Is Justice Always Served?

In this article, you will learn how Galatians 6:7 contradicts Matthew 5:45, Job 21:7-9, Ecclesiastes 8:14, Psalm 73:3-5, Jeremiah 12:1 and Malachi 3:15. Find the translations at the bottom of the page..

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." This well-known verse suggests a straightforward principle of divine justice: those who do good will receive good, and those who do evil will face consequences. However, when we explore other scriptures, this notion is not as clear-cut as it appears.

Consider the observation in Matthew 5:45: "For he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." This verse challenges the principle of direct retribution by illustrating that both the righteous and the unrighteous experience the same blessings of nature. It's like expecting a teacher to give fair grades to all, but she gives everyone sunshine and rain without distinction.

Job 21:7-9 further complicates the idea. Job questions why "the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?" Here, it seems that those who sow corruption often enjoy long lives of prosperity, contradicting the reap-what-you-sow notion. Similarly, Ecclesiastes 8:14 observes that "there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked," indicating that life's outcomes often do not correspond to one's actions, as if the good-bodied athlete suffers the injury while the careless player thrives.

Psalm 73:3-5 highlights envy of the wicked's prosperity: "For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." It is as if justice is playing tricks, letting those who ignore rules run free. Jeremiah 12:1 questions God's justice, asking, "Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper?" Most poignantly, Malachi 3:15 states, "And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up." These verses collectively challenge the simplicity of the main idea, pointing instead to a world where injustices perplex us regularly.

This is not to dismiss the moral truth held within the main verse, but it is a reminder of life's complexity, where outcomes do not always align with actions, suggesting divine justice may operate beyond our understanding.