Justice

For Friday, January 4, 2008
Proverbs 28:5

Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.

The wicked don't get it about justice. They despise the weak who, in their minds, deserve their fate of being oppressed. They despise the righteous who must be either hypocritical or repressive. They follow the logic of natural evolution - we are animals controlled by animal instincts for self-protection and self-satisfaction, and the more clever and stronger animals will dominate the weaker. Justice is a man-made idea (enforced by religious hypocrites) that has the semblance of protecting the weak, but in reality is another way for those in power to stay that way.

The righteous who seek the Lord understand justice as the law of God springing from his character. Justice is good because it comes from the God who is good. Justice is needed to control the animal instincts that have been corrupted by the fall. If the fall had not occurred justice would not be a means of enforcement but the very nature of the universe. It is justice, not fallen animal instinct that is eternal. The righteous understand further that justice is not so much about bridling passion, as it is directing passion to what is good - to delighting in what is honorable, pure, and loving. The righteous delight in justice, and it is a truer delight than that of the wicked who delight in their base desires; for it is a delight that will only grown into eternity, while that of the wicked will only lead to their destruction.