What is true justice?

Justice means just behavior or treatment. Fairness and equity. I would also add respect and equality among every citizen crossing racial, cultural, and religious barriers. 

A Biblical definition of justice is God administering righteousness to His people which is fulfilled in the salvation provided through Jesus Christ. In this sense, God’s holy justice eternally justifies sinners. Biblical justice is salvation by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9).  

Negatively it is divine judgment on unrepentant sinners. 

I supplied the answer before discussing the problem. Now I want to discuss the problem of why human justice can never fully be obtained. 

Due to the total depravity of man, we can never experience complete justice in our neighborhoods, cities, counties, states, and nation. There are many who do and will not see all people as equals. The rich oppress the poor. The strong dominate the weak. The arrogant belittles the humble. Those who are anti-God hate and mock the religious and the list goes on.  

No matter how much government enact laws and write tons of legislation, our situation has seen little improvement. Black people's lives are better than they were in the 60’s during the civil rights movement (although some black conservatives disagree). It has only been 55 years since the voting rights act was made law on August 6th, 1965. When a black person is killed by police, groups like Black Lives Matter are declaring that it is justice for black people to loot stores and property because in their minds that is “reparations.” It is no big deal. The stores have insurance this one BLM young lady declared on twitter. When a people have been oppressed for so long, they will eventually attack like a wild animal fighting for survival. The rage they feel overrides their judgment.

So, in the minds of many two wrongs do make a right. Hate begets hate. 

In other words, oppress the oppressor. Do to them what they have done to us. Let them know exactly how the oppressed has felt for centuries and see how they like it. That in the minds of the oppressed is justice. 

When the wicked execute their own justice, it never leads to peace. It will only produce more hate, riots and killing. Resistance movements that do not bring about effective change will only produce more chaos. Yes, you will have many that will share the same ideals and join the cause, but no human organization is a one size fits all solution. Not even every black person shared the same ideology of Martin Luther King which was nonviolence and civil disobedience. Many with him wanted to take up arms to defend themselves against the white man that was brutalizing and killing them. Naturally, I understand that. It is about self-preservation. It is our natural impulse to protect ourselves and our families. 

What should be our response as Christians? The Bible makes it clear that vengeance belongs to the Lord and He will repay (Deut 32:35; Rom 12:19). To take matters in our own hands is to usurp God’s position and deprive Him of the recompense and justice He wants to execute.  

Do we want to put ourselves in the place of God (Gen 50:19)? 

Paul in Romans 12:21 said, "Do not let yourself be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.” Now, let me be honest. The idea of treating someone kind while they treat me with hate is quite unnatural. In my flesh I do not want to do that. You hurt me; I want to hurt you worse. But, if we are determined to do things God’s way, then we cannot get our own revenge. We have the right to be angry and not sin. We must love our enemies (Matt 5:44). This does not mean we trust them. Even as Christians this is awfully hard to do (i.e. love our enemies). That is why most will never do it.  To treat someone with justice after being mistreated seems downright stupid in the eyes of the world. It makes one look weak like a punk. The world is a blood thirsty place. It is kill or be killed. Only the strong survive right? 

We have to ask ourselves some serious questions as believers. Is our own reputation more important than obeying the commands of the Lord and glorifying Him? Are we willing to suffer injustice temporarily by the hands of evil men and wait on the Lord to even the score in His timing (Rom 8:18; 1 Pet 4:16; 2 Tim 2:3-4)?

It is wise to combat injustice. There is nothing wrong with peaceful protests to decry injustice. It is our first amendment right to bring awareness to the leaders of our country of injustice. Our country was born out of pain in the American Revolution against the British Crown in the late 18th century. It is just to punish those who do evil. Worst case scenario criminals should be executed. Those who do not value other people’s lives will forfeit their own through our criminal justice system or by law enforcement. It is equally fair for those in law enforcement to be punished if they are abusing and killing innocent law-abiding citizens. They are to protect and serve the innocent. Not harm and kill them. 

