Devotions written each day this week will focus on the theme of Kingdom justice and will build on one another. If by chance you miss a day, click on "older posts" to read a previous entry.
Scripture Reading: Genesis 9:5-6, Exodus 22; Micah 6:8
Explanation: God's words to Noah after the Flood laid the foundation for the practice of human justice. God made it clear that He would hold people everywhere responsible to treat others fairly and to not go beyond equitable responses to harms committed against them, all of this in contrast to the pre-Flood violent practices of revenge and bloodfeud. The foundation God laid has been sufficient for Him to hold nations accountable for their practices related to human justice. That's why we see God judging the nations for injustice as we read through the Old Testament, even though those nations did not receive the Mosaic Law, as did Israel.
The Mosaic Law, in fact, expands on the basic principles of accountability to God for human life and His demands to treat others fairly and to not go beyond equitable responses to harms. Within the Mosaic Law, there is a body of civil law based on what is known as Lex Talionis, the principle of an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, etc. Keep in mind, this principle limits what someone can do in response to a harm inflicted on them. It does not demand retaliation.
So as the Mosaic Law unfolds, in chapters such as Exodus 22, we read numerous guidelines regulating how people interact with each other civilly. These guidelines act as a kind of "case law" for Israel. In other words, they serve as examples of how to behave justly even though the details of a particular case do not match up exactly in all points. To illustrate, Exodus 22 begins with directions for what to do if someone steals an ox or a sheep. When caught, the thief has to make restitution with five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep that were stolen. But what if the thief took a couple of doves? Does he get off scot-free? No, even though doves are not mentioned, the principle is, the equitable resolution to someone stealing something from another person is to require the thief to pay back more than what he stole as compensation for the loss. (By the way, there are plenty of reasons why paying back more turns out to be a just demand).
God expected Israel to build all of their theories and practices of human justice on the foundation He laid down first with Noah and then in expanded form in the Mosaic Law. Of course this means when some new issue arose among the people, they were expected to figure out what a just response would be based on Genesis 9:5-6 and the case law previously spelled out. God summarized His expectation powerfully in Micah 6:8:"He has told you, O man, what is good: and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"
Micah 6:8 indicates there are always at least three parties involved anytime a harm is inflicted by one person on another: the person doing the harm, the person harmed, and God. There is the possibility of a fourth party: the larger society that becomes aware of what happened. God indicates that if we are responsible to behave justly toward those who are harmed and that He is a witness to our behavior, holding us accountable to Him for whether we are treating others fairly. We also are responsible to love mercy, which applies in a special way when we are the ones who have been harmed. Finally, behaving justly also applies to our ensuring the just treatment of others, along with the practice of mercy, in the larger society in which we live. More on this tomorrow.
Reflection questions: Read Exodus 22. What other principles of human justice can you formulate from that chapter? How are you applying Micah 6:8 to your everyday life? Can you think of any examples where you acted justly toward a person who had harmed? What were the circumstances?
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