Have you ever looked around at the lives of others and thought that life just isn’t fair? Maybe because you’ve been treated unfairly in the workplace, in your family, or maybe it seems even by God? What should we remember when we’re tempted with thoughts of “It’s not fair!”?

We’ll also look at how one of the psalmists prayed when he felt like life wasn’t going his way and how pride blinds us to the seriousness and the consequences of our sin.

And finally, we’ll talk about how people today have decided they can make the rules. They can decide what’s right and wrong, what marriage is, when life begins, and what lives are worth protecting. And much of what we see around us are the consequences of that kind of foolish thinking.

Welcome to Soul Survival where I blog through the Bible in a Year along with Bible studies and other Christian living posts. This year I’ve added a couple of new features. First, check out the “Free Resources” tab at the top. You’ll find a downloadable, printable PDF with “Going Deeper Study Questions” for each Bible in a Year post. And … this year I’m also reading through the Bible on YouTube. You can check out my channel here. The daily emails now have a link to both the Soul Survival posts and the YouTube videos. I hope you’ll sign up.

Today’s Readings:

Exodus 9 & 10
Psalm 17.8-15
Proverbs 5.21-23
Matthew 20.1-16

It’s Not Fair!

Matthew 20.1-16:

These Wages Are Not Fair!

In “The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard,” a businessman hires workers at various times throughout the day. At the end of the day, he pays the same wage to those who were hired just before quitting time as those who worked all day. Some of the others said, in effect, “It’s not fair!”

Have you ever felt like those laborers who were hired early in the morning? Perhaps it was on the job, in your family, or even in your spiritual life?

Maybe you were raised in the church. Or maybe you were the “good” son or daughter, the one who didn’t rebel against your parents or your Christian upbringing. Or maybe you’ve been a believer for a long time, faithfully serving Him and there are things you’ve prayed about that haven’t happened.

Maybe you got a diagnosis you didn’t want or your spouse walked out on you. Then you see some new believer all excited because God has done something great for her!

Or maybe you’ve had a hard time accepting the fact that your “n’er-do-well” brother-in-law got saved after years of drug use and wild living and now everyone acts like he’s the golden boy! It hardly seems fair.

The Prodigal’s Brother

We can be so like the older brother in the story of the Prodigal Son (Lk. 15.11-32). He was mad because his father forgave his wild younger brother and even threw a party when he came home (more about that when we get there).

But, if we’re honest, we might look back and admit that though we may not have “run off” into riotous living like the prodigal, there have been many times when our hearts were far from God, times we harbored bitterness and unforgiveness, times when we were selfish, manipulative, unkind and unloving. Times when we’ve been selfish and self-righteous and done things with less-than-perfect motives. Instead of being upset over God’s grace in the lives of others, we need to get down on our knees and thank Him for His grace in ours.

And no matter what … even when it doesn’t seem fair to us, we can trust in the goodness of our sovereign God.

Today’s Other Readings:

Exodus 9 & 10:

On Dogs & Sows

God is about to deliver His people from Israel, but so far Pharaoh has refused to let his cheap labor force leave Egypt.

Over and over he agrees to allow them to go, only to harden his heart when the “crisis” of each plague is over and the “pain” is not so intense (see yesterday’s post, “Are You Sleeping with Frogs?”). But don’t we often do the same?

Proverbs 26.11 says:

As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

When he quoted this proverb in the New Testament, Peter added, “… a sow, having washed, returns to her wallowing in the mire” (2 Pet. 2.22). Neither is a pretty picture.

How Pride Blinds!

In Exodus 10.7 Pharaoh’s advisers ask him, “… Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?” How pride blinds!

It can be hard for us, too, to see the destruction that our own stubborn willful pride causes. Even when we recognize it, we often justify, minimize, excuse, and blame shift. Or we decide that we’re simply going to do what we want and take the consequences. Often telling ourselves it only hurts us so it’s our business.

But Pharaoh’s sinful pride didn’t just cost him. It cost the loss of his son and all the firstborn in Egypt. And would eventually cost the lives of everyone in his army.

