The God of Justice (1)
I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me out to the light, and I will see His righteousness. Micah 7:9
Bear – God is just. We acknowledge the absolute truth of this claim. After all, doesn’t Abraham say, “Shall not the Judge of the all the earth deal justly?” No surprise here, until we ask, “But what does it mean to say God is just?” Then we begin to stumble. Certainly it has something to do with the law, with fairness and with punishment, but how do all these things come together? I don’t see much justice in the world, so how can I proclaim that God is both sovereign and just? Micah’s statement will get us started.
Micah starts where we must all start – with sin. He uses the Hebrew verb nasa’. This verb is used nearly 600 times in Scripture (that means it’s important). It covers three different categories of meaning, but these three are tied together. Nasa’ can mean “to lift” as one would lift a stone or lift up the face. It can mean “to bear or carry” and is particularly associated with bearing guilt. Finally, it can mean “to take away”, both in the simple sense of carrying something off or in the metaphorical sense of taking away guilt by forgiving. Exodus 19:4 shows us just how important this verb is for understanding the role of God as the ezer (help-meet) of Israel. God says that He lifted up and carried Israel to Himself. This is more than empathy. This is active support, assistance and provision.
But Micah gives us the dark side of nasa’. I will carry the load of my sin. That’s where I start with God. Until I recognize my real condition, God really can’t do much for me. As long as I think I don’t need help, as long as I deny my guilt, God waits for the load to crush me. It will. It always does. But too often someone will come along and tell me to “get a grip” or try to keep me from sinking. That only delays the necessary. The first step toward understanding justice is intensely personal. I must bear His indignation. If you try to defer or deflect, you prevent God from lifting me, no matter how noble your intentions.
It seems to me that realizing the Hebrew verb means both “carry” and “take away” is very important. God cannot take away what I do not carry. There is no way to lift off a burden unless the weight of the load rests firmly on my shoulders. In Hebrew thought, these two critical actions are intimately related. I cannot experience freedom and release if I have never experienced slavery and restraint. What did Jesus say of the woman who wept over Him? “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much” (Luke 7:47). God takes away in proportion to what I carry.
In a world of instant psychology, we are quick to rescue ourselves and others from distress and remorse. We pry away the load before it has accomplished its purpose. Then God has to re-engineer life to bring us back under the burden. We run interference and step on God’s plan. Let nasa’ become personal. Put the “I” back in carry, or God will have to start again.
Topical Index: Justice
