There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. (v.14)
There is something that happens in the world that sometimes seems backwards. We will see an unrighteous and evil man seem to thrive at life sometimes. They don't care only about anyone or anything but themselves and live as if they are the most important thing in the universe. They don't care about people. They may even use people to simply benefit themselves. How frustrating is it one someone who seems to have no concern about what is right yet has the big house, the nice cars, the large savings account. We look at this life of selfishness and think it is just not fair because they don't deserve the good they have. Why do good things seem to happen to bad people?
On the flip side you hear stories of faithful and loving Christian men and women who seem to have one struggle after the next. Maybe you are one of these people. They go to church. They pray. They put money in the offering plate. They have put their faith in Jesus and live according to His Word. Yet, they struggle with sickness. They keep having awful circumstances come to them financially. They just can't seem to win according to the world's standards. Why do bad things happen to good people?
The reality is things don't always seem fair in the world we live in. Sometimes it seems like bad people get ahead and righteous people fall further behind. There are two things to keep in mind.
1. Success on the surface does not necessarily mean peace in the heart. Sometimes the one who seems like they are thriving is really struggling on the inside because they don't have peace with God. On the flip side some who seem like their life is nothing but trouble sense the peace of the LORD in their heart. Which is truly better- possessions or peace with God?
2. We also need to keep in mind that these things may seem unjust in the world- that the wicked would thrive and the righteous would struggle- are temporary. Accountability one day comes at the judgment seat of God. This is where justice is truly served. The judge is fair and perfect. The judge sees the outside and the inside of our lives. While there are things in the world that seem unfair, we can rest assured that when God is the one handling justice it will be perfect and proper. God will set right all the things that seem wrong in this world. Justice will ultimately be done.