Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty.  
Ex. 23:6-7

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Have you ever been casually scrolling through your social media feed or flipping through your news highlights only to see that something, somewhere, has caused the platform to explode into a cacophony of rage and vitriol? People from all corners of the internet find themselves screaming for justice or enraged by those that are silent about it. 

What is it about the word justice that causes conversations to either screech to a halt or escalate to a palpable point of tension? 

What is it about the idea of justice that breaks up families and ravages communities?

Perhaps it’s not the concept of justice itself, but the harsh reality we live in when we experience the depth of the brokenness of this world. When our hearts and minds cry out that the world is not as it should be. Were the world as it was meant to be in the first moments of Eden, we wouldn’t need justice. Peace and shalom would reign and all would exist in equal authority and abundance under God’s goodness. But the world is not as it should be. 

When confronted with that reality, something in our spirits knows that the sheer necessity for justice reveals the truth that all of us are broken and have somehow contributed to the brokenness of the world. 

Justice is the response to that brokenness. God’s justice is the attempt to bring rightness and order back to the world. To lift the oppressed, to create equity in resources, to bring flourishing to all, to protect the marginalized. To bring back shalom. 

When God was creating order in the community of the Israelites through commandment and laws, it wasn’t to harm or diminish anyone. It wasn’t to create a tense discord between people—it was to name places and spaces where brokenness existed and make it right. 

God’s movement in the world is motivated by the idea of blessing and flourishing. God’s plan for the world is to return us to full shalom. 

God’s justice is the tangible reaction to that thing we feel when just the mention of the word comes up—that the world is not yet as it should be. But a God of justice has a greater vision for the world and the blessing of justice is the path back to Eden. 

Next Steps

Where in your life do you long to see justice? Spend time in prayer, offering the circumstances and situation to God. Confess where you have acted out of anger or frustration. Seek to forgive those that have acted unjustly (including yourself). Pray for trust in God’s perfect justice.