What is justice?: Looking for God's justice in todays society
Notes
Transcript
Why does justice matter?
Why does justice matter?
Justice – just behavior or treatment; according to merriam-webster.com justice is the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims of merited rewards or punishment, a second definition is “the quality of being just, impartial, or fair.” The latter part of the definition is what our society is desperate to experience. This lack of justice seen in our community is why the words of Dr. King are still echoed today from his words written in “The Letter from Birmingham Jail”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outside anywhere within its bounds.”
Sad miss understanding of justice and man made laws.
Sad miss understanding of justice and man made laws.
The term justice often time is limited to the judiciary application of justice of laws made by men. The term of Social Justice then comes into play. Social Justice can be summed up in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. Social Justice pursuit in America has caused great changes in America from the Suffrage Movement, to the integration of Schools lead by the NAACP Brown vs. Board of Education, and the Civil Rights Movement that involved Bus boycotts, sit ins and marches for the right to vote.
If mans laws were just, and right then the call for social justice would be futile.
But man is flawed and prone to sin and thank God by his grace he shows us what justice is and compassion for all people.
Man has made and passed laws that were not fair from the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges.
Social Justice movements has caused the concience of the law to be awaken and for changes to be made to improve the quality of life. God has give us the blueprint of what justice looks like and the blueprint to act it our in our life. We will look at the retelling of the Law by Moses in Deuteronomy 16:18-20.
Lead into text: Chapter 16 is where we will look at God’s all to the leaders in the gates.
God’s call for true justice for all.
God’s call for true justice for all.
18 “Appoint judges and officials for yourselves from each of your tribes in all the towns the Lord your God is giving you. They must judge the people fairly. 19 You must never twist justice or show partiality. Never accept a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and corrupt the decisions of the godly. 20 Let true justice prevail, so you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
God gives instruction of governance for Israel
God gives instruction of governance for Israel
Judges and officials are appointed by the people from each tribe in all the towns.
This sets up proper representation of the people in the community.
The people for the people by the people.
The people appointed duties are expressed.
They must judge the people fairly
The is a must for the people in this position,
Justice in Leadership
Justice in Leadership
19 “You shall not distort justice; you shall not be partial, and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.
The call for the leadership to not distort (or twist) justice.
The leader is not to force the law in their hands.
They are not to abuse their power and use the law to benefit themselves and abuse others.
They are not to take a bribe and therefore not be influenced and beholden to others.
For bribes blind their eyes too the truth.
They bribes will corrupt the words of the righteous.
When the corrupt rule you get perverted justice.
When the corrupt rule you get perverted justice.
God knows that man needs a guidance and this call for justice is not new concept.
God instructs them of taking bribes earlier in Exodus 23:8
8 “Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth.
Deuteronomy is the second telling of the law and this is worth repeating for the people.
God calls all people to be righteous
God calls all people to be righteous
How important it is for the leaders to set a good example of being leaders with integrity and ethics.
When one is unable to feel comfortable trusting the ones in leadership who enforce the laws we are in trouble.
This the call for all to be just in their leadership.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
This is why legal decisions made are critical because the precedents are made and become enforced even when they are unjust ruling.
The same unjust ruling can be ruled again and enforced.
God calls for true justice.
God calls for true justice.
20 Let true justice prevail, so you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
With true Justice prevailing will see a just society.
The poor will be looked after generously.
Society encourage will not be any discrimination and miss-treatment of neighbors.
Justice leads to peace and comfort.
God desire for the children of Israel to live in harmony and look to care for each other with love.
Justice is compassionate
Justice is compassionate
Jesus teaches us the priority of compassion in the community as a valuable Christian principle
30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
These commandments Jesus teaches is from the Law as found in Deuteronomy 6:5-6 and Leviticus 19:18.
First Deuteronomy 6:5-6 tells us how to Love God!
5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.
Loving God is to love his precepts.
8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Loving God will lead one to love what God loves
Love righteousness
Mercy
Humility
This is loved for all without favoritism.
Second we show our love for our neighbor as said in Leviticus 19:18.
18 “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
Love for my neighbor is not by limited by gender, race, ethnicity and location of home.
Love for my neighbor is to treat all of God’s creation as they are good as God has made them.
Loving my neighbor is to hurt when they hurt and rejoice when they rejoice.
Loving my neighbor means to try to understand the hardships they might face because of impartial laws, and financial disadvantages that are perpetuated by systematic racist practices that have become normalized in todays society.
This command is stamped by the Lord
This command is stamped by the Lord
God commands us the rulers to do this and implies all of us are accountable to hold the leaders in places of authority accountable for justice.
We are desperate in this world for justice for all. We need to see the justice to side for all people equally. Man’s justice is called into question in light of God’s demonstration of what justice looks like.
God sent Jesus to show us what Justice is.
Jesus did not discriminate against the poor, disenfranchised, the marginalized and the ones hated within society.
Jesus showed compassion and advocated for the lost, the poor, the sick and the widows.
Jesus called out the leaders of Israel and rebuked them for their favoritism and bending of the law.
In Jesus true Justice prevails
In Jesus true Justice prevails
We know righteousness because of Jesus, the righteous judge! Jesus being righteous leads us to repent and follow after him and seek what is right. Justice has to have direction and the direction is Christ. Christians are to show what it means to love their fellow brother and sister. Christians are to show how we are called to bless and curse not. Christians are called to be compassionate and serve the poor and walk with humility.
8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
We will experience this when Jesus comes in all of his glory and power. We will know what it means to live in harmony and see true justice prevail in the presence of the Lord.