Crooked Things That Cannot Be Straightened

by Chris Simmons

As Solomon sought to exercise his wisdom and discover the meaning and purpose of life “under the sun,” he made some observations about life that helped lead him to the conclusion of his quest (as stated in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Several of those observations about life “under the sun” are found in the first chapter of Ecclesiastes and one of them in particular is one that perhaps we wrestle with today in our lives as we consider our life “under the sun.” We read in Ecclesiastes 1:15, “What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.” As we look at the world we live in, we see things that just aren’t right that we often can do nothing to correct. We see the wicked who do evil and go unpunished and we see godly people deal with a seemingly disproportionate amount of burdens and misfortune. We know that life isn’t fair but we often wrestle with why that is and get frustrated when there doesn’t seem to be anything we can do about it. The question is, what should a Christian’s attitude be towards the “crooked things” that cannot be straightened?

We cannot allow the inequities of life to distract us from what we know is our duty to do before God. When Jesus told Peter of the type of death that he would suffer later in his life, He followed with the simple command, “Follow Me!” Peter, who became distracted with the question of his fate and the fate of all of the other apostles and concerned about the fairness of facing an agonizing death if the other apostles were not, asked of Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus then rebuked Peter and said, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” (John 21:21-22). Jesus said that not only will the “riches and pleasures of this life” choke out our spiritual life and keep us from ever maturing and bearing fruit as children of God, so also will the “worries…of this life” (Luke 8:14). It doesn’t matter what happens to others, whether they be good or evil. It doesn’t matter whether the wicked are prospering and we are suffering unjustly. It doesn’t matter if life simply isn’t fair. Jesus says to us all, “you follow Me!” There’s no amount of “crooked things” that will ever absolve us from our responsibility to serve the Lord and follow Him and there is never a place to quit.

We must use prayer to cast our concerns regarding the injustices we see around us upon our Father in heaven. We are not to keep it to ourselves when we are troubled by our own circumstances and the injustices we see around us. I Peter 5:6-7, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.” It is not just advice, it’s a command when God’s word says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:4-6). We not only go against what God’s word says, but we are in fact accomplishing nothing when we worry and fret about the “crooked things” that cannot be straightened. Jesus asked in Matthew 6:27, “and which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span?” We need courage to change the things we can, realize that there are other things we cannot change and have the wisdom to discern the difference.

We must not be influenced to become partakers with them who do evil by the fact that judgment is not immediately brought upon those who do wrong. A simple example is this: it’s not right when someone driving alone in a car decides that they are entitled to use the carpool lane so they can get to their destination before anyone else. And it’s even more troublesome when we never see someone like that get caught for their wrongdoing. The temptation is there to be influenced by such repeated “crooked” actions to the point that we then attempt to justify doing it ourselves. Though we know it’s not right, because everyone else is getting away with it, we too then partake in their evil deeds. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:7-11, “Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them.” We are to be the “lights in the world” that stand out “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” (Philippians 2:15) which can not be done when we become partakers rather than exposers of the crooked things in the world we live in.

We have to trust that God will straighten out all the “crooked” things eventually. We read in Psalms 73 of this very question under consideration regarding the crooked things that we see that cannot be straightened. We read of Asaph who observed the “prosperity of the wicked” (verse 3) and how they “are not in trouble as other men; nor are they plagued like mankind” (verse 5). Of their conduct he says, “they mock, and wickedly speak of oppression; they speak from on high. They have set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue parades through the earth” (verses 7-9). In spite of their lack of reverence and respect for God they are “always at ease” and “have increased in wealth.” It’s “troublesome” for us to “ponder” (verse 16) the fact that we must deal with difficulties in our own life and yet observe the wicked prospering in theirs. From a physical and temporal perspective, we can be tempted to come to the conclusion that it is “in vain I have kept my heart pure, and washed my hands in innocence” (verse 13). Yet Asaph records that he stopped being troubled by such “crooked things” when he “came into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end” (verse 17). Asaph had faith that God indeed is a righteous judge and that the wicked and rebellious who prosper in this life, will in the “end” receive their “just recompense” (Hebrews 2:2). If we wish to overcome the impact of the crooked things that cannot be straightened, then we will never lose sight of “the end.” Solomon came to the conclusion in Ecclesiastes 8:11-12, “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil. Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that (in the end, CS) it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly.”

Paul wrote to Christians in Thessalonica who were suffering while their oppressors apparently prospered and said to them in II Thessalonians 1:5-10, “This is a plain indication of God's righteous judgment so that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed – for our testimony to you was believed.” Though the wicked may prosper now, consider their end!

There will always be “crooked things” which cannot be made straight. The question is, will our faith in God and His word be strong so that we might always look to “the end” and not allow ourselves to be overcome by the temptations around us?