S 60 Just Judgments

Says, the battery is great.

What is the passage that we want that? I wanted to look at, we're going to get it soon. In Deuteronomy it is in Deuteronomy. We hear this refrain so we know it's something that God wants Justice, only Justice, you should follow that. You may live long in here at the land that just hit Bob Hayes. Your Elohim is trying to give you and Deuteronomy. We hear this actually is sedick righteousness right along with all translators, go with Justice and every Jewish lawyer has this in a frame in the room. Justice pursue Justice. And I'm not sure if righteousness and Justice are entirely synonymous, as I was trying to work through my own mind this week, I came to think that Justice was a component of righteousness. Righteousness, is with larger, umbrella, and Justice is a sphere of that. It's a component of that. Nevertheless, the heart of God is for things to be just And also to be right righteous.

But can we get there till 94? It says, there is a little distinction here because when things are good and when things are right then Justice, Mich pot will once again become Static. It will be righteous when things are good, Justice, isn't just a bad justice. As some of us have experienced just as his righteous

And all the upright in heart will follow it.

Can we get there? What is Justice in? Are we able to get there as followers of Our Lord? Who live in this world? I think we know that he wants it from us. But can we get there? Because it's, as I said, it's like an onion that has layers, I believe many throughout the country were calling for justice in the situation, with George Floyd. Justice for him and his family. But also for the the officers, what does that look like? And I think I had layers to it because of the situation as it was Some are calling this social justice. I was reading this week and I pointed out to my wife, you see, Love Is Love and I thought well, thank you Aristotle, Aristotelian logic here, a is a is a is a

And science is real. I don't know if you knew that or not science is real thing.

I know. Some people say that the planet deserves Justice and I don't know who arbitrate that and how you come to that decision. But this is something that people are or saying, we need to just disappear. What does it look like?

Can we have one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all? I don't freak out because there's no wonder. I actually think this graphic was created before under God was put in in the 50s. So I think that's why under God is not in this one, but it does cause you to think, does this nation have Liberty for all? And does this nation have Justice? For all.

What is Justice and can we get there? And how do we get there? And what does it look like?

in his commentaries on the English law, William Blackstone who worked in the Queen's court of appeals, Royal Court of Appeals wrote the commentaries for very famous laying down Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence, And he says it is better. That ten guilty persons Escape than that. One innocent suffer. I don't know how you feel about that. Just some of you that might seem unjust.

But if I sent earlier today, considerations were made. So that a person who was not guilty in the true sense would be Would not suffer.

Because there are things to consider. William Blackstone said that but Ben Franklin, when he even further Ben Franklin said it is better than a hundred guilty person should Escape than one innocent person should suffer. This is a maximum and generally approved and I don't know how you feel about that, but that kind of rubs me the wrong way. Cuz I'm not a lawyer. But, yeah, I'm going to test this guy. And that doesn't seem just to me, but this is the way our courts have tended to work operating on this principle. We don't want people, typically we don't want people to suffer unjustly which means that the bar is very high. The convict someone is higher in certain Spears, doctor's or law enforcement officer a certain standard.

What is this Justice? What about the victims? Where is there? Justice, right? So there's, there's sides to this. There's angle to this. It's complicated.

And I think we must keep in mind and many of the passages that we're going to look at today that even issue himself, I believe it is. He hinting at this Injustice, might not. As you see, it might not be apprehended in this world. I wish it were but it might not always be. and while we do our best to understand God's heart, in matters of Justice,

And human interaction. There is one Arbiter of Justice. Unless our father is the Arbiter of Justice, he is able to balance Justice and mercy. We are not even if we have to do because of our position as a judge or on a jury or something. He is able to do it. We are not. and I do think it Doug pointed it out in Torah study that the for instance, the readings in the stator is 14 those commands and laws and instructions, and ordinances, and judgments veterans are Candies. You'd basically, as a way to help the judges, it's not just a code. Here's how you do it. When here's what you do in this situation, when you take it as a whole, it's a it's a a rubric for helping people understand God's heart.

When you see how he has set forth these ordinances, then we can get close to understanding how he wants. Just has to be followed and the Jewish people's took. It very technically and they took it to them to recognize that he was very merciful in most situations.

