A Psalm of Fairness

I wanted to follow up Monday’s post about not leaning on your own understanding of fairness with one more word on the subject from Psalms. You know, Psalm 1 is a funny chapter. Look at the first verse of the first chapter of Psalms: “Blessed is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.” Verse 3 says “whatever that person does prospers.” The rest of the chapter is about how the wicked won’t do well. Wait a minute! That’s not how life works. That would be great if the righteous always prospered and the wicked didn’t. But we all can name good people that never seem to get ahead. And just as easily, we can probably all name bad people that get all the breaks.

Now look at Psalm 150. The last several chapters begin with the instructions to “praise the Lord.” The book closes with “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord” (150:6).

That doesn’t seem right. Chapter 1 starts with a statement that never seems to work out from our perspective, that the people of God will prosper while the wicked suffer. It’s hard to see that. So how can I “praise the Lord” when life seems so unfair?

When I was in college, a professor pointed out the issue with the two ends of Psalms and said that the key to the dilemma of praising God when things don’t seem fair was in chapter 73. Look at verses 3-13: “For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to humanity…this is what the wicked are like—always carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure.”

Sound familiar? Have you ever had moments thinking those very same thoughts? Asaph gives the answer in verse 16: “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me until I entered the sanctuary of God.” It just doesn’t make sense to us when we see things from a worldly perspective. It’s only when we understand our circumstances from God’s perspective that we can understand how “the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked” can be blessed. And that understand is why we can “praise the Lord.”

Psalm 73 closes this way: “But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”

It doesn’t matter what seems fair or unfair according to the standards of our world. What matters is that we stay near God, that we make Him our refuge, and that we tell of His deeds. Don’t think about excuses for unfairness or reasons why people do the things that they do. Instead, accept that God is the only thing that really matters. And because He is, give Him praise.

Lean Not On Your Own Understanding

So last week’s posts about life not being fair and about not being able to count on people around you were kind of “downers.” It’s not happy to realize that you have to be content with an unfair world where people fail to meet your expectations. Today is the other side of that.

What happens when life seems unfair? What do you do when it just doesn’t make sense? Look at Proverbs 3:5-7. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”

Trust in the Lord. Lean not on your own understanding. Do not be wise in your own eyes.

When we try to understand things from a worldly perspective, they don’t always make sense. It’s only when we understand who is in control that we can deal with unfairness. That’s true at work or anywhere else.

Life's Not Fair

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is the end of Job. Job spends most of the book talking with his friends. They have several theologically-flawed reasons why Job is suffering. Job doesn’t buy into those ideas. Instead, he just asks God for an audience, an opportunity to plead his case. Basically, Job is saying that his suffering isn’t fair.

That’s a common complaint, isn’t it? “That’s not fair.” It’s not fair that you have to work for a particular supervisor. It’s not fair that your coworker got the promotion when you worked twice as hard. From the time that we’re children, we want things to be fair.

But look at God’s response to Job. God doesn’t say, “you’re right, it wasn’t fair.” God doesn’t even explain the reasons for Job’s sufferings. We have the benefit of the first two chapters that explain why Job loses everything—he never knew that God was proud of his faithfulness. No, God didn’t answer any of Job’s questions. Instead, He said, “who are you to question me?” “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?” (38:2) Job never learns the cosmic reason for the “unfairness”—but he does learn that he needs to trust God without questioning.

Life isn’t fair. Even though we can repeat the words, it’s still hard to accept. Joni Eareckson Tada explains that it’s like walking into a conversation and being asked for your opinion without knowing what’s been said before you arrived (Aug. 7). You don’t have all the information, and you don’t understand God’s purposes anywhere near enough to be able to judge fairness. And even if you could judge fairness, God’s version of fairness is very different from the world’s version.

As you interact with other people, it’s great when things work out well. But they often do not. Things aren’t fair. Remember that they don’t have to be. What’s important isn’t fair versus unfair. What’s important is God.

