“Do you know what I want? I want justice.” (5:24)

Tuesday February 8, noon, 2011

Richard Bauckham, PhDProfessor Emeritus University of

AndrewsSenior scholar at Cambridge“Jesus and the Eyewitnesses”“The Theology of Revelation”

ChronologyJudahJudah ProphetsProphets IsraelIsrael

931 BC931 BC RehoboamRehoboam JeroboamJeroboam

AbijahAbijah NadabNadab

900 BC900 BC Asa*Asa* BaashaBaasha

850 BC850 BC Jehoshaphat*Jehoshaphat* ElijahElijah Zimri, Omri, Zimri, Omri, Ahab, Ahaziah, Ahab, Ahaziah, JoramJoram

800 BC800 BC Jehoram*, Ahaziah, Jehoram*, Ahaziah, Queen Athaliah, Queen Athaliah, Joash*Joash*

ElishaElisha

JonahJonah

AmosAmos

Jehoahaz, Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jehoash, Jeroboam IIJeroboam II

750 BC750 BC Amaziah, Uzziah, Amaziah, Uzziah, AhazAhaz

HoseaHosea

MicahMicah

IsaiahIsaiah

Zechariah, Zechariah, Shallum, Shallum, Menahem, Menahem, PekahiahPekahiah

722 BC722 BC Hezekiah*Hezekiah* IsaiahIsaiah Pekah, HosheaPekah, Hoshea

What is “justice” in the Bible?

“It’s true that God is love, but don’t forget, God is also just.”

“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.”

“You do the crime, you pay the time. Justice is satisfied”

“We will bring the terrorists to justice”

“The Northern Kingdom of Jeroboam II was a proud and prosperous nation…Israel’s military and political power under Jeroboam II resulted in increased commerce and wealth…It is interesting that, under these circumstances, religious activity was strong.”The Hebrew Prophets, pg 17,18

“They sell into slavery honest people who cannot pay their debts, the poor who cannot repay even the price of a pair of sandals. They trample down the weak and helpless and push the poor out of the way…At every place of worship people sleep on clothing that they have taken from the poor as security for debts. In the temple of their God they drink wine which they have taken from those who owe them money.” (Amos 2:6-8)

“The LORD says, ‘These people fill their mansions with things taken by crime and violence. They don't even know how to be honest…only a few will survive of Samaria’s people, who now recline on luxurious couches.’” (Amos 3:10,12)

“Listen to this, you women of Samaria, who grow fat like the well-fed cows of Bashan, who mistreat the weak, oppress the poor, and demand that your husbands keep you supplied with liquor!” (Amos 4:1)

“The Sovereign LORD says, ‘People of Israel, go to the holy place in Bethel and sin, if you must! Go to Gilgal and sin with all your might! Go ahead and bring animals to be sacrificed morning after morning, and bring your tithes every third day. Go on and offer your bread in thanksgiving to God, and brag about the extra offerings you bring! This is the kind of thing you love to do.’” (Amos 4:4-5)

“You people hate anyone who challenges injustice and speaks the whole truth in court. You have oppressed the poor and robbed them of their grain. And so you will not live in the fine stone houses you build or drink wine from the beautiful vineyards you plant. I know how terrible your sins are and how many crimes you have committed. You persecute good people, take bribes, and prevent the poor from getting justice in the courts.” (Amos 5:10-12)

“easy life…feel safe” (6:1)“How terrible it will be for you the

stretch out on your luxurious couches, feasting on veal and lamb” (6:4)

“Your feasts and banquets will come to an end” (6:7)

“The LORD says, ‘I hate your religious festivals; I cannot stand them! When you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will not accept the animals you have fattened to bring me as offerings. Stop your noisy songs; I do not want to listen to your harps. Instead, let justice flow like a stream, and righteousness like a river that never goes dry.’” (Amos 5:21-24)

“I can’t stand your religious meetings. I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it. That’s what I want. That’s all I want.” (Amos 5:21-24 – The Message)