Because these are human institutions pure justice will never be meted out to everyone’s satisfaction. Where some may feel justice was served in a particular situation, others will feel a grave injustice was delivered. Like in the case with the O.J. Simpson trial some 25 years ago. Just as there were those that insisted, he was guilty of double murder because he led police on a slow speed chase on the 405 freeway with a gun to his head in the infamous white Ford Bronco driven by his friend Al Cowlings, there were others that felt he was innocent based on the evidence or lack thereof in his “Dream Team” murder trial defense. 

No one knows if he was innocent or guilty other than him. And even if he admitted now that he killed his ex-wife and her friend, he could never be indicted because double jeopardy is attached since he was acquitted in a court of law. 

Let me end by saying this: We as Christians cannot change the hearts of evil men. Only God Almighty can do that. How? Through the love of God through Jesus Christ and the proclamation of the gospel. Now to the world, the gospel is foolishness (1 Cor 2:14).  They cannot see how preaching can bring the necessary change our world needs. That is because they do not know the supernatural power the Word has to save souls and lovingly compel sinners to be righteous. Psalm 19:7 says the law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul (italics added for emphasis). It is because they are lost they cannot see how it delivers one from sins. A new heart must be transplanted into the life of sinful man for him to see how God sees (Ezek 36:26-27). Without that spiritual heart surgery man is spiritually blind and dead (Eph 2:1; Col 2:13). A man centered justice may give temporary solace to a few, but there will always be opposers of one group justice as injustice.  Once again, man’s justice has never been a one size fits all solution. Once God delivers His perfect justice on a godless world by getting rid of evil forever, all of us who are in the kingdom of God will live in perfect peace. 

Why did God spare David's life when he committed adultery and murder?

We read in 2 Samuel 11 that David committed adultery with Bathsheba who was the wife Uriah, a man in David’s army. Bathsheba lets David know that she is pregnant as a result of the affair. David decides he will try to conceal his sin by putting Uriah in the most dangerous place in the battle so that he is killed. Once this happens, he marries Bathsheba who of course is already pregnant with his son. All appears good. God is angry and sends Nathan the prophet to rebuke David of his heinous sins. David up to this point behaved righteously with all the people of Israel – executing justice for the innocent and punishing the guilty. Sadly, David does the opposite because of his lust for Bathsheba. He punishes the innocent (Bathsheba and Uriah), and he justifies himself who at this point is guilty. David deserved death for what he did. 

So, why didn’t God end his life? 

Because of God’s mercy and grace. According to the law David should have been executed, but God chose to spare his life (Exodus 20). David was also immediately repentant once confronted with his sin (2 Sam 12:13).  Notice his exact words, “I have sinned against the Lord!” David laments his sin in detail in Psalm 51. Here is the thing that we MUST keep in mind. Although God spared David’s life, he suffered great consequences for his sins for the rest of his life. The son of the affair dies (2 Sam 12:18). His oldest son Amnon raped his sister Tamar (2 Sam 13:11-17). Absalom in defense of his sister Tamar had Absalom killed (2 Sam 13:28-29). Absalom attempted to usurp his father David’s kingdom (2 Sam 16:16). Absalom has sexual relations with David’s concubine on the roof the palace as an act of extreme contempt, humiliation and control of the kingdom (2 Sam 16:22). This evil act was Absalom claiming the throne for himself. The rebellion had gotten so bad that Ahithophel who was David’s counselor conspired to kill David. The counsel pleased Absalom.  

All this trouble befell David because of his sins of adultery and murder. When we repent, God forgives our sins, and cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). But that does not mean we may not suffer retribution from the Lord for the sins we committed. Remember, all sin ultimately is sin against the Lord. We have offended The Almighty. For that disobedience we are chastened (Heb 12:5-11). God is our Father. He loves us, but just like our natural parents, they discipline us when we get out of line so our Heavenly does the same. This is what God did to David. In Psalm 119:71 it says, "It is good that I have been afflicted that I may learn your statues.”  The psalmist of 119 (possibly David) knew that in order to learn God’s ways, sometimes discipline has to be administered. 