A Den of Robbers

Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45-46; John 2:13-22

How would you describe your workplace? Some people have used metaphors like "when you work here, you're like family." Maybe your workplace isn't quite that warm. But look at how Jesus describes the temple in these passages. After ransacking the place, Jesus accuses the merchants of "making My Father's House a Den of Robbers." These businesses fulfilled an important need. People would come from far away places to worship at Jerusalem. They needed to buy an animal to sacrifice, so merchants were there selling such animals. And if you needed to exchange your currency to buy in this market, there were kiosks of the day ready to help you with that as well. The problem was that these people were not really interested in helping people worship God. Rather than any altruistic motives, they let laws of supply and, in particular, demand determine costs. These people didn't know the city that well, they didn't have the means to seek out other places to buy these things. So merchants were charging top dollar and getting rich off of the people's desire to worship God.

So think about where you work. Could Jesus make the same accusation against you? Does your workplace profit from the desperation of others? I think one plausible interpretation of these passages is a critique of supply and demand economics that privilege profit motives over the needs of people. You may not be able to control the economics of your industry, but what about how your department or specific responsibilities function? Are you putting profit and performance above people?

It's tough because I think the temple merchants would probably have done very well in 21st century America. Certainly, they would have been in step with the Enrons of 2001 or the Countrywides of 2007. I think "Den of Robbers" is a completely accurate title for some of the upper eschelons of those companies (although the majority of people working for both companies were not involved in either scandal). But the actions that made those companies personify greed were not decisions that were made overnight. The actions of a large number of individuals over a long period of time created the conditions for infamy. Your actions, no matter what your position or status, your actions matter. How can you privilege people over profit in your job? And then, how can you lead others to do the same?

Give to Caesar...

Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17; Luke 20:20-26
cf Matthew 17:24-27

It's one of the two things in life that people say will always be a certainty. Taxes. Nobody likes them, and that has probably been true since the beginning of organized government. But for just that long, the people governed have had to foot the cost for the coordination, protection, and services of their government. Like any people, the Jews of Jesus' time hated paying taxes. But they had more reason to hate it than you or I because they weren't supporting their own government--they were supporting an occupying, conquering government. You may resent supporting a government dominated by a political party with which you disagree. The Jews were in that position to the ultimate extreme. So naturally, with the exception of a couple of groups such as Herodians and tax collectors, almost every Jew had a uniform opinion about taxes--they're terrible. However, you couldn't openly disparage Roman taxes. Remember, this wasn't a democracy. They had no Bill of Rights or Freedom of Speech. So the Jews hated Roman taxes, but they kept quiet about it in public out of fear.

Which of course makes this the perfect trap for Jesus. Ask him about taxes. If He says, "no, don't pay taxes," the people will still love him, but He'll be Public Enemy Number 1 with the Romans. End of problem for the Pharisees. If He says, "yes, you should pay taxes," the Romans won't pay Him any mind, but the people might run Him out of town for seeming to support Rome. Yes, it must have seemed like the Pharisees finally had Him. So, the question was asked, and the people leaned in to hear Jesus' answer.

But wait a minute. Jesus asks, "who's picture is on this coin?" "Well, it's Caesar." "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and give to God what is God's." The Jewish leaders walked away, stumped, because he had evaded their trap.

Part of the genius in Jesus' response was recognizing that it wasn't an either/or question. But for us today, it demonstrates that we have a type of dual citizenship with responsibilities in both areas. In a spiritual sense, we're foreigners here, and citizens in God's kingdom. Thus, we owe God (everything). But in a different sense, we have obligations materially on Earth as well. We are obligated to pay taxes, for instance, and to be fair in that and in all other business transactions. Jesus' point about taxes keeps us for thinking that we are too removed from the materiality of this world (though that is different from materialism, which Jesus cautions against). We cannot escape being part of the material transactions here, and we need to think about how Jesus would approach those. In this case, that means knowing what our obligations are and not evading them.

