“All I know most surely about morality and obligation I owe to football”,
It's not fair
Malachi 2:18 You say , "The LORD is pleased with evil and doesn't care about justice." As we look around our world of poverty, violence, Tsunamis, we too may ask, "where is the God of justice?" We are reminded of the Psalmist's frustration when he saw the prosperity of the wicked.
The Israelites had returned from exile. They had built the second temple and were awaiting the messianic appearance. Their expectation was that God's visible glory would be seen in the temple as it had been in Moses' tabernacle and Solomon's temple. But the reality was that they were still under Persian rule, crops were failing due to locusts and drought, religious activities were becoming a burden. Their expectations of wealth prosperity and international prominence had been dashed. The coming of the Messiah seemed irrelevant.
As we represent Jesus in the world of sport, we too can be tempted to think that life is unfair and that God doesn't care about injustice. I am faithful to you, Lord but the coach always picks on me? Why am I always injured when players whose lifestyle is totally against your law, are flourishing.
As Malachi will point out to his readers in the next chapter, we must take the long view and believe that God is a God of justice who will ultimately right all wrongs. Keep going. Keep believing!