Doing Justice

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
1  Listen to what the LORD says:

    “Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;
       let the hills hear what you have to say.

2   “Hear, you mountains, the LORD’s accusation;
       listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
    For the LORD has a case against his people;
       he is lodging a charge against Israel.

3   “My people, what have I done to you?
       How have I burdened you? Answer me.
4   I brought you up out of Egypt
       and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
    I sent Moses to lead you,
       also Aaron and Miriam.
5   My people, remember
       what Balak king of Moab plotted
       and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
    Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,
       that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.”

6   With what shall I come before the LORD
       and bow down before the exalted God?
    Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
       with calves a year old?
7   Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
       with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
    Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
       the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8   He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
       And what does the LORD require of you?
    To act justly and to love mercy
       and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:1-8, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
All of the passages we'll read this week work together to warn us not to be confused or intimidated by appearances or by how the larger society values this or that. Seeking to listen for God's voice and to live according to his desires may not make much sense according of the world's standards of judgment. But God desires and promises blessings upon the people who live and love according to his covenant commitments, who are shaped by his gracious promises, and who are attuned to what Paul called the "foolishness" and "weakness" of God.

[As an aside, I understand that the idea of "justice" has become a buzzword in today's political world. I suppose I'm afraid that some of us might see the phrase "doing justice" and checkout mentally. I sincerely hope we'll be able to approach this topic with open minds and open hearts. The idea of seeking justice is deeply rooted in Scripture, both Old and New Testaments. It's my prayer that we will be able to look past the political stuff and embrace God's heart as it is clearly described.]

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In today's reading, we enter a courtroom scene to hear God’s cross-examination of the Israelites. This passage comes after a series of accusations about the economic injustices in the prophet Micah’s community. Starting in chapter 6, God invites the people to speak to the unjust actions identified earlier. God asks, “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you?” The defendants are invited to defend their actions before the mountains, which have witnessed generations of divine help. However, God answers the posed question by recounting God’s great deeds: God has delivered their ancestors out of slavery and has saved them from various enemies. 

The brief narrative retelling of Israel’s history reminds Micah’s hearers of the way God shows favor and kindness to the oppressed. To those who were enslaved, God offered freedom. To those who were besieged, God offered shelter. But here, in this courtroom, God accuses the people who were once delivered from oppression of themselves oppressing the poor among them. The people have no defense. 

Today, we have the opportunity to place ourselves in the defendants’ seats. How do we actively participate in the oppression of others? How does our refusal to help others keep them stuck in an unjust situation? For example, what questions might we raise about the conditions of the people who make the clothes we wear and the food we eat? How do our choices potentially harm or continue the enslavement of others? As we move about our daily life, are there people we fail to lend a helping hand to? (Until just a few years ago, this sort of question would've never entered my mind. But, through reading and conversations, I've come to realize that this is a serious question to consider.) 

The journey we take this week toward doing justice starts with the invitation to introspection. Thus, we can ask what other aspects of our lives need examining and weighing on the scales of God’s justice. Until we see the ways in which we collude with injustice, we cannot reorient ourselves and our communities toward justice. Until we honestly admit the ways in which our choices keep others stuck in an unjust situation, we cannot join with God in helping to right the wrongs in our world today.

[Pause for a few minutes, inviting God to examine your  lifestyle. Honestly invite him to examine your life. Grant him full access to your heart's motives, your priorities, your lifestyle choices. Are there any ways you might be continuing to perpetuate the injustices of today's world? Are there any ways you might failing or refusing to join God in helping to bring about a more just and "right-side-up" world?]

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After a little introspection, we return to the Scripture in verses 6-8. Standing accused in the courtroom, the people finally respond, raising questions of their own. We can read their response at least two ways:

First, we can hear the questions as sincere inquiry. However, based on the story up to this point, we can also imagine the people, who are now themselves acting as oppressors, standing there defiantly, saying, “I give my sacrifices. What more do you want? My firstborn?” 

When we interpret the people’s words in this latter way, we see a people so far from God that they know neither the story of God’s saving help nor the proper response to that story. This reading seems more faithful to the narrative flow of Micah. Micah accuses the people of committing economic injustice in their community, and now, standing in court before God, the people react in a not-too-unfamiliar way. That is, the people in Micah’s day, as people so often do in our day, say, “I do what’s required of me.” 

Think of the people today who go to church on Sunday and who then spend their work weeks trapping persons in cycles of economic slavery through, for example, high-interest-rate loans. Today we might say this practice reflects the private/public (or sacred/secular) dichotomy our culture creates. This dichotomy argues, “Privately, I worship God. Publicly, I do whatever’s required to succeed in life. And that’s okay.” God’s reply indicates a need to move beyond religious action to covenant living that guides our actions in worship and in the rest of the week. In essence, God says: "Let your Sunday lifestyle and your Monday lifestyle be identical."

So we come to the climax of this court scene. The prophet declares, “[God] has shown you, O mortal, what is good.” What does God require? Lives of justice, kindness, and humility before God. The people of God may choose between lives of commodity and lives of covenant. 


PRAYER:
God of justice, soften our hearts to see the faces of the oppressed around us, and embolden us to call for their just treatment. Be with us through the exercise of examining our conscience. Draw us near to your heart today so that we can live lives of justice, kindness, and humility. Amen.


WHO AM I?
I am Tres Sansom, and I think the first time I ever put any real thought into the idea of justice came when I read a book by Shane Claiborne entitled The Irresistible Revolution. This book made me profoundly uncomfortable with my way of life. But the way he lived his life and described his faith, I realize that I was living far too safe and comfortable of a life. I was wrapped up in my own little bubble and focused upon myself all the time. Not long after reading this book, I began to encounter a number of other writings on this topic, each one filling me with a mixture of conviction and inspiration. It was as if God was trying to shake me out of my comfort zone and encouraging me to join him in changing the world with little acts of love. Since my first encounter with Shane Claiborne's book, I've periodically returned to my comfortable, insulated little bubble. But, thankfully, God continues to graciously work on my heart.