God Is Not Fair!
by Dan Jones, M.D.
Malachi 3:13-18
"You have said harsh things against me," says the LORD .
"Yet you ask, 'What have we said against you?'
"You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.' "
Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.
"They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.
Nothing is more frustrating to the self-righteous than seeing the unrighteous prosper more than the righteous. In this passage from Malachi, we see the frustration of the people of Israel. All around them, they observed evil people prospering. It appeared that the arrogant were being blessed. It appeared that there were no advantages to following God's commands, as those who did not honor God seemed better off than those who did honor God.
One might think that this form of petty jealousy would not be an issue in the health professions. After all, most of us are relatively well off compared to most people. We are generally respected in our community, make good incomes, and usually live in nice houses in good neighborhoods. Yet, if we are honest, we know our professions are rife with feelings of resentment toward others who seem better off. The nurses resent the doctors (more money for less effort), the doctors resent the dentists (better lifestyle with no call), the primary care doctors resent the specialists (money, again), the orthopedist resents the dermatologist, etc, etc. Just think back to the last professional society meeting you attended and remember the self-serving protective language used.
Clearly, God is not a fair God. If He were fair, my profession/specialty would rule the world and be best compensated. Isn't that what we all think? In the world of self-promotion and self-preservation, it is too easy for us to think like the Israelites - mad at God because he allowed someone to prosper more than me.
Thank goodness, He is not a fair God. Thankfully, He has chosen to offer all of us grace and not justice. As we move through our professional lives and face the frustrations of unequal and unfair compensation, we must see through the keywords in verses 17 and 18 above "...in the day when I make up my treasured possession..." In this world, we may not see fairness. If we are faithful, in His time God will allow us to "again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."
Lord, protect us from the thoughts of the self-righteous. Help us not seek fairness in this world, but grace for the world to come.
Dan Jones, M.D., MACP, FAHA, a board-certified Internist, a former medical missionary to Korea, professor of medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Dean of the School of Medicine, and Chancellor of the University of Mississippi until 2015. Dr. Dan Jones is a member of CMDA.
Dr. Jones welcomes any comments or questions about what he has written and can be reached at - djones@umc.edu
Rounds with the Master, Spiritual Pearls from the Great Physician Devotionals are released every Monday and Thursday.
Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
