God’s justice

Vision of 4 horses Vision of 4 horns Vision of the measuring line Vision of Joshua, Satan, and the angel of

the LORD Vision of the lampstand and 2 olive trees Vision of the flying scroll Vision of the woman in the basket Vision of 4 chariots The reason for the exile The future king The 2 shepherds Future Jerusalem

“In the fourth year that Darius was emperor…the LORD gave me a message. The people of Bethel had sent…their men to the Temple of the LORD Almighty to pray for the LORD's blessing and to ask the priests and the prophets this question: ‘Should we continue to mourn because of the destruction of the Temple, by fasting in the fifth month as we have done for so many years now?’ This is the message of the LORD that came to me.” (Zechariah 7:1-4)

“He said, ‘Tell the people of the land and the priests that when they fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during these seventy years, it was not in honor of me. And when they ate and drank, it was for their own satisfaction.’

Isn’t this the same message the LORD said through the earlier prophets at the time when Jerusalem was prosperous and filled with people and when there were many people living not only in the towns around the city but also in the southern region and in the western foothills.” (Zechariah 7:5-8)

Injustice “When you held days…all these

seventy years, were you doing it for me? And when you held feasts, was that for me? Hardly. You're interested in religion, I'm interested in people.” (The Message)

“Then the LORD spoke his word to Zechariah. He said, ‘This is what the LORD of Armies says: Administer real justice, and be compassionate and kind to each other. Don't oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and poor people. And don't even think of doing evil to each other.” (Zechariah 7:8-10)

“But my people stubbornly refused to listen. They closed their minds and made their hearts as hard as rock. Because they would not listen to the teaching which I sent through the prophets who lived long ago, I became very angry. Because they did not listen when I spoke, I did not answer when they prayed. Like a storm I swept them away to live in foreign countries. This good land was left a desolate place, with no one living in it.” (Zechariah 7:11-14)

Didn’t listen to what?

“This is what the LORD of Armies says: Administer real justice, be compassionate and kind to each

other. Don't oppress widows, orphans,

foreigners, and poor people. And don't even think of doing evil to

each other.” (Zechariah 7:8-10)

Did not listen to the prophets…

Message about “justice”

Religion > > > > treatment of people… outcasts

“We will bring the terrorists to justice.”

What is God’s justice?

“God is love, but God also punishes the sinner and hates all who do iniquity. God is not one sided. He is not simply an infinitely loving God. He is also infinitely just. He must deal with sin. He must punish the sinner.”

“This is what the LORD of Armies says: Administer real justice,

and be compassionate and kind to each other. Don't oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and poor people. And don't even think of doing evil to each other.” (Zechariah 7:9,10)

“These are the things you should do: Speak the truth to one another. In the courts give real justice---the kind that brings peace. Do not plan ways of harming one another. Do not give false testimony under oath. I hate lying, injustice, and violence.” (Zechariah 8:16-17)

“Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy.” (Psalm 82:3)

“Wash yourselves clean. Stop all this evil that I see you doing. Yes, stop doing evil and learn to do right. See that justice is done---help those who are oppressed, give orphans their rights, and defend widows.” (Isaiah 1:16-17)

“This is what the LORD says to the dynasty of David: ‘Give justice each morning to the people you judge! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors.’” (Jeremiah 21:12)

“The LORD is waiting to be kind to you. He rises to have compassion on you. The LORD is a God of justice.” (Isaiah 30:18)

“For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Enough, you princes of Israel! Stop your violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Quit robbing and cheating My people out of their land. Stop expelling them from their homes, says the Sovereign LORD.’” (Ezekiel 45:9 - NLT)

“The LORD has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.” (Micah 6:6-8)

tsadaq (or t’sedeka); mizpat (mishpat) “Act with justice (mishpat) and

righteousness (tsedeka), and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place” (Jeremiah 22:3 NRSV).

“The gist of Tsedaka is charity, the giving of your time or money to help someone else, without expecting something in return. It is one of the cornerstones of the Jewish religions.”*

…Jewish kings were commanded to practice mishpat u’tzedakah. The literal translation of this term is “justice and righteousness” or “justice and charity.” Classical as well as modern commentators agree that this command does not refer to “courtroom justice and charity” but to social justice. The major wrongdoing to which the prophets objected was not the perversion of the judicial process, but oppression and exploitation of the poor by the political elite and the wealthy classes…One modern political scientist wrote, ‘the execution of righteousness and justice in the royal domain refers primarily to acts on behalf of the poor and less fortunate classes of the people.’ This policy was implemented primarily by means of social legislation rather than by court judgments. The idea (or ideal) of social justice has a long history in Judaism.” “From Charity to Social Justice”, Frank Loewenberg, Published by Transaction Publishers, 2001, page 159

“…oppression and exploitation of the poor by the political elite and the wealthy classes.”

Justice that does involve punishment

“I will discipline you, but with justice; I cannot let you go unpunished” (Jeremiah 30:11 NLT).

God’s justice

Not: Quid-pro-quo payback justice Retributive justice Legal justice or justice that involves

an imposed painful penalty

“How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give to God one tenth even of the seasoning herbs, such as mint, dill, and cumin, but you neglect to obey the really important teachings of the Law, such as justice and mercy and honesty. These you should practice, without neglecting the others.” (Matthew 23:23)

New Testament

“Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory.” (Matthew 12:18-20 – NIV)

Jesus’ justice

Healing the sick, lepers, blind, the deaf

Eating with sinners and tax collectors Feeding the 5,000 “Blessed are the meek – for they will

inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5) “Blessed are the poor; the kingdom

of God is yours.” (Luke 6:20)

“God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:25-26 – NIV)

“God offered him, so that by his blood he should become the means by which people's sins are forgiven through their faith in him. God did this in order to demonstrate that he is righteous. In the past he was patient and overlooked people's sins; but in the present time he deals with their sins, in order to demonstrate his righteousness. In this way God shows that he himself is righteous and that he puts right everyone who believes in Jesus.” (Romans 3:25 – GN)

“While retributive justice seeks to fit the punishment to the crime, attempting to control wrongdoing through punishment, restorative justice forgives the crime and seeks to redeem wrongdoing through a repairing of the relationship…At the Cross we see God turning away the opportunity to exact retributive justice and the demand for retribution, and instead God would choose to forgive.

Sharon Baker. Stricken by God? William Eerdmans Publishing

Company, 2007, pages 234-235.

“At the Cross we come face to face with the shameful depravity of our own sin by coming face to face with the One who has the right and the power to punish but who instead loves and forgives…In the face of human hatred and hardness of heart, God still managed to redeem.”

“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts (righteousness) of the saints.” (Revelation 19:7,8 NKJV)

“UnChristian”

People in the 16-29 age group felt that "Christians" usually don't resemble Christ very much. Of the 440 young people who were “outsiders” (i.e. – not church goers) they perceived Christians to be “hypocritical,” (85%); “insensitive to others,” (70%); “judgmental” (87%); “too involved in politics” (75%) and finally “anti-homosexual” (91%).