Redefining Justice - Ben

The book of Micah was written around 100 years before the fall of Jerusalem in 605BC. Micah—the dude the book was named after—was a prophet who warned of impending doom for the Israelites if they did not repent. Among their many faults, there was idolatry (cf. Mic. 5:12-14), the unlawful seizure of property (cf. Mic. 2:1-2, 9), a crooked government (cf. Mic. 3:1-13), sketchy business practices (cf. Mic. 6:10-12), and religious leaders who sold their services to the highest bidder (cf. Mic. 3:5-11), just to name a few. Meaning, Micah was ministering during a time where corruption permeated almost every level of society. 

Now, I’m not the brightest bulb in the box, (In fact, I’m more like one of those glow sticks that only looks like it’s working if you turn out all the lights, draw the blinds, and cover your head with a blanket.) but there seems to be some striking similarities between Micah's time and our time. Idolatry? One need only turn on the TV or go on social media to notice the idolatrous worship of self. A crooked government? I tried typing that question into Google, and it just started laughing at me. What about religious leaders for hire? Prosperity preachers, such as Kenneth Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, and Benny Hinn, have brought this perversion of theology into the modern age.

The solution for these modern problems is the same one that Micah gives to his own generation:

“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:6-8 (ESV)

Using the power of those rhetorical questions, Micah highlights for us what the standard is: do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly. When a society was as messed up as Micah’s, God wasn’t looking for grand sacrifices; He was looking for a good conscience. He wanted a people that wasn’t tainted by injustice, indifference, and insolence. When His people looked at their neighbors, the Lord wanted the Jews to see their own flesh and blood; He wanted them to see a reflection of themselves (cf. Matt. 12:31).

But biblical justice isn’t only a thing we do for others; it is also a thing we do before God. I feel like, as a pastor, I'm constantly reminding those who love God that they should also love people and then turning right around and pointing out to those who love people that they should also love God. Jesus' brother defined how that balance is achieved when he said, "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." (Ja. 1:27) As Christians, our goal is twofold: philanthropy to others and fidelity to God. That is not only good religion, that is good justice. God’s righteousness permeates our world when we advocate for our neighbor and hold ourselves accountable to God.  Focusing too much on one will obscure the other. Our right hand ought to be reaching for God while our left hand is reaching for others.

Biblical justice is hurting for the hurting—yes…100%...amen and amen—but it is also hurting when we've broken God's heart. Biblical justice is defending God’s laws in the public sphere—sí…totally…affirmative—but it is also defending the defenseless. Biblical justice is meeting the needs of the needy—oui…true…yep—but it is also being content to allow God to meet our needs. Biblical justice is righting the wrongs when we can—да…correct...aye, aye captain—but it is also praying for God to intervene when we cannot.  To be a Christian in this world means not only standing up to the injustices we see around us, but it is also correcting the injustices we see in our own hearts.