Justice, and only justice, you shall follow
Sun, 11 June, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.
18 “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. 20 Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
God is just. Justice is a great concern for Him. We see in scripture that God will bring ultimate justice in eternity, and that He often brings justice in time (although not always). But we also see that justice is not administered directly by God. In today’s reading, we see that God has established His representatives to also bring justice.
What do we learn from this?
The government is God’s representitive to bring justice to the world. When governments are doing their job properly, they punish those who do evil, reward those who do right, and protect the citizens from harm. To the extent that evil is not punished, or that the punishment is deferred, or is less than the crime, the government is failing in its God given responsibility.
We should all be concerned about justice, for the land that run justly will prosper. Where justice is not done, evil will flurish and everyone will suffer to some degree. For all in a society to prosper, then the governmeent must punish evildoers quickly and in an appropriate fashion.
Where is Christ in this passage?
The governmental judges and the law enforcement officers are acting as Christ’s representatives in society. They do not work in a spiritually saving way, but they do bring peace and safety.