Tax Collectors and Roman Soldiers

Luke 3:11-14

The context of this passage starts at the beginning of chapter 3. John is teaching and people are coming out to hear what he has to say. His message is one of repentance, that people need to change their ways. When they ask him to be more specific, he says, share what you have with those in need. Then two groups of people ask what they can do in terms of repentance. This is where I wanted to focus this blog post. Both groups were notorious for cheating people. Tax collectors collected money for the Romans, which alone would have made them hated. But there weren't any IRS manuals or Turbo Tax programs in that day. Instead, people had to "trust" the tax collectors that they were being charged the correct tax. And of course, being entrepreneurs, the tax collectors found that they could say whatever they wanted to in terms of how much tax was required. So they would collect the Roman tax as well as more than a little extra on the side, which they were allowed to keep for themselves. Soldiers were also hated because they represented Rome, an occupying force. But in addition to that, soldiers could require someone to "help out" with various tasks and the person was required to comply. So if they didn't want to carry their equipment, they would "recruit" someone else to do it for them. Now they were limited in that the person was only required to carry something one mile. But still, would you want to walk a mile doing someone else's work only to then have to walk a mile back to your house? Soldiers were also known to extort money from people in exchange for protection or sometimes just for not harassing them. So tax collectors and Roman soldiers were among the most despised people in all of Judea.

These are the people that Luke reports came to John, wanting to repent. You can imagine the shock and possibly a little sarcasm from the others that came to hear John. "Yeah, right, like the Messiah will ever have a place for those people. He's coming to overthrow your kind." But John basically said, "just treat people fairly." Don't charge more than people owe. Be satisfied with what you have. Don't extort money. In other words, be fair.

We generally have laws that are supposed to protect us from some of these things. But people constantly find loopholes, trying to get ahead at the expense of someone else. Luke, using John's words, is calling us to be fair in our business transactions. Just because you can make a buck at someone else's expense doesn't mean that you should do it.

Honest Scales

Proverbs 11:1; 16:11; 20:10, 23
cf Amos 8:4-6; Micah 6:11

Another prominent theme in Proverbs is that of unfair scales. In an economy before digital scales where merchants would carry measuring cups and weights/scales for doing business, one way to “get ahead” was to have one set of measures for buying goods that perhaps were slightly over-sized (so you got more than you paid for) and another set for selling goods that were undersized (so you sold less than they paid for). This was condemned in Leviticus, but apparently the practice was common enough to still be an issue by the time Proverbs is compiled. Proverbs 11:1 states that God “abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight.” Proverbs 16 praises the business person who exercises honesty in business practices saying, “honest scales and balances are from the Lord.” In chapter 20, we learn that God “detests” unfair weights and scales.

And it seems that the Israelites didn’t listen particularly well to these proverbs. One of the complaints against both the people of Israel before they were conquered was that they were using dishonest scales. Amos says that God will not forget dishonest business practices, particularly when they disadvantage the poor and needy. Micah says that a person with unfair scales would not be acquitted.

So what about you? Are you honest in your business transactions? Are you looking for accounting tricks so that you come out ahead of others? When you deal with customers or clients, are you using the same yardstick with them that you would expect from your distributors? Whatever it is, take time today to consider the equivalent to unfair scales in your own industry. How can you ensure that your transactions are fair? If you feel confident there, then consider your transactions with the government. Are you trying to find a reason that those golf clubs really are a medical deduction? Are you honest about the money you made last year? You wouldn’t want a client being dishonest about the money they owe you, so reconsider your honesty with the money you owe the government.

God calls us to honesty in all of our transactions. As people of God, we need to be “above reproach” in this matter. We need to set examples for others in terms of fairness.

Pay People What You Owe Them

James 5:4

"Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty." Pretty strong language, particularly if you supervise others. The context of this passage is a warning to the rich who got that way on the backs of the poor, one of the consistent themes in James. The application has to do with what it means to be a good supervisor or manager. Pay people what you owe them. It's unfortunate, but I hear stories of managers and owners trying to find loopholes to avoid paying their employees the money for which they've worked. James is saying, pay what you owe to your workers.

