In Matthew 20:1-16 Jesus told the parable of the workers in the vineyard; God is always fair even when we don’t think so.
Deuteronomy 2 tells of the first 38 years of wandering in the the Desert. The generation entering the desert had died off and with the help of God King Sihon was defeated.
Deuteronomy 3 describes how King Og was defeated and how the Israelites conquered the land East of Jordan, but Moses was forbidden to cross the Jordan and enter the Promised Land.
By our standards the parable of the workers in the vineyards is not fair. Can you imagine a labor negotiation coming to that result? The people that wandered in the desert for forty years was not allowed to enter the land (except for Joshua and Caleb), and even Moses was forbidden to enter the land because of disobedience. God does not judge people the way we do. Below is a limerick I wrote to Billy Graham’s 95’th birthday.
He spoke to the millions on earth.
How much is a life like that worth?
In God’s eyes it’s the same
As that bum that just came
to the cross. Of God’s grace there’s no dearth.
Len Bilén's blog, a blog about faith, politics and the environment. 