Once again God is merciful and gracious. That is why David’s life was spared. David made this declaration in Psalm 32:1-2, “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and whose spirit there is no deceit!”  

In Micah 7:18-19 we read,” Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” 

Providence and Sovereignty

Providence - When God from heaven invisibly navigates human affairs on earth so that ultimately His purposes are accomplished.

Sovereignty - Means ultimate rule. One who has absolute power of over all things.

Although God is invisible, He is very much involved in the activities of men. Nothing escapes His eyes. God sees everything happening here on earth all at the same time. For most people that is an unnerving thought - that God is watching everything they do. That is why so many people claim to be atheists. If they determine that God does not exist, then they have no one to be accountable to. That gives them comfort. It is however the most deceptive assurance one can have. Wishing God out of existence is a fantasy.

Providence is a very powerful attribute of God. What is so amazing about this virtue is that all of mankind’s actions in the earth are somehow woven within the tapestry of God’s will. Through all the choices we make no matter how wicked they are, God knows about them before they happen and uses them ultimately for His glory. Now at this point someone may facetiously argue, “If my evil is woven into the fabric of God’s will, how can my actions be evil ? It was God’s will right?”

Not even close.

Just because God permits evil does not mean He approves it. God gives man the ability to make choices - good and bad. if He didn't, we would be wind up toys - doing only what we were programmed to do. That is a robot, a computer and not a free moral agent. In order for a choice to be real, there has to be an opposing choice. God gives us the freedom to choose, but at the same time He commands us always to choose what is good for that is to our benefit, and for His glory.

Since God is sovereign in heaven and earth - all the universe, nothing in this world happens by chance. In other words, we do not get lucky or unlucky. As painful as it may be to hear, when an innocent baby suffers and dies from a disease, God permitted it. It was not a case of bad luck or bad karma. It was sin that brought about the child's death. Not the sin of the infant, but the result of worldwide sin, death (Rom 6:23). All of us have an appointment with death like it or not (Heb 9:27).

The pain of death of the most vulnerable should grip us with fear and alarm. The reality of God permitting infants to die should let us all know how much He hates sin. The thought of our small children dying who committed no wrong is deplorable to us. It is a painful revelation that God shows to us all. Even some of the worst people in our society see the death of the innocent as a horrible miscarriage of justice on God's part. Once again, the wages of sin is death. Sin not only affects the person committing it, it affects those who are in our sphere of influence mainly the ones we love the most. Sin is not only personal evil, it is also familial and of course worldwide. The offenses of one person can affect many based on that person's influence over others.

The earth is God's theater. Mankind has a role to play in that theater. God providentially controls all things behind the scenes yet evidence of His power and presence cannot be denied. Psalm 19:1 tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.

Point being is God is in control of everything that is happening here on earth. He operates through humankind and nature to accomplish His plans. Whether our choices are good or evil, God as the Master planner orchestrates all things according to His will and purposes (Psa 115:3; Rom 8:28). No human act of rebellion can stop it. Man thinks that he is getting away with evil because He's not immediately punished for it. But give it time - your sin will find you out (Num 32:23)!

In the final analysis, this world is not a cosmic accident. It was created by God on purpose. It was no surprise or shock that man would fall into sin. God predetermined that He would send Jesus to the earth to be a sacrifice for our sins and redeem us from eternal destruction. I realize those of us who are believers often wonder why God planned things this way. Answer? Because He wanted to. The Master of the universe answers to no one.

In the mind of God it makes perfect sense to create a world, fill it with life. Create man in His image. Command him not to eat the forbidden fruit. Allow man to choose to sin against Him because he has free will like God. Pronounce death on man as a universal curse for his rebellion. To send another Adam (i.e. Jesus 1 Cor 15:45) to give eternal life like in the beginning and reverse the curse of death.

