Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- Read Leviticus 19:33-34, Exodus 23:9, and Proverbs 31:8-9. Who was vulnerable and mistreated in Israel’s society? What does God instruct Israel to do for the vulnerable and why?
- How do you think humans' role as image bearers of God (e.g., Gen. 1:26-27) informs what the Bible says is right and just?
- Read James 1:19-27 aloud. What is one example of how both powerful and vulnerable people might use anger to achieve justice and righteousness?
- What does James say about the anger of humanity (James 1:19), and what does he urge us to do instead (James 1:19, 1:21-22, and 1:27)?
- Take time to discuss other themes, questions, or key takeaways from what you learned together.
What is biblical justice?
One of the fundamental characteristics that sets human beings apart from other creatures is our need for justice. Why is it that animals are able to kill their own kind or abandon their children and it be considered natural while humans are held to a much higher moral standard? The Bible has an interesting take on this question.
The theme of justice is found throughout the entire biblical story.
When God's people were treated unjustly, God stepped in and showed them restorative justice just like he commanded them to show to others. Of course, the sad irony is that the Israelites would later go on to oppress others even after being oppressed themselves. Today, we as humans continue to demonstrate injustice, benefiting from the oppression of those around us and making ourselves guilty in the eyes of God.
Thankfully, God had a solution to the injustice of humanity. By sending Jesus to take the punishment for the sins of the guilty, God made it so that all people can stand righteous before him. Having been given this gift, it is now our commission to go out into the world and give this same gift to others by showing them the righteousness and justice that God has shown us.
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