CHAPTER 1: Inescapable Justice

c HAP t E r 1

INESCAPABLE JUSTICE

“Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.” Proverbs 22:22, NIV

Amother came to me in shock. “Is there no justice?” she cried, “How can that man get away with it?” She had just come from court where she was seeking justice for her 4-year old daughter who had been molested. Her daughter had described in detail what had happened to her but, because of her age, her testimony was not admissible in court. Without that information, the man was exonerated. Now the mother was in tears and completely unable to grasp how he could not be held accountable.

I felt frustrated and angry too, at this seeming lack of justice. Yet I was fully aware that God is neither unjust, nor was He unfaithful. I reminded her of this truth, saying, “He will be held accountable. There is a Judgment Day coming. God will take up your daughter’s case. Although you may not see justice through the earthly court system, God will make 100% sure that there is justice.”

God is a just God, and nothing is hidden from Him. Romans 12:19 reminds us that we do not need to avenge ourselves, but that we should leave room for God’s wrath; “For it is written, ‘Vengeance

is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” There was only one thing the little girl’s mother could do; forgive the man. As she did, she freed herself and her daughter from his sin and left him in God’s hands to deal with.

We may feel angry and disappointed over the outcome of a case, but Solomon reminds us that earthly courts do not have the final say. Justice is not always served here and now by the courts of men. Although we might be treated wrongly and not see the justice we seek in the moment, there is a higher court and, though it be delayed, justice will always be served because God “will take up our case.” 1 Timothy 5:24 says, “Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later.” In other words, some people get what is coming to them right away, but for others, it will follow them even beyond the grave. Solomon tells us to realize that we are not going to get away with anything. God is not mocked; whatever a man sows, that he will also reap (see Galatians 6:7).

A second theme in this nugget of wisdom is that we are not to exploit the poor or anyone over whom we may perceive ourselves superior. 1 Peter 1:17 (NIV) says, “Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.”

Some of us may need reminding that God is not impressed with how smart we are. He’s not impressed with our degrees, our titles, or positions. Neither is He impressed with our money. God is totally impartial in His judgment.

There are people who believe they are better than others because of their money, their education, their ethnicity, or even their skin color, but God disagrees. In Genesis 1:26, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth…” Notice that God gave us dominion over this earth and over the creatures of the earth; but God never gave man dominion over people. Anytime someone oppresses another human being

based on a perceived difference, it is wrong. It doesn’t matter if that difference is their economic status, their education, their appearance, or their ethnicity. Every time it happens, it is an abuse of authority. God said in Acts 17:26 that, “He has made from one blood every nation of men.” In His eyes, every man and every woman has the same value. Jesus said a soul is worth more than the whole world. “What will it profit a man,” He asks, “if he gains the world and loses his God never gave own soul?” (Mark 8:36). Solomon begins his top thirty list man dominion by admonishing us to get our heads over people out of the sand and begin viewing each other the way God does. In God’s eyes, no one has “preferred” status. Nothing escapes God’s ultimate judgment. God will take up the cause of the poor and disadvantaged.

In the book of Esther, Haman was the assistant to the king who thought he was “all that and a bag of chips.” He believed that his riches, his title, his position, and even his ethnicity gave him the right to oppress the Jewish people. He constructed gallows on which to hang Mordecai the Jew, a man who refused to honor him. In addition, he arranged for the slaughter of all the Jews in the entire kingdom. For a while, it looked as if he would succeed.

Suddenly, God turned the tables on him. In a bold act that could have cost Queen Esther her life, she exposed his corruption, and in one day Haman lost all his riches. His prestige and position were given to Mordecai, the very person he most wanted to oppress. In addition, by the end of the day it was Haman’s body that was swinging from the 75-foot-high gallows that he had built for Mordecai to hang on.

Justice does not always come to a person so quickly. Many times it may appear that crimes go unnoticed and that some people are above reproach, but the wise realize that God sees, God cares, He is just, and He is not mocked. Every story will end with justice

being served—sometimes the ending is just further down the road than we expected. “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” (Psalm 37:5, 6)

If you realize that you have wronged others, know this: God, who is just, loves each of us so much that He laid the burden of all our wrongdoing on Jesus Christ. Jesus took our guilt that we might be justified through Him. We can receive His gift of having justice served to Him in our place—or we can reject His gift of forgiveness and receive the justice we deserve. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).