Proverbs 2:8: Dad is coming!

“guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints”
-Proverbs 2:8

“Just wait until your father gets home!”

I’ve heard that threat in a lot of stories from a lot of people. I think for my generation and the generations before, there were multiple levels of punishment when you did something wrong. The first punishment would come from whomever was around at the time, whether it be your mother, a teacher, or someone at church. But then . . . dad would come home.

That threat was not an empty one. Usually, that first punishment would be bad enough, but then dad would come home, and he would hear the story for the first time, and he’d be angry. Usually, you’ve forgotten all about it. You’re probably in the back, playing with your toys, having a wonderful time, and then his car would pull up in the driveway, and you’d remember.

I’ve honestly struggled a lot with the idea of justice over the years. It is such a frustrating topic. We hear about violent criminals getting out on technicalities. Where is the justice? We hear about a rich boss who treats his employees terribly, and yet has great wealth. Where is the justice? Closer to home, I bet we’ve all seen someone recognized and awarded at work for something he didn’t do. It seems like everyone in the office knows he didn’t do it except the boss sometimes. Where is the justice?

Then there are the women who are raped. The family members of a young man who was murdered. The man who works so much to provide for his family that he hurts himself and becomes disabled. Where is the justice?

To many, the promise that God guards the paths of righteousness is an empty one. The world does not seem like a just place.

In Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus tells a story of a landowner who plants a bunch of wheat, but then an enemy comes in and plants weeds amongst the wheat. Well, if you tear up all the weeds right then, you’re going to pull up wheat too, so the landowner decides to let them both grow until the harvest, when he can safely separate them. In the meantime, all we can see is a bunch of weeds, and yet the landowner has things under control. God is like that.

And somehow, all of this makes sense. I don’t fully understand it, so I’m not going to be able to explain it. But God makes us an amazing promise in Romans 8:28 (NASB): “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

For now, rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. But God is in control, and He will make it right.

Do you believe that? Maybe this story will help. Because we had all fallen into sin, God came down to earth in the form of a man, Jesus. Jesus was sinless, the only man who ever lived that was sinless. And yet He died one of the most painful deaths imaginable. As the only sinless man ever, He was therefore the only man ever who did not deserve to die, and yet He did. It was the worst crime this planet has ever seen.

But He rose from the dead, and He ascended into Heaven, and when He returns it will be as a conquering King, come to take His rightful place upon the throne.

He will find justice, though he was wronged beyond comprehension. But His sacrifice also paid the price for our sin. Justice demands that sinners pay with blood, but He paid with His own Blood. Repent of your sin and trust Him for justice. In the end, we will be satisfied completely and without regret.

He is watching, moving all things, and watching over His people here. For those who don’t repent, He will come as the father comes home to a disobedient child: with punishment. But for the faithful, He watches over us like a good father will watch over his child.

I still struggle with the idea of justice in the world, but I find great comfort in that fact that He has a better handle on it than me. I can let Him take care of it.