It's a little bit more of a stretch, but this might be extrapolated to say, pay a wage that your workers can live with. There is a lot of talk these days about a living wage, which recognizes that minimum wage is usually not enough to live on, particularly with a family. As I said, it's not explicitly mentioned here, but I think this living wage is very consistent with the overall message--don't try to increase what you have by not giving your workers the pay they deserve.

Favoritism

James 2:9

James wrote this in the context of church, arguing against church leaders showing favoritism. But I think the application holds true in workplaces as well. Don't show favoritism in your business decisions. That doesn't mean that you cannot make decisions based on what is best for your company, but it does mean that you need to take everyone's needs into consideration, even those who may not benefit you as much. A common theme in James, Jesus' teachings, and the Old Testament is taking care of widows and orphans. In those societies, widows and orphans were typically the lowest classes of people, those least able to take care of themselves. Think about who might be equivalent in your workplace or sphere of contact. Be careful not to show favoritism against these people in favor of people with whom you more closely identify.

Listen to Those Who Disagree With You

Job 31:13-15

In Job 31, Job is defending himself to his friends, saying he didn't do anything to deserve all of his suffering. He lists several sins that he didn't commit. Look at verses 13 and 14. "If I have denied justice to my menservants and maidservants when they had a grievance against me, what will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account?"Based on the context, Job seems to consider a failure to listen to the grievances of his servants as a sin. He explains why in verse 15: "Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?" Job says that he is not any better than his servants so why should he reject their complaints.

I've already blogged about the importance of employees disagreeing with supervisors at times. This is the other side of that: supervisors have a responsibility to listen to their employees' complaints. It can seem threatening for someone to disagree with us, but a higher position does not make you any better than someone with a lower position. They have just as much right to express themselves as you do, and in an organization, they should have just as much opportunity to pursue their goals as you do. Did not He who made you make them as well?

From this passage, listen to your employees' grievances.

Fair Weights and Measures

Leviticus 19:35-36

God specifically wants His people to be honest in their business dealings. These passages (and there are others throughout the Bible) indicate that God wanted to Israelites to use the same standards in their selling that they do in their buying. To put it in context, the practice of the day was, if you wanted to buy a pound of something, you would take a set of weights out of your bag and measure out what you're scales said was one pound. But then, if you wanted to sell that product, you would have a different set of weights. When your buyer came, you would use this second set of weights that would give the buyer slightly less than one pound. The result is profit for you at the expense of either the buyer or the supplier (depending on which weight was false). God says His people are to have one set of weights--that is, they are to deal honestly in all business transactions.

Our society today have many types of "dishonest weights"--everything from Enron-style accounting and risky derivatives to questionable tax deductions. The business transactions in which we engage during the week are under God's eye just as much as our worship assemblies on Sunday. He expects us to glorify Him through honesty.

Pay People What You Owe Them

Leviticus 19:13
cf Deut. 24:14-15

In a list of ordinances for how the Israelites should live, God includes this instruction: "Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight." Later, God refers to such behavior as taking "advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy." It didn't matter whether the hired man in this case was a fellow Israelite or a foreigner--God's people were not to withhold the wages that were due to the worker. This falls under the idea of being a good supervisor and treating workers fairly. I think an appropriate application might be to pay workers a fair wage. Thinking more broadly, this could also refer to giving credit or praise to those who are due them in a timely manner.

A Fair Price

Genesis 23

In Genesis 23, Abraham negotiates for a field in which he can bury Sarah, and we can see several important principles for business transactions here. First, the transaction was public and therefore, transparent. Abraham wasn't trying to hide anything from the Hittites or from the person who owned the field. Second, Abraham offered a fair price. He wasn't trying to cheat or swindle the other party. Third, he didn't want to be indebted to another person. He wanted to buy the property rather than receive it as a gift, presumably because he did not want to owe anything to Ephron (the seller). Consider your business transactions. Are they transparent? Would you be ashamed if they were? Are they fair? Do any of your transactions put you in debt to another? I don't think this passage is saying that Abraham's way of doing business is the only way to conduct yourself. Perhaps it's better to think of these as best practices of sorts.