We do our best to understand his heart and all these interactions. But there is really only one who's able to be completely just Balancing all aspects of Justice. And that's our heavenly father. Are passages in our liturgical cycle are linked with words and really, I'm only giving it to words this week Miss pot. Coming from so fat. mishpat, coming from this roots of fat, it's a judgment or a ruling, or an ordinance, or even this larger umbrella word, like just

And then announce people. These will see, this is really the the word that we see and deal with the most. Are passages you've seen this before the Seder is an exit at the hospital as an Isaiah. I won't be dealing with that today but we will look now at the New Covenant reading, and I want to look at Luke

Just judgments has a parable issue and gives a parable in Luke. And before we get to Parables this Parable, I want to just discuss briefly a few of these pair of principles, cuz most of us have encountered Parables because we read the scriptures. And I just want to point out a few things about how we look Parables, right? Because Parable Parable is our unique genre really in the juice. Wrld And their ways to read anyway, station be red. I have fears of Parables to they help people understand things. Keep in mind, this is what Parables do. Parables are intended to help people, understand things they're nice stories, their cleverly organized teachings. People love a good story. You love a good story. I can stand here and have an outline and you will fall asleep without a doubt. But when I start telling a story people turnt up and listen, people love a good story.

Parables are to help people understand. I have enjoyed, I recommend this book by dr. Lee my, the professor of the dean of my program. At niacc, he wrote this book Parables stages. There are 400 he would often say in In class. Well, here's my opinion based on the fact that I have translated all 476, ten Parables took every Parable that has ever existed in ton of the literature. So this is I don't know, probably is a 58 E250 80 about that, time roughly all those Parables, I have translated them so I knew she was time but recorded maybe a little bit after all of them to show up until his literature. I've translated all of them. 460 and so truly. Interesting, I think there are patterns to them women in the stages, will have no idea about women but they're making stories about him. Interesting book.

Parables as I said, are designed to make things clearer there to help you understand there, not to confuse you. Now they may you may not understand it, when you first hear it, you might be thinking about the parable a little bit later and then on the way home, you think, Oh, yeah. Now It's a good teacher does this. They don't lay it all out there at the beginning, they may force you to do a little bit of work to get there, right? So you make the connections in your mind, they're leaving, bread crumbs, and you're picking up the bread, crumbs, and you're figuring it out. As you go right by parables are designed to make things clear. Typically in a parable, God is the central character. East Central.

Parables offer a prominent theme, usually one theme. These are not allegories the way you wish. They just told Parables they're not allegories. There's that I promised theme that the

Carob herbalist. The person telling the parable is trying to get across one central theme typically And not all details in the story. Have exact carry the same weight, or are they all really important? You might be able to pull some information out of out of mundane details of the story, but typically, the main thing is to maintain a parable and that's where we should stick. Look at this terrible. You told him I was letting you know that she reward Michelle Michelle. This came up in the Hebrew lesson with the crystal the lot of this week. As the word Parable is the word Parable in Hebrew, Michelle, it means terrible. So the Book of Proverbs is from the same word Michelle, Parable or Proverbs, but it also is a verb which means to govern, Michelle feed governed But how do those two things relate? Well parables are things that demonstrate generally how the world works and you can govern your lives by them, right? Like they, they they they show they have authority, the good ones. Anyway, they can help you live life. A certain way. They have authority. The waste of government Proverbs. If you govern your life by Proverbs, generally things will go well for you, right? Michelle, you should say he told them to the effect that they would always pray and not lose heart. He's giving us. The main thing is really nice. Thanks a lot, Luke. He said in a certain city, there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected, man. No, I don't know what you think about this judge. Do you think he's a Jewish judge? Cuz they didn't usually judge by themselves. Right? They almost were always in a group so I don't take this right off the bat as a reference to a person who happens to be in a Jewish Court. Another clue might be that he died of fear God, no respect. I guess it's possible to be a Jewish court of law and not there. Frank and I were talking this week, that's not a bad thing in a judge supposed to do. Would you take laws? He's not really supposed to account for all. Are you religious? So you're not religious. Well, then probably your intention was really good. He can't think about those things. He doesn't respect, but I think actually they're setting it up as kind of a negative on this guy, but those aren't the worst things that could be said of a judge. And there was a widow in that City, who kept coming to him and say against my adversary know, I suppose, maybe they already had their day in court. I don't know, maybe he wouldn't give her in court, I don't know. She wants Justice. Justice. A judgment against Iraq. Missouri. For a while he refused. What you got coming to his house cuz she knew where he lives in the town. And afterward, he said to himself you know, I don't really fear God or respect people. I love this process or respect people but because this widows bothering me so badly, I will give her justice. So that she will not beat me down with her continual coming. If you have the complete Jewish Bible, it says, she's such a nudnik. She's such a pact this woman. I'm going to give her what she wants. Now I don't know if that is just for the other person. I don't know. But his decision was on granting her what she wants because she's bothering me to no end, she's the squeaky wheel.

