Justice and Fairness

January 16, 2022 Background Scripture: Exodus 23 Lesson Passage: Exodus 23:1 -12 Israel had many things to learn in the wilderness before they were to become a sovereign nation in Canaan. One of the most important things would be how to live as a civilized society that reflected God's guidance. Simply put, Israel needed laws to govern their daily lives in their new society. And since they were going to reflect God's guidance of the nation, the laws needed to reflect the character of God. Justice and fairness should be expected in such laws. How we view and evaluate "justice and fairness" is influenced by the society in which we live. How do we look at justice and fairness m a society today? The answer is often found in that nation's anthems and flag ceremonies. Those words should reflect the ideal state for what the nation aspires to become. For example, "With Liberty and Justice for All" is how the pledge to the American flag ends. For many centuries, there was no liberty for all. We have come a long way as a nation. However, today, it is that "Justice for All" part where we tend to fall woefully short. Many of us have lived during the time when justice in this nation was purposely skewed. For many years it was heavily skewed against people of color. Much of that has been corrected. However, it seems to have always been heavily skewed in favor of wealthy men. From a practical standpoint, "money still talks" in America. In the early years of this nation's history, landowners had more rights than nonlandowners. Today, it's not about land as much as it is about wealth. Wealthy people, especially those with political connections, do find a way to live above the law of the land. Over the course of time, we tend to expect this to be the case because we have become accustomed to it. In fact, we are often in shock when we learn that some rich person has been arrested or indicted for a crime. It is for this reason that verse 3 of our lesson arrested my attention: "You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute." God says do not allow poverty to be used as an excuse to pervert justice. Being poor is not an excuse to steal. Being poor is not an excuse to murder someone. Being poor is not an excuse to be a false witness. Just as the wealthy are expected to live by the law of the land, so too are the poor. Justice is too important to the general welfare of a civilized society to allow it to be abused, or perverted, by any person, whether they are rich or poor. The remainder of the lesson is easily summarized by "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". The pity felt for the poor could easily distort even this simple summary. On the surface, a poor person who steals to feed his family seems to warrant showing leniency as if no crime occurred. A poor person who snaps and kills a rich snob after being ignored, or denigrated, by the same can seem strangely justified in our eyes. But God says no! God demands justice of everyone. Then and only then will we value people as being in God's image and after His likeness rather than by their material net worth. Is there no wonder that many begin to behave differently in a moral sense after they believe they have become successful? It is common in this country to value things more than the people who possess them. So, we jokingly say, "All men are created equal, but some are more equal than others." That describes a society that is unjust and far from being fair. For people of God, a Godfearing society should always embrace justice and fairness for all! Robert C, Hudson December 18, 2021