All for the Good?

"So God has taken away your father’s livestock and has given them to me. " Genesis 31:9

All for Good?
By Rev. William Dohle

Sometimes I admit a shot of envy pierce my soul. Especially of the very rich.

It happens when I read articles that say things like this one.

While 68.3 million Americans struggle to get enough food to eat and wages are declining for 90% of the population, US millionaire household wealth has reached an unprecedented level. According to an extensive study by auditing and financial advisory firm Deloitte, US millionaire households now have $38.6 trillion in wealth. On top of the $38.6 trillion that this study reveals, they have an estimated $6.3 trillion hidden in offshore accounts. In total, US millionaire households have at least $45.9 trillion in wealth, the majority of this wealth is held within the upper one-tenth of one percent of the population.

Now I must admit that many of the very rich have earned their money. They are brilliant money managers and should be commended. And many are the largest philanthropists in the world!

But still... Envy sneaks into my heart...and jealousy...and a sense(sometimes) that they should really know how they rest of us live.

Now suppose you discovered one of those rich men obtained all their wealth by swindling his father-in-law out of his fortune. In fact, you discover that this rich man made his money from a deal he crafted with his in-laws as payment for a debt. This deal, which turned better for him than for his family, resulted in his father-in-law one losing most of his wealth to the rich man.

Is that fair?

Well, that's the situation Jacob is in. Laban, his father-in-law, who was never a nice man to begin with, makes a deal with Jacob for payment for his services. "Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages."(Genesis 30:32)

Of course all would be honest and fair...if Laban himself didn't first stack the deck against Jacob. He removes all the goats and sheep that fit this description, sending them with his sons.

But this doesn't stop Jacob from getting what's coming to him. Deceiving the deceiver, Jacob sets up an ingenious plan to take what was rightfully his...and more! "In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys."(30:37)

Now, I know how you might justify this. "He was only getting what was rightfully his..." ... "Laban shouldn't have tried to trick Jacob!"... But in the end, the fact remains, Jacob, the deceiver, gains all his wealth and prosperity by unjustly taking what should have been his father-in-law's...

...And what's more... God does NOTHING about it!

In fact, God in the very next chapter reaffirms the blessing he has given him and his father and grandfather.

Now why didn't God punish Jacob? Why didn't he teach him a lesson about fairness? Why does God put up with, and even seem to work in with, Jacob's deception? Isn't God fair? Isn't God just?

Well... no God isn't. At least, not as we of just.

God doesn't promise that everyone is going to have the same thing. Nor does he promise that the rich won't grow richer and the poor won't grow poorer. He doesn't promise us a house, a nice car, three children, parents who live into their hundreds, health, wealth, or the like.

Instead, he promises us this:

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."(Romans 8:28)

Notice what is promised here. GOD is the one who will work. The good that God is for is defined by GOD...and it is all according to HIS purpose.

Let's remember that the next time the stab of envy hits us in the heart. God works for his good, for the lower class, the middle class, and the upper class. And in the end, it's all according to HIS purpose.

Jacob served the purposes of God in the end. Who's to say even the richest of the rich, even Donald Trump himself, won't serve those same purposes...God's purposes!

God, we don't understand why some of us are rich and some of us are poor, but we have been called, whomever we are, to serve your purpose. Give us faith to trust you in working for our good, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.