“But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
We very naturally yearn for justice. We want things to be set right when they are wrong. The simplest reason for this is that we were created in the image of a God who is just. Read the rest…
“Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink. . .Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Do you want to live like a king? Who doesn’t? And yet, what exactly does it mean to live like a king? Most cultures certainly have an answer to that question. It means getting to be wealthy. It mean getting to have whatever–or whomever–you want. It means getting to do whatever you want. It means getting to go to neat places and meet amazing people. It means getting to live like…well…a king. Read the rest…
“O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you ‘Violence!’ and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.” (ESV – Read the book)
This will be a longer comment, but it’s going to cover the whole book. Habakkuk is one of my favorite books in the Bible (and not just because it’s really fun to say!). It is definitely my favorite among the minor prophets. I am drawn to it because it asks a question that people still ask today, and offers an answer that while not immediately satisfying (in fact, initially, it is deeply unsatisfying), after some reflection leads us into a greater peace and faith than we had before. Read the rest…
“Do not say, ‘I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.'” (ESV)
Do you want to know what one of the most natural expressions to come out of the mouths of humans is? The very one the writer of this proverb tells us not to say. This declaration of human justice is totally natural. It does not need to be taught at all. And, it begins to manifest itself from a pretty young age. Read the rest…
“Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Over and over again in the prophets we see that God’s chief concern for the people was not that they got religion right, but that they got justice right. He complained about their offerings and sacrifices not because they weren’t done strictly according to the guidelines set out in the law, but because they pursued them without the accompanying set of behaviors (namely, a generous pursuit of justice for the least, last, and lost in their midst). Read the rest…
The Nexus 