Biblical Justice

"Maintain justice and do what is right." - Isaiah 56:2b

If social justice is a "left" issue, then the Bible is the most "left" book I've ever read.

In the Bible, God talks about social justice from cover to cover. It is an issue of great importance to Him, and, therefore, it should be to us as well. Recently, for a seminary assignment, I had to write a paper reflecting on the theme of social justice as seen in the Old Testament. Here is an excerpt:

In the beginning, God created humankind in His image so that they would fill the earth with His glory. Ultimately, however, that reflection was broken by sin and violence. Later, God chose Abraham and his descendants to be His people, calling them once again to be His image-bearers in the world and to be a blessing to all the nations. Through Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, who God renamed Israel, came the 12 tribes. After the people of Israel were enslaved in Egypt, God called Moses to bring the people out of Egypt and to return to the Promised Land, where He could establish His rule once more. Israel was supposed to be a model of the Kingdom of God. Their example was supposed to bring other nations to Him.

In the wilderness, prior to reaching the Promised Land, God gave them the Law. Jesus said all the Law could be summed up in two commandments – love God and love others (Matthew 22:37-38). The Law included many principles of social justice. For example, the Law specifically established protections for the poor and vulnerable (e.g., Leviticus 19:9-10, Deuteronomy 15:7-8). The year of Jubilee was created when, once every seven years, Israel was to release all slaves and all debts, and to rest the land (Deuteronomy 15; Leviticus 25). God’s heart for the poor and for justice was clear (e.g., Exodus 3:7-8, 6:5-7, Deuteronomy 15:13-15, 26:6-8). The Law of Moses intended to create a community, not a regime.

Israel struggled to follow the Torah and to maintain their commitment to God. Eventually, they looked around and saw how all the other nations had kings with great armies to defend them. In a moment of doubt, they demanded a king as well. God saw this as a rejection of His rule. In 1 Samuel 8:10-18, the prophet Samuel warned them of what a king would mean. He warned that a king would exploit and oppress them, taking their resources for himself. They did not listen or perhaps did not care. The static, controlled religion of the Monarchy, much like a state religion, shifted the community towards paganism, trading a priority for justice for priorities of security, greed, and consumerism. 

Psalm 12:7 states that a king must rule justly, but the kings of Israel often did not. Solomon, for example, though often hailed as the wisest king, broke the Law in regard to how leaders should rule as spelled out in Deuteronomy 17. The entire book of Ecclesiastes is a commentary on the failure of the Monarchy. The people and their land were exploited. Though the Law specifies how the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner should be given special care, they were often not only neglected but also oppressed. The words of the prophet Amos condemn Israel: “They sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed.” (Amos 2:6-7)

The prophets repeatedly called on Israel to remember that allegiance to God required living righteously and justly, not mindlessly following the Law while their hearts were distant from God. In Isaiah 1:16, the prophet wrote, “Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.” Isaiah also lamented in chapter 58 that their spiritual discipline of fasting was fake because it was performative and not real (Jesus says something similar to the Pharisees in Matthew 9:14-17). "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter, when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" (vv. 6-7).

Hosea 6:6 says, “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” Jesus quotes this verse in Matthew 9:12-13 when he tells the Pharisees He came not for the righteous, but for sinners. The Pharisees were often self-righteous with their own good deeds, their following of the Law, and their belief in their own superiority. Much like Israel under the Monarchy, they missed the point. The words of the prophets before them presented a different view, a way forward in love and justice. Jesus lived this way forward. Jesus is the way forward. But they missed it.

The history of Israel and the words of the prophets should give us pause today. In many ways, we are committing the same errors – neglecting love and justice in favor of power and privilege. The New Testament, especially the gospels, continues this theme of justice and protection for the least of these. In our current cultural context, we have politicized these issues, making it difficult for churchgoers to understand the call to live out our faith righteously and justly.

God isn’t any more interested in our empty rites and sacrifices than He was in those of Israel. If we truly desire to love God, we must also love His people, and love requires justice.

In closing, let us remember the words of Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O mortal, 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.”

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