The God of Justice (5)
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
Justice – Justice at last. The path to justice includes experiencing my guilt, carrying the impending storm of God’s wrath, waiting for God to act and discovering that the holy Victim stands in my place. Now we come to the summary word, mishpat.
Actually, mishpat is the end result of justice. It is the legal decision, the proper claim and the correct verdict. Insofar as it is the result of the legal proceeding, it summarizes justice, but it does so in a very practical way. A mishpat is not an ethical theory. It’s not a legal opinion. It is an executed judgment. In the Hebraic mind, the mishpat is the action of rectitude. This is God’s intended goal for His people (see Jeremiah 7:5) – to do what is right before Him.
In our world, executing justice is often quite confusing. It seems that in many cases we simply don’t know what is the right thing to do. Our view of justice is so mingled with the fairness doctrine, the “rights” philosophy and the blameless society that we walk away from case after case shaking our heads in disbelief. We know that the system failed us. We have an inner sense of injured conscience. But we don’t quite know where we missed the mark. It’s just one big muddle.
Micah (and God) calls us back to the original design. The solution to our muddle is really simple. Give up trying to figure it out. Abandon the Greek idea that reason alone can bring sanity and sanctification. No man is able to know the final truth in a world of dynamic relationships. If we want justice, we will have to turn over the legal proceedings to God. We will have to listen to His ethical instructions and adopt them as our own. Will a man negotiate with God? Apparently, we think so. We systematically ignore the clear directions God gives regarding everything from education to execution. We believe in ourselves. So, we try to figure it all out through legislation and case law. What insane arrogance!
The end of justice takes us right back to the beginning. How long will I bear the indignation of the Lord? As long as I continue to act as though His judgments do not matter any more. I can pretend that God has grown up and put the legislation of morality in the hands of those who have earned their degrees in the subject, but to do so insults the King of creation. How long will I bear His indignation? As long as it takes me to realize that my version of “legally correct” is a pitiful proclamation of self-independence. As long as legal technicalities prevent proper execution of God’s moral standards. As long as I think that I can change the law to fit my desires.
Justice finally belongs only to God. It is nothing more than doing what He deems to be right. Maybe Micah wasn’t far removed from the commentator in Ecclesiastes. “Fear God and keep His commandments. For this is the whole duty of humanity. For God will bring every deed into judgment.”
Topical Index: Justice
