When I was in school, some of my teachers punished the whole class when anyone misbehaved – keeping us indoors during recess or giving us more homework. Sometimes coaches made the whole team run extra laps or extra trips up and down the stadium steps when one person slacked off. And as we plodded through that extra homework or breathlessly started that last lap, our mind screamed “Not fair!” 

But even in the unfairness of the punishment, something interesting happened. By doing that extra homework, we learned some concepts a little better. And by running those extra laps, team members got stronger and developed better stamina. And then… the class members and team members started holding each other accountable – since no one really wanted the group punishment.

If our teachers hadn’t punished misbehavior, classroom misbehavior would probably have devolved into chaos; and if the coaches hadn’t punished slackers, more of the team members might have become slackers (and losers on the field). Both the teachers and the coaches were doling out punishment to make everyone better. 

Which leads to today’s passage: 

“When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong. But even though a person sins a hundred times and still lives a long time, I know that those who fear God will be better off.” (Ecclesiastes 8:11-12)

In our world today, we are shocked to learn that criminals are being released back into society soon after their arrest, that evildoers are treated as victims, and that punishment sometimes comes decades after a crime is committed – if at all. Apparently, there is nothing new under the sun, since Solomon in 10th century B.C. is also having an issue with crime not being punished quickly; and because of that, people then (and now) concluded that it was safe to continue doing wrong. Along with Solomon, we want to shout, “Not fair!” 

My dear brothers and sisters, the sooner we learn to accept the fact that life isn’t fair, the better off and more content we’ll be. We are not here to right every wrong, but we do know the One who will. So, as Solomon reminds us: even though evil seems to prevail on this earth, we know that ultimately those who fear God will be better off.

In the meantime, no matter how unfair life seems to be, we are to learn something from the unfairness, be a light of kindness on the path of those we encounter, and trust that ultimately God’s perfect justice will indeed prevail. 

By Judy Shrout