"But the wicked will see none of this. They're headed down a dead-end road with nothing to look forward to—nothing." Job 11:20 (MSG)

I've met people who lied and cheated their way to wealth, power and prosperity and never got caught. I've met a few people who have been sent to jail for cheating. I've met good people who have been blessed with what appears to be a charmed life, and I've met good people who have faced the most horrific of unexplainable tragedies.

I have no doubt that the wicked will get their eternal just desserts. But, there are plenty of wicked people who make out like bandits in this life, just as there are plenty of good people who face the most difficult of circumstances. Z lays out a common argument: if you're good you'll be blessed with health & wealth, and if you're wicked you won't prosper. It seems he uses this argument to say to Job, "You must have done something bad to have these tragedies fall upon you. If you were good, you'd still be blessed." But, all my life experience tells me that's not necessarily true. For every Bernie Madoff who gets caught, there are hundreds of scheisters who get away with their crimes. For every believer who seems to have it all together, there are those faced with horrific tragedies.

It's just not that simple.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and robertodevido