who are the most prideful and arrogant. They think very highly of themselves and very little of others. They don’t use their position in life to bless others but rather to oppress them. They pridefully "scoff" at those who do their best to obey God. These prideful people even speak against God. Their boasting and scoffing has a powerful impact on others. How can these prideful, ungrateful people be the very ones who are "always carefree and increasing in wealth."

Instead of being struck by lightning or leprosy for their pride and boasting they seem to get away with it. It just seems that those that deserve the worst in life get the best, while those who deserve the best in life experience the worst. How can God be good and fair when the wicked are rewarded and the sinful are successful? If God Is Good, Why Is Life So Unfair? Are you beginning to understand why Asaph almost slipped from trusting in God’s goodness and fairness? Can you understand why people do struggle with doubts? Looking at life only from a human perspective will lead us to wavering in our faith and commitment to God. Life will seem unfair because we will have an incomplete picture, only seeing the prosperity, peace and pride of the wicked. In such a situation we will begin to wonder weather it is even worth it to follow God with our whole hearts. This is the conclusion Asaph was beginning to reach

At the San Diego Padres baseball games, between innings once in a while, they put a little puzzle on the score board. They have the outline of a baseball player and a trivia question; you try to guess who the player is. They start off by filling in one piece of the puzzle, and it’s usually the bill of a ball cap. Nobody can figure out who it is; everybody’s trying to figure out who it is. As the pieces come together people start to talk. An excitement begins to mount. Why? They begin to see a face, and they’re beginning to hone in on who that baseball player is. I’m here to tell you that we usually get one piece of the puzzle. In God’s sovereignty and God’s timing, many of the things that happen to you and many of the things that happen to me make us just shake our heads and say, "I don’t understand. I don’t understand this in my life."

A heavenly perspective leads to faith in God’s goodness and fairness because we will see the ruin of the wicked

Asaph had started this Psalm envying the wicked because they seemed to have it all, but now when he entered the sanctuary of God, when he had a heavenly perspective his envy disappeared. Why? He says it was then that he understood their final destiny. This is a clear reference to the final and eternal judgment. There are many roads to hell for the wicked. Some of the wicked experience hell on earth and hell in eternity, while others may live prosperous peaceful lives here on Earth but still arrive at the same destination. It is the final destination that makes the difference no matter how one may have gotten there. Their final destination shows us that life is fair when all is said and done. As Jesus said "what good will it be for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul" Matthew 16:26. Eternity is what matters!

Are We Looking at the World through Their Eyes or God's?