It is the love and the wisdom of God to do all these things. That is what a sovereign and providential being is all about. Having the power to do things His way working His plan in history in the affairs of men.

When God Regrets

From a personal and a reader’s perspective it is essential that we pay close attention to when the Bible says that God repented or regretted a decision that He made regarding mankind. It’s not that God can make a mistake, but its important that we try as much as humanly possible try to probe closely into the scripture and try to experience how God feels when we rebel - it breaks His heart. God’s heart has been breaking now for thousands of years.

We know as parents the feelings we have when our children disobey us after numerous times of being warned not to do something, or they fail to do something we have told them to do. How many parents have had their hearts broken because of wayward children. And to be fair, how many children have been brokenhearted because of their parents bad behavior. The pendulum swings both ways. Well God’s pain over the evil of man is a grief we can never imagine. He sees this worldwide evil all at once. There should be no wonder why he destroyed the ancient world with the waters of a flood during the days of Noah. He could no longer endure the wickedness of man on the earth.

So He purged the evil by getting rid of him (Gen 6:6).

Well now the earth is more numerous than it ever has been in human history. There are over seven billion people here. Well that means there is even more evil now than there was back in Noah's day. God's judgement is not far away people! Many people question the goodness of God - wondering why does He allow evil to continue. Why doesn't He makes things right? God is long suffering and slow to anger which is a good thing for mankind. That is why He is with holding His judgement - for now.

Somehow in the mind of God there is harmony in both decisions - In delighting in creating Mankind, and then regretting and being grieved that He made them because of what man had become - a sinner. Both acts by God are part of His providence. There is no dichotomy. When man does what is right, it is to his benefit and it glorifies the Lord. When man commits evil, it is a curse to man and grief and anger with God. Believe or not evil is a servant of the Lord - an unwilling servant. God's plans are never ruined because of man's disobedience. Why? Because He is Lord of all and He navigates all decisions ultimately to serve His sovereign will and purposes (Rom 8:28).

Herein lies the difference. When man commits deeds of righteousness, He is really free and God's grace and mercy rests upon Him. When man is bent on evil, God's wrath is on Him (John 3:36). The Bible says that God is angry with the wicked everyday (Psalm 7:11)! A terrifying thought.

So I ask the question, "Is your life one that God delights in, or one that He regrets?" Only the person reading this article knows for sure. If one is honest with themselves, they know whether their life has been pleasing to God or regrettable. For those that are blind to the truth of your life, you need the divine revelation of Jesus Christ to invade your soul so that you're no longer walking in darkness of your sins, but you can be transformed into His marvelous light (2 Peter 2:9).

Why was Saul chosen as king? A second look.

In Isaiah 55:8-9 we read, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are my ways your ways”, declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Simply put, we as finite creatures can never comprehend an infinite being. God knew the nation would reject Him and want a human king like the nations surrounding them. God knew that He would reject Saul as king in favor of David due to Saul’s disobedience. Here’s the most intriguing element of the narrative. God tells Samuel that He Regretted He made Saul king (1 Sam 15:10, 35).

That is an interesting declaration from the Lord. From the language it almost seems as if God did not know what Saul would do. But of course He knew all along. The question is why did the Lord choose him? The best reason I can give is that God chose him because He exercised His sovereign right to do so (Psalm 115:3). Although Saul's reign became an epic failure due to his own disobedience, somehow it was wrapped up in the Lord's providential plan. Mysteriously you have these parallels truths: God choosing Saul on purpose to be king, and God regretting the choosing of Saul once He saw how disobedient he was. Saul did not have a genuine desire to serve God in as much as he wanted to serve and aggrandize himself. Not only did he not obey the voice of the Lord, he built a monument to honor himself for a bootleg victory against God's enemies the Amalekites (1 Sam 15:12). The writer believes at this point Saul became an apostate - it was no longer in his heart to serve the Lord. Saul's rebellious attitude hurt God to the core. Yes! God has genuine emotions. Where do you think we get them from (Genesis 6:6)? The Lord knew Saul would disobey His command to completely destroy the Amalekites  and tore the kingdom away from him and gave it to David who served the Lord faithfully his whole life. 