“Do you think I want all these sacrifices you keep offering to me? I have had more than enough of the sheep you burn as sacrifices and of the fat of your fine animals. I am tired of the blood of bulls and sheep and goats. Who asked you to bring me all this when you come to worship me? Who asked you to do all this tramping around in my Temple? It's useless to bring your offerings. I am disgusted with the smell of the incense you burn. I cannot stand your New Moon Festivals, your Sabbaths, and your religious gatherings; they are all corrupted by your sins. I hate your New Moon Festivals and holy days; they are a burden that I am tired of bearing.” (Isaiah 1:11-14)

"When you lift your hands in prayer, I will not look at you. No matter how much you pray, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with blood. 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 1:15-17)

“Justice” in the OT is something that we would like to be on the receiving end of:

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

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

tsadaq (or t’sedeka) and mizpat (mishpat)

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

“Give justice (mishpat) each morning to the people you judge! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors.” (Jeremiah 21:12 NLT)

Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Enough, O princes of Israel! Remove violence and plundering, execute justice (mispat) and righteousness (tsadaq), and stop dispossessing my people,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘You shall have honest scales….’ (Ezekiel 45:9,10 NKJV)

“Act with justice and righteousness, 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)

…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”, pg 159, Frank

Loewenberg,

“He executes justice (misphat) for the orphan and the widow, and shows his love for the alien by giving him food and clothing” (Deuteronomy 10:18 NASB)

“You shall not pervert the justice (mishpat) due an alien or an orphan, nor take a widow's garment in pledge” (Deuteronomy 24:17 NASB)

With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:6-8 NRSV)

In America:Lifestyle is 4 times the national average

97% of income goes to ourselves

AlignSet rightPut right

“This is what the LORD of Armies says: Administer real justice (mishpat), be compassionate and kind to each other” (Zechariah 7:9 GW)

“You have turned justice into poison, right into wrong.” (Amos 6:12)

What about punishment?“Noah had no faults and was the only good

man of his time. He lived in fellowship with God, but everyone else was evil in God’s sight, and violence had spread everywhere. God looked at the world and saw that it was evil, for the people were all living evil lives.” (Genesis 6:9-12)

“The LORD said to Noah, ‘Go into the boat with your whole family; I have found that you are the only one in all the world who does what is right.’” (Genesis 7:1)

Justice that does involve “punishment”

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

Who is the punisher?“You have brought this on yourself by

abandoning the LORD your God when he led you on his way…Your own wickedness will correct you, and your unfaithful ways will punish you. You should know and see how evil and bitter it is for you if you abandon the LORD your God...” (Jeremiah 2:17-19)

“Judah, you have brought this on yourself by the way you have lived and by the things you have done. Your sin has caused this suffering; it has stabbed you through the heart.” (Jeremiah 4:18)

“See how wicked people think up evil; they plan trouble and practice deception. But in the traps they set for others, they themselves get caught. So they are punished by their own evil and are hurt by their own violence. I thank the LORD for his justice; I sing praises to the LORD, the Most High.” (Psalms 7:14-17)

“But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. All the while we thought that his suffering was punishment sent by God. But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did.” (Isaiah 53:4-5)

“For sin pays its wage---death.” (Romans 6:23)

“Sadly, there are those who would have us love Christ for protecting us from God, instead of leading us to God - the one home of safety. They imagine justice and love dwelling in eternal opposition in the bosom of eternal unity.” George MacDonald

“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)

Justice in the New Testament“The teachers of the Law and the

Pharisees are the authorized interpreters of Moses' Law. So you must obey and follow everything they tell you to do; do not, however, imitate their actions, because they don't practice what they preach. They tie onto people's backs loads that are heavy and hard to carry, yet they aren't willing even to lift a finger to help them carry those loads.” (Matthew 23:2-4)

“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 and dill, 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 GNB)

“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. 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.”Sharon Baker. Stricken by God?, 2007, pages 234-235.