And the Lord said here with this. Righteous. the unrighteous judge says, And will not God, give Justice to his left to cry to him day and night will heal a long. I tell you he will give Justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, will son of man. Will you find that type of face on the earth that pestering type of face that is a couple interesting things here. Judge.

he's refused her many times, so I guess if we were going to go to look at these principles, We'll deal with the first one second but is God in this Parable? Is he? The unjust judge? He use juxtaposition to the unjust judge. He's all over the parable.

It's trying to make the point. That you can test your God. No, I know. The text says. In the last, the last birth was he's away long, but has there been a delay in the story? Hasn't there she's been coming night and day and even here it says will he not give Justice to those who cried day and night? I think there has been some time. There there is a seeking out on the part of the person there is a day after day crying out for justice. There is there isn't just a moment. There's more than that. This person. And now we're taking it out of the parable to what the heroes would hear in their lives. Most of them in the galley and other places poor, not in the upper echelon of society struggling to get by feeling oppressed by landowners and often the rich dissed. His telling them when you cry out. there is a God, who hears

And of course, this is the end of our seder reading, isn't it? At the very end of our stated reading this week in Exodus 22, it says you better not oppress any widow or orphan because they will cry out to me and I will hear and I will exact it from you. This is Joshua's point. There is a God who hears and he is the Arbiter of Justice. He's really the only one we have even if we appreciate the courts of Law and are glad that they try to get to the truth and to Justice, we recognize that there, it doesn't exist here.

I tell you he will give Justice to them. Interviews with it. She will in this world and the next that may be small, consolation.

Have been. For months now. Reading. Frederick Douglass is my my bondage and my freedom. And in the past, I've read Booker T Washington Up From Slavery and very different attitudes and

Will William his life story. Frederick Douglass is wondering, how do no religious person really held slaves?

This photo religiosity in the South, this is not religion. You do some of the worst offenders were the religious people's, the Reverend who everyone knew was horrible to the people that were held in human servitude by him. Horrible, And it cost him a crisis of Faith because he has come to see. You been introduced to Faith as a 11 12 year old boy, and he's sitting back there and wondering how do people do this? We came to the conclusion. These aren't really religious people at all. This is a cover.

This crisis of Faith. Where's the Justice? He kept, he kept his writing, I wondered if I had any friend on Earth or in heaven. When he was younger, is treatment wasn't wasn't so bad. He you're in for freedom because humans urine for freedom, but he wasn't really mistreated, but I see became 15/16, then he intentionally someone who was supposed to break him, and it, it was just a terrible crisis of faith for him. Do I have no friend who stands up on Earth, or in heaven, for what's right for what's just

So this may be small consolation. In that situation.

But the people to whom issues folk weren't much better off.

Will not God, give Justice.

I think here he's talking to his his listeners, those who cry to him day and night will heal a long time. He will give them Justice. I don't know about speedily, but what is speed Leaf? I don't know. May not be speedily to you.

He is not slow. This time might be different.

Of course, both of them. Well, I don't know, this is not, this is not that discussion, saying as terrible as things were for us.

those who help people in Human Service food, they suffered They suffered. And he said it's set thrown out there as a trite aphorism or you just things that people throw around. Both of them had said that and they actually believe it. They were becoming wretched morally. By holding people in human servitude. Issues Central Point. Is that God right? The wrongs. As close as we can get to Justice in this world. And we do try The only one who can write wrongs. Is our heavenly father. In his book, Sage From Galilee when discussing the issue is ethic how he do the world and the things that he taught David buser said that history has shown that an enemy. Can be overcome by goodness. Even in an unjust situations were talking about an unjust situation and enemy can be overcome by goodness. Even if you don't love that person to whom you're good. Now, we know you should have told us to love our enemies.

Treat them with love. And that's a very high standard, probably the highest moral standard ever. Hope we hope you get there. I hope I get there.

But you can overcome an enemy like this pestering Widow did. They can be one, my goodness. I think he respected her her book. I think he respected her determination and he was tired of being pestered. This judge in the parable. So there wasn't anything like that both of the good, that's done to him. And the same spirit is in you, she was writing the same spirit that he's addressing, which was in the testing of the 12 Patriarchs. You should also talks about in Matthew 5 soda, Matthew 5 in C, You have heard that our forefathers were told at eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth and a bruise for a bruise.

Add scraper to scrape. Read that this week in the stator portion. It was in there as a means of Equitable Justice. Not hey, I lost my Island poke out. Someone else's eye that is never how they took that. They took it as a formula for equity and Justice. You make restitution usually monetarily for the value of the. I will good luck figuring that one out the judges had to do that. Right. But this is it poke eyes and knock out teeth. That's never how they took it. This says equity.

