By Pastor Fred Tanizaki

Most of us have experienced some form of injustice. Some are minor, such as seeing a person with 17 items trying to check out in a 15 items or less express lane. Some are extremely traumatic. The incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII was one of the most flagrant acts of injustice in the history of the United States. Property lost, careers, education, and life itself forcibly put on hold because a person was of Japanese ancestry. Being an American citizen provided no effective protection from this injustice. Recently, another event has drawn much attention. The recent death of George Floyd has sparked global attention against injustice, and a cry for justice.

Does God care about justice? What does the Bible say about justice? The Bible declares that God loves justice (Isaiah 61:8). God hates those who oppress others in an unjust manner (Isaiah 10:1-3). God defends those who are disadvantaged and oppressed (Deuteronomy 10:18). Scripture also condemns discriminatory practices against others (James 2:1-10). In fact, the Hebrew word for justice appears more than 200 times in the OT. Our God deeply cares about justice in this world.

If our God deeply cares about justice in this world, how should God’s people live? Micah 6:8, answers this question.

He has told you O man, 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.

In Micah chapter 6, God is asked a question. What does He require from humankind to obtain favor from God? Would He be satisfied and pleased with the presentation of burnt offerings, thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil, even the first-born sons? God answers this question in verse 8. God is not satisfied with great sacrifices and religious rites. Instead, the things God requires from His people are:

To do justice
Act in kindness
Walk humbly with God

To do justice is to live guided by truth. This lifestyle does not look for loopholes to further one’s advantages. To do justice is to act courageously, even if it results in personal loss and disadvantage. To do justice goes beyond your own life. You desire to see others treated justly and fairly. To do justice is to conduct business transactions ethically and truthfully, living in submission to established authorities, communicating truthfully with one another, advocating for the oppressed, and protecting those who are unable to protect themselves.

To act in kindness is critically important. Acting in kindness and mercy is a character trait of God. Our quest to do justice can become legalistic and merciless without kindness and mercy. If God only acted justly without being merciful and kind, no one could be saved. The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and fall short of God’s standards. All of us justly deserve punishment from God. But, because God is merciful, He sent Jesus, who was sinless, to die and pay the penalty for our sins. Micah 6:8 tells us that God requires His people, who have been recipient of His mercy and kindness, to do the same.

Arrogance, pride, a sense of self-righteousness - these are not traits you want in a close friend. These traits are also hated by God (James 4:6). Along with doing justice and acting in kindness, God requires His people to walk humbly with Him. In fact, this requirement is the key to doing justice and to act in kindness. Walking humbly with God is to obey Him. Without a personal relationship with God that is grounded in humility, our acts of justice and kindness would be extended only when we felt like doing so. When we humbly walk with God, we can extend justice and mercy to those we may not favor, even to those who have wronged us.

Finally, there is a particularly important truth that I want you to remember. We can walk humbly with God because He has allowed us to do so. Remember, God is holy and hates sin. 1 John 1:8 tells us that if we deny we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves. The miraculous work of God that allows sinful people like you and I to walk humbly with God is because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross and His resurrection. He died so that our sins might be washed away. He rose from the dead so that the curse of sin, which leads to death, might be vanquished. What a joy it is to walk humbly with God!

If you would like to know more about this awesome, blessed Good News of Jesus Christ, I would love to talk with you more about it. Please contact me anytime at tanizaki@wintersburg.org.

This devotional was shared in its original form on June 10 as an e-mail sent out to members of our Seniors Ministry. To join the Seniors Ministry e-mail list, please contact Claire Seki crseki@hotmail.com.

Justice for All