What other scriptures address questioning God's fairness or justice? Setting the Scene: Malachi’s Confrontation Malachi 2:17 pinpoints a familiar complaint: “You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you ask, ‘How have we wearied Him?’ By saying, ‘All who do evil are good in the sight of the LORD, and He is pleased with them,’ or ‘Where is the God of justice?’” Israel looked at social corruption and concluded God must be indifferent. Scripture answers that charge again and again, always affirming God’s perfect righteousness. Old Testament Voices Wrestling with God’s Justice • Job’s protest – Job 21:7 – “Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?” – Job 34:12 – “Indeed, it is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice.” – Tension: honest lament met by firm insistence on God’s moral perfection. • Habakkuk’s “why?” – Habakkuk 1:2-4, 13: the prophet cries out over unchecked violence, yet affirms, “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil.” – God answers in 2:3, “Though it delays, wait for it; for it will surely come.” • Psalmists in turmoil – Psalm 73:2-3, 16-17: envy of the wicked’s prosperity dissolves “when I entered the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.” – Psalm 89:14: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne.” • Prophetic challenges – Isaiah 40:27-28: “Why do you complain, O Jacob… The everlasting God… does not faint or grow weary.” – Ezekiel 18:25, 29: people cry, “The way of the Lord is not just,” yet God reverses the charge. – Jeremiah 12:1: the prophet dares to question, but still begins, “Righteous are You, O LORD.” New Testament Echoes and Answers • Jesus’ parable on fairness – Matthew 20:1-16: laborers grumble over equal pay; the landowner replies, “Am I not allowed to do what I wish with my own money?” Divine generosity exceeds human math. • Assured justice for the faithful – Luke 18:7-8: “Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? … He will swiftly grant them justice.” • Paul’s direct rebuttal – Romans 3:5-6: “Is God unjust to inflict His wrath? Absolutely not! For otherwise, how could God judge the world?” – Romans 9:14-18: “What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Absolutely not!” Divine mercy and purpose stand beyond human litigation. • Heavenly perspective – Revelation 6:10-11: martyrs ask, “How long… until You avenge our blood?” The answer: justice is scheduled, certain, and soon. Threads That Tie These Passages Together • God welcomes honest lament yet never concedes injustice. • Delays test faith but do not negate ultimate judgment. • Present inequities are temporary; eternal verdicts are final. • God’s character—righteous, holy, unchanging—anchors every promise of vindication. Living Out These Truths • Remind the heart: apparent delay is not divine indifference. • Read difficult circumstances through the lens of God’s proven faithfulness in Scripture. • Wait with expectancy; God’s timetable perfects His justice and displays His glory. |
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