GOD
COMMANDS JUSTICE
BREAD
12 O
house of David, this is what the Lord
says: “Administer justice every morning; rescue from the hand of his oppressor
the one who has been robbed, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire
because of the evil you have done-- burn with no one to quench it.” Jeremiah 21:12 (NIV)
28 For
the Lord loves the just and will
not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the
offspring of the wicked will be cut off; 29 the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it
forever. Psalms 37:28-29 (NIV)
8 He has
showed you, O man, 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. Micah 6:8
(NIV)
5 The
plans of the righteous are just, but the advice of the wicked is deceitful. Proverbs 12:5 (NIV)
15 When
justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers. Proverbs 21:15 (NIV)
3 This
is what the Lord says: “Do what is
just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been
robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and
do not shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you are careful to carry out these commands,
then kings who sit on David's throne will come through the gates of this
palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and
their people. 5 But if
you do not obey these commands, declares the Lord,
I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.” Jeremiah 22:3-5 (NIV)
15 “Does
it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food
and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. 16 He defended the cause of the
poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?”
declares the Lord. Jeremiah
22:15-16 (NIV)
18 “Here
is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put
my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.” Matthew 12:18 (NIV)
18 Yet
the Lord longs to be gracious to
you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord
is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30:18 (NIV)
17 Learn
to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the
fatherless, plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:17 (NIV)
11 I saw
heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is
called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like blazing
fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one
knows but he himself. 13 He is
dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were
following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and
clean. 15 Out of
his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He
will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury
of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND Lord OF LordS. Revelation 19:11-16 (NIV)
BUTTER
“The
wheels of God's justice may grind slowly, but they grind surely.” Greg Laurie
“Nature reveals the existence of God, but how little it
tells of His character. Nature manifests His natural attributes—His power, His
wisdom, His immutability, etc.; but what does nature say to us of His moral
attributes—His justice, His holiness, His grace, His love? Nature, as such
knows no mercy and shows no pity. If a blind saint unwittingly steps over the
edge of a precipice he meets with the same fate as if a vile murderer had been
hurled over it. If I break nature’s laws, no matter how sincere may be my
subsequent repentance, there is no escaping the penalty. Nature conceals as
well as reveals God.” A. W.
Pink
“Sin is the dare of God’s justice, the
rape of His mercy, the jeer of His patience, the slight of His power, and the
contempt of His love.” John Bunyan
“Disciples live with not only renouncing their own rights, but even renouncing their own righteousness. They get no credit themselves for what they do and sacrifice. The only righteousness they can have is in hungering and thirsting for it. They will have neither their own righteousness nor God’s righteousness on earth. At all times they look forward to God’s future righteousness, but they cannot bring it about by themselves. Those who follow Jesus will be hungry and thirsty along the way. They are filled with longing for forgiveness of all sins and for complete renewal; they long for the renewal of the earth and for God’s perfect justice.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“Micah
then told the nation (O man means
any person in Israel) exactly what God did desire from them. God did not want
them to be related to Him in only a ritualistic way. God wanted them to be
related inwardly—to obey Him because they desired to, not because it was a
burden on them. That relationship, which is good (beneficial), involves three things: that individuals (a) act justly (be fair in their dealings
with others), (b) love mercy (ḥesed̠, ‘loyal love’; i.e., carry
through on their commitments to meet other’s needs), and (c) walk humbly with... God (fellowship
with Him in modesty, without arrogance). ‘Humbly’ translates the verb ṣāna (which occurs only here in the
OT); it means to be modest. The Lord had already told them of these demands (Deut. 10:12, 18). Doing justice ‘is a way of loving mercy, which in
turn is a manifestation of walking humbly with God’ (James Luther Mays, Micah: A Commentary)” Bible Knowledge Commentary
HEART
SAVOR
- · Justice is one of God’s attributes which He loves and which is rooted in His character. He desires justice to be emulated by His children as well.
- · I am not only to do justice but to seek it. This is part of my high calling as a believer in Jesus.
- · My actions are to stem from a right attitude of the heart which is only doable through the power of the Holy Spirit within me. Fleshly obedience sans the heart will eventually fail me.
