These bad karma stories are very delicious and fun to read.
They make us feel better.
They re-enforce and establish the moral nature of the universe.
The righteous prosper and the wicked are punished.
Christians say, "What you sow, you shall reap."
Amen and Amen.
But.....
The Bible is full of Psalms of lament. These Psalms state, that in fact, often the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper.
The book of Job seems pretty harsh. Yes he gets it all back in the end, but he's been though seven deaths in the process.
And there's also the contrary message in the story...sometimes God is kind of screwy in doling out his grace.
God sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. He blesses all people, at times, indiscriminately.
Then there's that pesky thing called Grace. It upends karma. Grace offers forgives the wicked and blesses the undeserving. Jesus swallows the poison that we were supposed to drink. He died the death we owe.
Yes, there's still judgement. If any of you know me, I'm huge on judgement. I hate moral jellyfish. But ultimately God doles it out. Yes, in the end, there is ultimate, true justice. We don't always get to see it in this life. Read Psalm 73.
Sorry for preaching.
Hey I love seeing homewreckers and philanderers get their comeuppance. I love seeing the faithful, Left Behind Spouse flourish and prosper.
But, unfortunately not all our lives fit that script. I've seen LBS getting royally screwed over and WAS live seemingly happy lives.
