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

Injustice and Hope

January 9, 2022 Background Scripture: Genesis 21:8 - 21 Lesson Passage: Genesis 21 :8 - 20 We go through many ups and downs in life. Sometimes, the downs are the result of decisions we made-or failed to make. Whatever the cause, no one should have to live in a rut. In other words, no one should have to live for an extended period with bad circumstances that will not improve. Those are very dark days. How could days such as those be any worse? Those days are much more difficult when they are the result of decisions made by others without our input. Demanding situations caused by the decisions of others without our input is how we think of injustice. Injustice places us at the mercy of others. If they refuse to extend mercy, or later withdraw mercy from us, then hopelessness sets in. This is the situation that Hagar found herself in—due to no fault of her own. Hagar was Sarah's slave. Sarah was barren, so she made Hagar have a baby by Abraham so she could claim the baby as a surrogate mother. Things went okay for fourteen years until God allowed Sarah to give birth to a son for Abraham. On the day Sarah's son was weaned, Sarah told Abraham to cast Hagar and her son, Ishmael, out and send them away. Sarah insisted that the full inheritance of Abraham should go to her son, Isaac, and Ishmael should not be allowed to share in it. As expected, Abraham was frustrated and disappointed because Ishmael was his son—his firstborn son at that! God told Abraham to not be disappointed because of Ishmael; God promised to take care of Ishmael. God instructed Abraham to listen to Sarah's directions. Abraham arose in the morning and packed food and a skin of water and placed it on Hagar's shoulder and sent her and Ishmael away. Hagar and Ishmael wandered in the wilderness until the water was gone. Then, Hagar placed Ishmael, now about fifteen years old, under a bush and she separated from him. Hagar did not want to see her son die of dehydration. Hagar cried out aloud. While she was weeping, God called out to her. Ishmael had either spoken something or cried as well, Whatever the case, God responded to Ishmael's voice. God told Hagar not to be afraid but rather to go to Ishmael and hold him; for God was going to make a great nation out of Ishmael. Then God opened Hagar's eyes and she saw a well of water. She filled the skin with water and gave Ishmael water. Hagar was going through a very dark time in her life and had given up hope. She was in a bad situation that she did not deserve to be in. Sarah had called all the shots. Sarah was the reason Hagar was pregnant with Ishmael by Abraham. Sarah was the reason Ishmael was Abraham's son. And Sarah was the reason Hagar and Ishmael were sent away from the only home Ishmael had ever known. They were sent away from the family with scant resources to survive on. Hagar and Ishmael were victims of injustice, and their situation became hopeless. This is not a story about revenge, karma, or the underdog winning. This is a st01Y about where to find hope when injustice leads to hopelessness. Abraham was called the friend of God. God made a promise to Abraham concerning Ishmael. When God heard Ishmael's voice, God responded to their hopeless situation. Finding hope in a hopeless situation is rooted in a relationship with God, A relationship with God will not prevent an injustice from occurring. But a relationship with God will always assure hope is available. Why is that so? Because one must have faith to please God, and faith is the substance of things hoped for. Injustices will come in life, but with faith in God, there is always hope. Robert C. Hudson December 18, 2021