We throw the word “justice†around quite a bit. While we hear about it most often in the legal sense, “did he receive justice?â€, or “she got what she justly deservedâ€, I wonder if we many times miss what the term really means from a Biblical standpoint. Throughout the Scriptures we hear of God demanding justice or when applied to His nature, He is a “just†God. “The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love†(Psalm 33:5) “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you†(Psalm 98:14)
In Amos, the prophet cries, “let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an never failing spring†(Amos 5:23). Basically, when God speaks of justice, He intends to right the wrongs. That which is wrong is to be made right; that which is bad is to be made good; where harm exists justice will bring peace. For us to enact and impart justice we must see with the eyes of God and be willing to get our hands really dirty and messy to make the wrong things right. Why messy?
Well, think of the places you see injustice. A homeless man who is beat up. A Hispanic woman not paid fairly. An elderly woman cheated out of her money or lied to. The countless scams aimed at the elderly. Children targeted on the internet. If we are to be actively involved in righting these wrongs, it will be costly and messy. It could challenge our safety or depending on the situation, we could go head to head with an “upstanding business leader or politician†in our community. Who knows…
But it we are going to be true followers of the living Christ, we cannot settle for anything less than what God requires…to do justly. (Micah 6:8)
Ms. Robinson is an elderly woman living in a small, rural community in west Lee County. She takes care of her grandchildren while her daughter is away. Fortunately, she has a wonderful neighbor who grew up under the watchful eye of Ms. Robinson. Now that she is all grown up, the roles are reversed and she looks after Ms. Robinson.
Her house is small but well taken care of-toys are strewn throughout and a laughing, bubbling granddaughter plays with great excitement. It is a home of love. But it has a great need-the roof is about to give way and is beginning to leak. The shingles are old and tattered and the wood decking underneath thin, and fragile. We visited Ms. Robinson in March to collect her information and are getting ready to work on her home later this month. Unfortunately, our process is slow due to several referrals and limited volunteers.
What I learned is that during the lag time of the 5 months to get her set up for our repair work and getting our plans established; Ms. Robinson got scammed. She only earns about $750/month on her social security. And she knew she needed a roof. So, when a company came by called American Shingle and offered to repair her roof under an “insurance contract†and to do it for only $2100…it sounded reasonable and she assumed she would get that money back-at least that is what they told her. She gave them $2100 and waited with eager anticipation for the work to begin-to get the new roof. But the workers never came and so became a long litany of phone calls to find out what was going on and when would the work begin. But the company had filed bankruptcy and took the money and ran. Now she’s out $2100 she didn’t really have and still no roof.
It makes your blood boil. And yet what are we called to do? There are no building codes outside the city limits. People sound “so nice and helpfulâ€. How do we respond to such an unjust act? I cannot get Ms. Robinson her money back…not much I can do about the company…but what I can do is repair her roof, pray for her, and help her not get scammed and taken advantage of again.
Now to you. Do you know of any elderly families in your community? Are you actively watching out for them so that if something sounds “too good to be true†they can call you? Us all actively engaged in one family at a time can make a world of difference and bring the body of Christ closer together. And the scammers…as angry as they make me…they need Christ as well.
So, this week, pray that God reveals someone you can befriend and reach out to. Adopt a family that your church can stay in connection with. And most of all, pray how we can bring about God’s justice.
Grace and peace,
lisa
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