Recently, I have been confronted with the truth that the God of the Bible is a God of justice. This is a fact I had been taught and have surely known, but somehow had been pushed to the back recesses of my mind. Yet, with the exception of idolatry, the Old Testament addresses injustice more frequently than any other issue.
My life in the USA, particularly in suburbia Colorado seems to cloud and even conceal the injustice taking place in the majority of the world. Injustice you ask? Human trafficking. Slavery. Forced Labor. Child Soldiers. Just to name a few. These are terms that are as foreign to our ears as they are to our mind. Yet, that doesn't negate the fact that they exist and are flourishing in much of the world today.
A casual glance at a few of the verses from today's Bible reading...
[1] Thus says the LORD: "Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed. - Isa 56:1 ESV
[8] The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace. - Isa 59:8 ESV
[9] Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. - Isa 59:9 ESV
[11] We all growl like bears; we moan and moan like doves; we hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. - Isa 59:11 ESV
[14] Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. - Isa 59:14 ESV
[15] Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. - Isa 59:15 ESV
[8] For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. - Isa 61:8 ESV
Throughout this book of Isaiah, the LORD laments that Israel is going through religious motions without putting feet to their words.
James in the NT put it this way -
[27] Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. - Jam 1:27 ESV
[22] But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. - Jam 1:22 ESV
So, what does one do when confronted with issues of this magnitude? Should the church be involved in seeking justice for the oppressed? Is this our problem? How can we be involved? How can we help? WHAT CAN WE DO? Perhaps we should pray and ask God what He would have us do. I would also suggest reading and educating yourself on the topic as well. One of the many books Diana and I are reading on this topic right now is The Just Church by Jim Martin. You can find it at -
http://www.amazon.com/The-Just-Church-Justice-Seeking-Disciple-Making/dp/1414371284/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363528459&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Just+Church
My life in the USA, particularly in suburbia Colorado seems to cloud and even conceal the injustice taking place in the majority of the world. Injustice you ask? Human trafficking. Slavery. Forced Labor. Child Soldiers. Just to name a few. These are terms that are as foreign to our ears as they are to our mind. Yet, that doesn't negate the fact that they exist and are flourishing in much of the world today.
A casual glance at a few of the verses from today's Bible reading...
[1] Thus says the LORD: "Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed. - Isa 56:1 ESV
[8] The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace. - Isa 59:8 ESV
[9] Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. - Isa 59:9 ESV
[11] We all growl like bears; we moan and moan like doves; we hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. - Isa 59:11 ESV
[14] Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. - Isa 59:14 ESV
[15] Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. - Isa 59:15 ESV
[8] For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. - Isa 61:8 ESV
Throughout this book of Isaiah, the LORD laments that Israel is going through religious motions without putting feet to their words.
James in the NT put it this way -
[27] Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. - Jam 1:27 ESV
[22] But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. - Jam 1:22 ESV
So, what does one do when confronted with issues of this magnitude? Should the church be involved in seeking justice for the oppressed? Is this our problem? How can we be involved? How can we help? WHAT CAN WE DO? Perhaps we should pray and ask God what He would have us do. I would also suggest reading and educating yourself on the topic as well. One of the many books Diana and I are reading on this topic right now is The Just Church by Jim Martin. You can find it at -
http://www.amazon.com/The-Just-Church-Justice-Seeking-Disciple-Making/dp/1414371284/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363528459&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Just+Church
I often find myself troubled by the contrast between God's justice and His grace. We know we will be spared God's wrath even though we are every bit as deserving of annihilation as the many Old Testament figures whose manifest destruction is chronicled in those pages.
ReplyDeleteAs he suffered and died on the cross, Jesus bore the full weight of God's fury toward every sin, past and future, of every believer there will ever be. I can't fathom what that must have been like. But where my head fails to comprehend, my heart is moved to worship. Praise be to God for His surpassing mercy and grace!