Okay, so yeah, they heard of course we've all heard it. We heard it earlier. If any harm follows this is an exodus 21 in our seder, then you were to give Life For Life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth hand, for hand foot burn, for burn, wound for wound Blue Springs.

How does your shoe commentate on this? What does he say? I tell you.

Don't stand up against someone who does you wrong. Is adversary this enemy that you've encountered.

In aggression, and anger, stand up against this person. This is really hard for almost all of us. I'm being treated unjustly. I'm being treated, unfairly I'm not talking about abuse here. I don't think this is a deal with abuse at all in this is dealing with a situation, a specific situation but I tell you don't stand against someone who goes wrong on the contract, hit you on your cheek, the normal reaction is to get in a fight which leads to some of the torch that the, you know, are rich in our state abortion on your left cheek. Child. Abused, the situation for your shirt. Let him have your coat. If a soldier forces you to carry his Pack 1 mile. To. I'm not saying these are easy teaching some of that. Just happened to his teachings of Our Lord. When someone ask you to borrow something, give it to him. Someone wants to borrow something lend it. But that's not just.

Where's the Justice in that? I'm going to get walked all over. I'm going to get taken advantage of. What about me? Where's the Justice to me?

as I said at the beginning, Justice is a hard thing. Has many layers. Unless your job is in the Justice world like a judge or a juror. Most of us don't do justice. Well, We don't always have to be. Just, I don't think.

Clearly you should have said you don't have to claim what would shouldn't, you know? If someone slaps you you don't have to claim what would be normally expected, which you don't have to be that way.

We can also be gracious. We can also be merciful. I actually love this quote, let God do the justice. Will will be merciful. We don't do justice as well as he does Justice know. I know you think you would think it. Well, it's going to spin out of control. We have to have the balance of the justice justice in the mercy. But you and I know that we're not dealt with this balance scale. I got, we're just not he doesn't deal with us that way, we don't very often deal with others that way, unless we really want really want something

All these parables in Jewish literature. He has a c of justice and a seat of Mercy. He has to sit in the Justice seat every day. He sits in the seat of Mercy, all day long is. Well, today, I everyday, the song says everyday, I have to sit in the seat of justice. So he gets any system, the seat of just sitting over here. So he climbs back over and sit in the seat of Mercy. Example, of how the Jewish mind works, they see God is far more merciful than he is just. And do you see you see that to, you know, that you feel about that?

It all matters of justice and Judgment of a spouse and judgments of the actions of your children in Judgment of the actions of a neighbor.

seek grace and mercy towards them be kind and merciful

This is what we like, we like for ourselves. We can offer it to others.

We have a God who is able to balance it? Much better than we can.

Let him. you just, The last be merciful.

Jeremiah 9, it says says you'd hip-hop, hey but not the wise man. Those things wisdom. But not the Mighty Man boast in his might. Let not the rich man boast in his riches. But let him who boasts boast in this that he understands and knows me suffer second. This is kind of how I was explaining the theme in that section. God saying, here's some commands, not examine these commands and see my heart will just follow the commands. The letter of the law. See my heart in his commands recognize me in these commands. What I want through them.

Him about supposed to he understands me and knows me that I am you they bought a few practices. Love practices Justice and I practice righteousness in the Earth. For these things, I Delight. And hear our words. Play, I need you to buy say I am using a barkat, I do loving-kindness. Miss partners are work just as I do love and kindness Justice and righteousness I do all these things that the LX because indeed i d light. Declares good hip hop.

All of them.

Not just the justice that simply the justice but also, what's right?

I'll pray Father in heaven.

We believe that you were good.

I believe that you're good. and I believe that you do justice and righteousness on this Earth, And you also said, you also do loving-kindness and I thank you for that. I also thank you for your mercy and your graciousness. And we see these. Commands ordinances that you'd laid down in Exodus and get a kiss or Deuteronomy or other places. I pray that we would have pushed in with the right attitude. We wouldn't have put with an arrogant attitude wondering why these are even meaningful wondering why it is that we're discussing things that clearly have no relation to our lives. As we look at them, we would recognize you and understand you

That we would senior. Strictness.

For the cause of leniency.

very often, that's how the commands were interpreted because there's such limits on them in the language.

Insta leniency. We leave all of Justice in your hands. Dear God. Help us in our roles to be just an equitable with those around us. Not to jump the false. Judgments

Our perspectives are unique from one another. Help us. Dear God. To leave judgment in your hands.

Recognizing that you are the sole arbiter. You can balance all parties. Dear God.

For the Justice with rain in our nation. Pray that Justice and righteousness will be balanced here under Shanesha on it.