Right and wrong truly matter.
This is part two of a two-part series. Read part one.
As we saw last week, God wants us to know how much he delights in steadfast love, justice, and righteousness. Last week we talked about his steadfast love; we continue now with his justice.
“I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”
—Jeremiah 9:23-24
Justice (Hebrew, mispat)
God’s delight in justice is perfectly seen in his commands to Israel about how they were to treat one another. Notice in the following commands in Leviticus God’s concern for the needy, for fair business dealings, truth telling, how the powerful treat the powerless, justice in court, neighbors treating each other well:
“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.
“You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.
“You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.
“You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.
“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:9–18)
All this is summed up in one word: justice. God hates unfairness, hurtful relationships, and falsehood. He delights in justice. To please him, you will likewise love justice in all your dealings.
Righteousness (Hebrew, sedaqa)
Two of the most powerful words and ideas in any language are those for right and wrong. That is because we care dearly about right and wrong. We tell others to do the right thing. In any situation, if we feel we have been wronged, we feel it acutely. Tales of right and wrong compel us to read and watch the daily news. We talk about who we think is in the right and who in the wrong. And we applaud those who do right and shame those who do wrong because we know intuitively that right and wrong truly matter.
We want teachers to do the right thing for children, politicians to do the right thing for the country, employers to do right for employees, citizens to do right for their country, drivers to do right for other drivers, doctors to do right for patients, insurance companies for customers, neighbors for neighbors, workers for the company. Heaven on earth would be if every person in every situation in every role did what is right.
The welcome testimony of Jeremiah 9:24, and the Bible from beginning to end, is that God is infinitely more concerned than we are about right and wrong. Scripture exalts God for his righteousness: “Your righteousness is like the mountains” (Psalm 36:6). About one thing you can be certain, that God will always do what is right, never, ever what is wrong. People and organizations may wrong you and others, but God never will.
The reason God gives his commands to us is that we might know and do what is right. Those who keep his commandments walk in righteousness and are counted righteous.
Referring to the commandments he received from God for Israel on Mount Sinai, Moses said, “It will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.” (Deuteronomy 6:25)
Isaiah 48:18 says, “Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”
God loves doing right and takes delight in people who want to do right, who want to be righteous in his sight be keeping his righteous commandments.
To please God, we need the cross of Jesus
God’s uncompromising commitment to steadfast love, justice, and righteousness are what led Jesus to the cross.
In our minds, the cross was unnecessary. God can punish the most outrageous evildoers and simply forgive the rest of mankind for their sins.
But in his persistent love for sinners, God wanted a way to forgive even the worst sinner. And in his perfect justice and righteousness, he could not just overlook human wrongs.
The solution was the death of the holy Son of God as a substitute for sinners, so that God’s justice could be satisfied, and he could do what is right when he forgave our sins. (See Romans 3:10–26)
Therefore the greatest revelation of God’s delight in steadfast love, justice, and righteousness is the cross of Jesus. And the only way to be saved from final condemnation for your sin is through faith in Jesus.