Saul was a man after Israel's rebellious heart. Looking at Saul for Israel was like looking in the mirror: prideful, vacillating, faithless, weak, blameworthy, evil and idolatrous. God chose a man Saul's complete opposite, David, a man after God's own heart (1 Sam 13:14; Acts 13:22): faithful, valiant, terrific and victorious in battle, reliable, praiseworthy, one that would exhibit justice and righteousness among God's people. Tenderhearted, merciful and wise, humble and fearless for God (1 Sam 15:28).

Just like Adam and Eve was given the command NOT to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, yet did it anyway, Saul was given the command of destroying God's enemies but did not obey proving he was unfit to be the leader of God's people. Removing Saul as king was an act of justice against Saul, and also and act of grace by God over Israel. The role of the king had to be one who executed righteousness and Saul miserably failed to meet that standard (Proverbs 16:12).

The Probation of Adam and Eve

Why couldn't Adam and Eve eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil?

God was establishing law and order for the human race. Although they were full grown, they had to develop mentally. It was important that God placed boundaries on them. To command them not to eat was a necessary prohibition. God placed them on probation - to test them to see if they would obey His command. 

God was sending a message to them that they could not do anything they wanted to do - they had a higher authority they were accountable to. 

The serpent comes and talks with Eve. He questions God's word to her so as to create doubt. Secondly, he lies to Eve - telling her that she would not surely die if she partook of the fruit (Gen 3:9). They would be like God knowing good and evil (Gen 3:5). Adam and Eve were made perfect without sin, yet they were temptable. When both of them ate the forbidden fruit, the Bible says their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked. It was at this point that mankind was first aware of what evil was. The result? They hid themselves because of their guilt and shame. They sewed fig leaves to cover themselves. Man was no longer innocent - he became a sinner.

Who were they hiding from?

It had to be God for there was no one else there in the garden. The act of sewing fig leaves to attempt to cover and hide their shame was insufficient. I'm certain in their minds that now they felt they had sufficiently covered their nakedness, all was well. Their nakedness was not the problem, their disobedience to God's command was the problem. When one obeys the Lord, sin is not a problem. We do not deny it's existence and power, but as the scripture say when we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal 5:16).

As God was walking in the cool of the day He asked Adam, “Where are you?” The Lord did not ask Adam’s whereabouts because He didn’t know. He was commanding Adam to reply to Him. Adam replied,”I heard the sound of you in the garden I was afraid because I was naked so I hid myself” (Gen 3:8-10). See what happens when we disobey? Shame sets in, then fear. That is why they tried to hide themselves from the presence of the Lord. 

Adam and Eve failed their probation miserably. The result of their sin brought about the fall of the human race. They heeded the devil’s word over God’s. They accepted a lie instead of the truth. Any wonder why it is man’s nature to run from God? We do not want to deal with the guilt and shame of having to face Him. Many people try to “rid” themselves of their guilt (they think) by denying the existence of God altogether. This way in their mind, they have absolved themselves of guilt. That is nothing but denial. Telling oneself that God does not exist does not deny His existence. 

Our fidelity to God is put to the test when there are options to rebel against Him. The Lord knew that evil lurked in the garden with the devil taking on the form of a serpent. Why did He allow the tempter to come, and why didn't God warn them ahead of time? God needed to test them for them to see if they loved Him with all their heart soul mind and strength. Sadly, they failed their first test of obeying God and resisting evil. 

