Key Scripture:

“Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.” Ecclesiastes 3:16-17

Devotional:

One of the most difficult things to deal with as a Christian is the problem of evil in the world. There is no place that it does not reach, no corner of the earth where sin doesn’t somehow show its hideous face. Sin tears apart families, it cuts down pillars of the community, it corrupts nations and courtrooms and it even spreads its tentacles into churches. Wherever there are people, there is sin. There is no escape here on earth, and the problem is nothing new.

When King Solomon wrote this thousands of years ago, the world was plagued by the same issue of sin. He writes that there was wickedness “in the place of justice” (the court and with the judges) and “in the place of righteousness” (the temple). It is not supposed to be this way, but the introduction of injustice to the world came with the introduction of sin.

Have you felt the weight of injustice – being hurt by a friend who betrayed you or a boss who should have treated you better? Or maybe you’ve seen very personally the tragedy of what sin does in your life and relationships. The temptation is to blame God, wondering why He would allow such things on earth. But God is not to blame, and He does not allow such evil to continue unpunished forever. Later in Ecclesiastes, Solomon writes, “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14). And we read in Acts 17:30-31 that, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Now, this is both good and bad news for us, because God’s standard is nothing less than absolute perfection, and there is only one person in history who lived a perfect life – that is Jesus Christ. So for you and I, the wretched, black-hearted sinners that we are, the future seems bleak. All sin – from the deep injustices of the world to the white lie you told your boss the other day – receives the same eternal punishment in separating us from God. His judgment is perfect and final. But the free gift of God is that Jesus reversed the curse of sin for all who would believe in His life, death and resurrection and surrender their lives to His lordship.

In light of this truth, we can be at rest knowing that God is the ultimate Judge and we as believers can trust His judgment. We do not have to worry or be anxious about the evils of this world because we know that God’s judgment is perfect. Nor do we need to fear that judgment, because we as Christians are safe from judgment because of Jesus.

If you have not surrendered your life to Jesus, maybe now is the time. I encourage you to admit that you are a sinner, believe that Jesus died on the cross for you, and to confess Him as your Lord and Savior. If you have already taken that step, let this be a reminder to cry out to God in gratitude for your salvation.

Deepening questions:

• Have you surrendered your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? If not, what is holding you back?
• What injustices in your life, past or present, are you tempted to fixate on that are out of your control?

Further reading:

1 Corinthians 4:5, Matthew 12:36, Revelation 20:11-15