That's Not Fair!...Or Is It?

"Yet the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not fair.' O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair? "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways," says the Lord GOD. "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!" -Ezekiel 18:29-32

When things don't go our way we often complain against the Lord and tell Him that 'it isn't fair.' We complain because our sense of justice has been violated. We complain because we don't get our way. We complain because the Lord hasn't acted how we want Him to act. Let me ask you a question: Is it not possible that God's sense of justice and fairness is higher than yours?

I would say that it is not only possible, it is probable. God had dealt justly with Israel. He had blessed their obedience in the past, and now He is going to punish their disobedience. He had told them that if they followed Him they would be blessed and would live, but if they followed other gods, they would be punished and die. That is completely fair according to God's standards.

But Israel didn't like this. Israel wanted to live according to their standards, do whatever they wanted, seek whatever gods they wanted. Therefore, the Lord was going to punish them. But the Lord didn't punish them without giving them another opportunity to make things right. God issued another call to repentance. He gave them another chance. He offered them life through turning from their sin to God. He offered them a new heart and a new spirit. 

Do you, like Israel, believe that God is not fair? Do you think that He should act according to your standards? O, sinner, repent from your evil way, cast aside your sin and live! God will give you a new heart and a new spirit. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. 

God's sense of justice is so much more perfect than ours. He acts according to His standard. He judges rightly. But He is also a merciful God. He rewards those who turn to Him with life. Turn to the Lord and live!