Sinful Pride

In Romans 1.28-32 at the bottom of what we sometimes call the “downward spiral of sin,” we see another example of God’s judicial hardening and its result:

²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³² Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Today, in our pride, we have decided as a nation that we can make the rules. We can decide what’s right and wrong, what marriage is, when life begins, and what lives are worth protecting.

Suppressing the Truth

This is not a matter of ignorance. Earlier in Romans 1, Paul said:

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools.

What a picture of our world today! Let’s pray for God’s grace to guard our own hearts and let it drive us to pray for our families, our cities, our nation, and a world that is perishing apart from Christ!

Psalm 17.8-15:

Like the Apple of Your Eye

Look at the imagery in this psalm.

¹⁰ They have closed up their fat hearts;
With their mouths they speak proudly.
¹¹ They have now surrounded us in our steps;
They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth,
¹² As a lion is eager to tear his prey,
And like a young lion lurking in secret places.

¹³ Arise, O Lord,
Confront him, cast him down;
Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,
¹⁴ With Your hand from men, O Lord,
From men of the world who have their portion in this life,
And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure.
They are satisfied with children,
And leave the rest of their possession for their babes.

Praying for God’s Protection

“Keep me as the apple [pupil] of Your eye…” The psalmist asks God to protect him in the same way we protect our eyes, two of the most tender parts of our bodies.

Talking about his enemies, he says, they are like lions crouching down and waiting to attack, accuse, and find fault. “They have closed up their fat hearts,” “With their mouths they speak proudly,” “They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth, as a lion is eager to tear his prey … like a young lion lurking in secret places.”

In verse 13 he says, in effect, “You take care of them, Lord.” And in verse 15 he reminds himself that he has God and will one day see Him face-to-face. He declares that he will be satisfied knowing that hardships cause us to become more like God.

When people act like our enemies, we need to keep an eternal perspective, as well, choose to be satisfied in Him, and trust in our Heavenly Father to work on our behalf.

Lord, I pray that You would keep me and my family as the pupil of Your eye. Hide us under the shadow of Your wings. Sometimes I feel like the enemy has surrounded us, but I’ll trust you to confront him on our behalf and deliver us. Help us, Lord, to be satisfied in You, knowing that we will one day see Your face, and help us to remember that these trials are causing us to become more and more like Jesus. In His name, I pray. Amen.

Proverbs 5.21-23:

Caught in the Cords of His Own Sin

Is it awesome to anyone but me, how these selections so often fit together? Here in our Proverbs reading, we see the end of the wicked, including those who hurt us:

His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, and he is caught in the cords of his sin. He shall die for lack of instruction and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray (vv. 22-23).

His own iniquities entrap him! He is caught in the cords of his sin! God doesn’t have to “bring calamity” on sin. The consequences are already built-in. Just as a person who drives too fast in a turn will roll the car because of God’s laws of physics, so a person who ignores God’s spiritual laws will suffer the consequences of his actions.

So in the end, we must, as Paul said in Romans 12.19-21, leave judgment in God’s hands. Jesus said we shouldn’t hate those who set themselves up as our enemies. Instead, we should ask God to give us compassion for them and pray for them:

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven … (Matt. 5.44-45).

Closing Thoughts:

When are you most tempted to think, “It’s not fair!”?

What are your thoughts on today’s readings? Did God confirm some truth, remind you of a promise, or even step on your toes a bit? I hope you’ll share your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom.

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about idols of the heart, how journaling can help us in our relationships with God and others, how whining affects our lives, and about dealing with difficult people and strong-willed children.

I hope you’ll sign up for my emails so you don’t miss any of them. And if you know someone who would benefit from this post, please share it with them or on social media.

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Do you ever struggle with prayer? Do you sometimes feel it’s just one more thing on your to-do list or that you don’t measure up in this area? Me, too, but these are some of the strategies that I’ve learned through the years that have helped me have a more consistent and meaningful prayer life.

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.