17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little.
Life isn’t fair. When we carry the scales of justice around and measure by earthly standards, life isn’t fair. Here the Israelites are told to go gather the manna off the ground in the morning. As they do, some gather a larger quantity than others do. But in the end, each has just what they need. The disparity of income has been highlighted in recent months with the multimillion dollar bonuses and the millions of unemployed. We hear of those losing their homes and of those getting rich betting on the failure of others though hedge funds. In God’s economy everyone gets what they deserve. There is justice. It doesn’t mean everyone gets exactly the same thing. Some of us have more talents than others do. Some have been given more earthly endowments. But when eternity is placed on the balance, all will even out. Just because on earth there are imbalances does not mean that when we view it from heaven’s perspective that there will be those same imbalances. Eternal rewards will bring everything into alignment. Our job is to be faithful with what we do have; time, talent, and treasure. Some of the Israelites are going to flunk this simple lesson of trust. They gather more than they need, thinking that the Lord will not provide for them the next day. We can do the same thing, hording our wealth while others have need, all in the fear that the Lord is not able to take care of us in the future. If we are faithful, the Lord will take care of us. But so often we fail in our faithfulness. When we feel the prompting of the Lord, we fail to obey. We think our way out of obedience.
The Arnold Journey 