I don’t necessarily believe that good generally ought to be rewarded. In order for something to be good, it has to reward someone in some way. Even if the person doing the good action isn’t the one who is rewarded, doing something good for someone else is a reward itself. Therefore, it is not necessary for good to be rewarded by God. However, evil deeds don’t work the same way; one is not automatically punished for doing something evil like one is for doing something good. Evil should be punished in some way because otherwise we don’t know the action is evil. We first learn the difference between right and wrong, which is good and evil on a much smaller scale, when we are young. Our parents reward us for good and punish us for evil. Eventually we are expected to know the difference without their reinforcement, although evil still needs to be punished in some way because people seem to forget.
Humans ought to act ethically even if they might be punished for doing so. We have to live with our choices and do the right thing at all times. It’s like the expression “you’re the one who has to be able to look at yourself in the mirror in the morning.” If we choose to act ethically, that must mean our actions are creating some good, which probably outweighs the punishment.
In the “Book of Job,” God seems to punish a good man. God does this to prove and remind Job that he is still in charge. Even though he is blessed with good fortune, God wants him to know and never forget that there is still a higher power. In the story, Job represents every man, even in the present day. That is why the “Book of Job” is a wisdom text; God punishes good people just because he can. He always has and always will because that is his way of reminding people he is the almighty ruler of humankind.
