One of the recurring questions throughout scripture is, “Why do the wicked prosper?” I(f there is a just God in heaven who rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked, why do the wicked seem to fare so well in this world. If you are wired in a way that justice is a strong theme in your life, it is even more troubling.
We live in a world now where the rich and powerful seem to be able to get away with anything. People acknowledge corruption at the highest levels of government and yet little seems to be done in concrete ways to deter that corruption. No one goes to jail. And yet, scripture cries out for justice.
Through the prophet Amos, God declared to Israel, “Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I will not accept them, and the peace offerings of your fatted beasts I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:22-24). For God. justice has a higher value than sacrifices at the temple.
The psalmist brought this complaint before the courts of heaven:
But as for me, my feet had almost slipped, I had nearly lost my foothold. For I was envious of the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. for they have no struggles, their bodies are sound and sleek. They are not in trouble as other men are; they are not stricken like other men. Therefore, pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. Their eyes swell out with fatness, their hearts overflow with follies. They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth. Therefore the people turn and praise them; and find no fault in them. And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?” Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all the day long I have been stricken, and chastened every morning (Ps. 73:2-14).
That text certainly seems to describe our world. Men and women go to Washington to “serve their country” but soon are worth millions of dollars and their only concern is maintaining power. There is a huge amount of corruption being uncovered now, but it is hardly being reported on by most news agencies and many doubt that anyone will actually be punished for wrong doing.
That was the psalmist’s complaint. Not only did he complain about how the wicked thrived but that because of their affluence, many people praised them and wanted to be like them. On top of that, the psalmist was a man who was trying to live for God and his life was difficult every day, So, what do we do with this paradox? There is a just God in heaven, but he seems to keep his hands off the injustice in the world.
The psalmist went on to say, ” When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply
till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin” (Ps. 73:16-18).
What the writer understood was that justice would be served inevitably and perfectly when these men stood before God in the final judgment. Some will certainly reap what they sow in this life, but all will face judgment in the end. One of our frustrations is that we want God to do what he has assigned us to do. Psalm 115:16-17 declares, “The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind.”
The Lord commissioned Adam and Eve to take dominion over the earth. He has given man authority in this world. He does intervene, but often only in response to our prayers. It is up to us to ensure that justice is done. The kingdom of darkness is not interested in justice, only in power. The kingdom of light is the domain of justice and so as the kingdom of heaven spreads across the globe, so will justice. Bringing the world to Jesus is the sole cure for injustice. To be sure, there will be pockets of culture now where Christians have influence that will dispense justice, but we cannot depend on the systems of the world to express the values of heaven. We must bring those systems under the influence of the kingdom.
Our frustration is that we want to see justice now. That is a worthy goal. So we need strong believers sitting on judicial benches, making laws in Congress, imparting godly values in universities, and pointing out injustice in the media. The wicked will continue to prosper in this world until the kingdom of heaven engulfs them. If our frustration begins to affect our faith as we ask where God is in all of this, we need to adopt an eternal view of life. God lives in the eternal. He knows justice will be dealt out. Paul says. “God is just. He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to those who are troubled. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire” (2 Thess. 1:5-7).
God calls on us to work for justice in this world, but he also promises that whatever has been left undone, he will see that justice is done at the return of his Son. Again, Paul says, “1 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 1Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord” (Rom. 12:17-20).
God does not ignore injustice or wickedness or betrayal or those who have unjustly persecuted or wounded you. All things will be set right when Jesus returns. Should we strive for justice in this world? By all means, that is our assignment. But those who seem to be beyond our reach, will not be beyond his.