Is God Fair?

Read Genesis 18:1–20:18

24. Then the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah.
25. He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation.
26. But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.
27. Abraham got up early that morning and hurried out to the place where he had stood in the Lord’s presence.
28. He looked out across the plain toward Sodom and Gomorrah and watched as columns of smoke rose from the cities like smoke from a furnace.
29. But God had listened to Abraham’s request and kept Lot safe, removing him from the disaster that engulfed the cities on the plain. Genesis 19:24-29

When was the last time you heard “It’s not fair!”? Perhaps that familiar phrase was uttered two minutes ago by a child, or maybe you can remember saying it yourself not long ago. Most people have a keen sensitivity to how the scales are tipped, especially when we think that we are being treated unfairly.

This reading shows us three kinds of belief and unbelief. Abraham and Sarah struggled to believe as three angels repeated another of God’s specific promises. In contrast, the unbelief of Sodom and Gomorrah was so absolute that the entire population was destroyed. In between stood Lot, a man who seemed to think mainly of himself and who stretched the meaning of the term righteous. Notice how God dealt differently with each one.

Look for other lessons as you read: hospitality; not compromising with the world around you; and the dangers of desperation.

Was God being unfair to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:27-28)? Actually, God’s fairness stands out: (1) he agreed to spare them if only ten righteous people lived there (Genesis 18:32); (2) he showed great mercy toward Lot, apparently the only man in either city who had any kind of relationship with him (Genesis 19:12); and (3) he showed great patience with Lot, almost forcing him to leave Sodom before destroying the wicked city (Genesis 19:16).

Remember God’s patience when you are tempted to think he is unfair. All people, even the most godly, deserve his justice. We should be glad that God doesn’t direct his justice toward us as he did toward Sodom and Gomorrah. As we grow spiritually, we should find ourselves developing a deeper respect for God because of his anger toward sin, and a deeper love for God because of his patience when we sin.

Take time today to recount God’s acts of mercy and love for you. Thank him for not giving you what you deserve, and instead giving you what you don’t deserve—forgiveness and eternal life through Christ. It certainly isn’t “fair”—but isn’t that great?