A Humble Justice

Introduction: What does God want us to do when we see Injustice in our World?

5 - There are Different Responses to Injustice.

Micah 3:8–12 NIV

But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin. Hear this, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right; who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness. Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they look for the Lord’s support and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.” Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.

11 - Micah’s focus is much like Amos’ focus, except for the Southern Nation of Judah and especially the city of Jerusalem.

Perhaps you can see that Micah was warning Judah of some of the same problems that Amos warned Israel in the North of. The Idolatry of Greed where the powerful subvert justice by exploit others for the sake of their own financial gain.

Kings - Building with cheap labor, and not carring about the risks to that labor.

Priests teaching for an extra fee - Priests were to be supported by the tithe.

Professional Prophets also supported by the Tithe - Here the prophets are telling people what they want to hear so they can make more money on the side - Who cares about the truth?

Judges taking Bribes.

Different Responses:

The Greedy increase injustice.

Those who are powerless are quiet.

False Prophets speak in a way that supports injustice.

True Prophets speak out the Truth.

In our day and age the options are

Speaking up....

Dialogue and Education

Demonstrations

Violence to get even.

Silence

12 - God wants humble justice.

Micah 6:6–8 NIV

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

16 - Israel’s mission was to be a showcase to all of the other nations of what living in relationship with God would look like. When the people of God seek idols rather than God, injustice occurs and that light to the nations is diminished.

The Simplicity of God’s call on the people of God is really simple. In the Bible it is the same mission throughout the Bible, but spoken in a variety of ways. The Great Commission through the Great Commandment.

Make disciples of all nations, Baptizing and teaching them to live like Jesus by the authority and presence of Jesus.

Love the Lord Your God with all of your heart mind, soul, and strength, and Love Your neighbor as yourself.

The Call of Abraham - I will bless you and through you all nations will be blessed.

In James, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Micah 6:8 gives us another way of saying this simple mission for the people of God. Micah is saying this is the heart of what the Torah and specifically the Book of Deuteronomy is from God to his people.

Micah 6:8 LEB

He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does Yahweh ask from you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

To Walk Humbly with your God.

As we said last week, True Justice does not occur unless we put our idols in our lives both individually and societally. They must be dethroned so that God is number one in our life.

This means that God knows best, and humility is a trust that He does. A way seems right to a man, but God directs his path. It’s humble because this puts us humans in continually tutored by our God, by Jesus, rather than a pride that we are the solution to our own problems.

Foster a relationship with God, prayer life, humble Bible Study, allowing the Bible to shape our lives rather than we shaping what the Bible says for our sensitivities.

To love loyal love

This is in contrast to the motivation to the people of God. They fulfilled the covenant ceremonies, not because they loved God, but as a transaction to appease God.

This again strikes against idolatry. We as humans are drawn to love the things of the world more than God.

Worship is intended not to be a transaction to appease God, but an expression of our loyal Love and Gratitude towards God.

We are also reminded of the Loyal love God has given us, and this motivates us to act the same towards others.

The Call here is to fall in love with God’s love towards us and towards others.

To Do Justice.

When those first to are in proper place, then Justice flows naturally, Because a people want to do what God wants, and he wants Justice in our world as defined by Him. (Care for the powerless, the orphan, widow, alien amongst you.) And second we truly love the love God gives us and others, and so we work towards bringing that love into our world.

In the ideal world where all humbly walk with God and Love Loyal Love, Justice is natural.

For Believers, however, the best way to combat injustice in our world is to do it, to make justice happen in our places of influence.

We may do this by speaking up for the powerless. The Church is called to be the prophetic voice like Micah in our world.

But most importantly we bring justice by doing it, actively.

In our business practices, towards employees, through our voting, through our mission work, through our missional communities, support of missionaries.

The motivation is quite different than the world’s way of bringing justice. We don’t do it out of vengeance, or hate, or moral superiority. But because we humbly Follow Christ’s way, and because we Love Love. - Love in the way God defines love - not the idolatrous love that makes human sexuality an idol, but Love that sees every human being as made in the image of God and as LoriJo Scheppers says, “Worth dying for.”

Conclusion:

Reference the Reformed Confessions: The Reformed Confessions are statements of faith written to clarify the Gospel at times when the Church was in crisis. Heidelberg Chatechism: Q&A 4, 62-64, 86, 91-92, 94 Belgic Confession: Articles 24-25, 28-29 Canons of Dort: Head V, Article 12 Belhar Confession: Article 4