The Bible tells us in 1 Tim 2:13 the Eve was deceived but Adam was not. He willfully disobeyed God. There should be no wonder where are rebellious spirit comes from - our first father. 

in the final analysis, Adam and Eve's actions toward God set the tone for how mankind would behave thereafter. Man's systemic wickedness to this day is the result of the original disobedience way back in paradise. Man has been sinning so long now that He loves it and is no longer ashamed of it (John 3:19). God being the loving Father He is planned our rescue by sending the Lord Jesus Christ to deliver us from the wrath to come (1 Thess 1:10).

                                                                                                                                                  

Hophni and Phinehas

Hophni and Phinehas appear in the beginning of the book of 1 Samuel. Who are they? They were priests, and they were the sons of the High Priest Eli in Shiloh in the land of Ephraim. The Bible says the Lord desired to kill them. Why? 

They both showed contempt or disrespect for the Lord's sacrifice. When a person came with their offering, and the meat was boiling in the pot, Hophni and Phinehas would take a three pronged fork and take whatever portion came on the fork from the pot and claim it for themselves. When the one offering the sacrifice protested, the two sons would say that their father (the High Priest) will not accept boiled meat only raw. The problem with this is that the fat of the animal was supposed to be burned on the altar. The evil sons said if the one sacrificing would not listen to them, they would take the offering by force - thus stealing what belonged to the Lord. In addition, Hophni and Phinehas were also sleeping with the women who would bring their sacrifices (1 Sam 2:12-17,22).

It is important that we do not miss the import of what is going on here. These men are despising God and the office they are in. To be in leadership and engage in gross sin is a very serious matter. It would be just as heinous as if this were a Pastor or elders
at your local Church were stealing the money and sleeping with the women in the Church. Because these men were evil and unwilling to repent after being warned by their father Eli explains why God wanted to put them to death (1 Sam 2:25).

 Eli was a poor example to his sons. He knew what they were doing and did nothing about it other than to verbally rebuke them. At best he should have removed them from their holy office. At worst, they should have been sentenced to death. Eli did neither. Neither son listened to their father proving their disdain for his instruction, leadership and authority. In hating their father’s instruction, they were ultimately hating God, the most serious offense of all. At the end of the chapter an unnamed prophet pronounced the death of Hophni and Phinehas. The “man of God” as he is called also rebukes Eli for stating that he honored his sons above the Lord. When the sons were robbing the sacrifices of the people, Eli benefited too (1 Sam 2:29). Eli was somewhat complicit in the evil of his sons - he was eating the meat from their stolen sacrifices. As a result, the man of God told him that he and his father’s house would be cut off from the priesthood. That prophecy came true once Eli’s sons were killed by the Philistines (1 Sam 4:11). When Eli heard the news that the Ark of the Covenant had been captured by the Philistines, he fell out of his chair, broke his neck and died (1 Sam 4:18).

What should we learn from this tragic account? 1) That we should take the Lord seriously and fear Him. Eli, Hophni and Phinehas were priests because they were from the tribe of Levi. Their responsibility was to lead and teach the people in the ways of the Lord (Lev 10:9-10). You cannot do that when you are worse than the ones you’re supposed to be leading. Also. 2) If we are in constant rebellion against the Lord, we should be very afraid. Not to be afraid is far worse. Why?

To be unafraid of the consequences of your sin is to be deceived by it. Our sin if allowed can seduce us into thinking that we are somehow impervious to its effects. One does not realize how egregious their sin is and how it is an affront to God Almighty. The writer is guilty of this often. When one is judged by their sins, they do not see it coming from far away to avoid it. Judgement comes swiftly and unexpectedly like a mighty rushing wind.

In the case of Hophni and Phinehas, they had hardened themselves so deep in their sin that they became incorrigible. Their consciences had been seared (1 Tim 4:2). God decided that it was time for them to face ultimate justice, death (Lev 10:1). When men are in leadership and are supposed to be the instruments of the Lord's reformation and righteousness yet you corrupt God's holy priestly office by living wickedly on purpose with no contrition, how can there be any hope for them? Only death awaits (Rom 6:23). That ended up being the fate of Hophni and Phinehas.