Justice and Mercy

It seems all the talk these days is about justice; racial justice, social justice, restorative justice. With all the talk, our society may be further from achieving and experiencing justice than ever before.

And while justice is the cultural topic de jour, God and the Bible have been speaking about living justly since the beginning. Of course, in these few paragraphs, we can’t fully explore the Biblical concept of justice, but in short, living justly in the Bible seems to focus on three main things. First, equal treatment for all. We see this specifically in a passage like Leviticus 24:22, where God says the law should apply to both the native-born and the foreigner. This idea is rooted in the understanding that God created us in His image. So, per the principle found in Proverbs 22:2 – everyone is valued and equal in God’s sight because He made each of us – in His image. Another indication found scattered throughout the Old Testament of God’s desire for equal justice is His hatred for bribes. No one should get an advantage over another just because they can afford one.

The second concept within biblical justice is advocacy for some. While everyone should expect equal treatment, some often receive special treatment – namely, the orphan, the immigrant, the widow, and the poor. Often referred to as the quartet of the vulnerable, God calls this group out as deserving “beyond equal” treatment.

Passages like Proverbs 31:8-9 tell us to advocate – to speak up or to protect and care for those who can’t get those things due to their circumstances of poverty or oppression. God goes even farther when He identifies with the fatherless in Psalm 68:5-6, and with the hungry and imprisoned in Matthew 25. Finally, while all can expect equal, or sometimes special, treatment, generosity guides us in determining those relationships. Numerous passages speak to this, but Deuteronomy 15’s commands to live “open-handed and
generously” paint a clear picture of God’s expectations. The chapter defines how we employ the blessings He provides us in the service of others.

In our recently renovated entrance to our ministry, we have Micah 6:8 prominently displayed. Its blessing serves to remind us of what God requires of His followers and of our mission at Peoria Rescue Ministries. We’d love for you to come by and see it.

To DO JUSTICE means to treat all equally, some specially and everyone generously. It goes on to say LOVE MERCY – because God knows we must have a deeper motivation than doing justice out of duty because we won’t. Like the lesson from the parable of the unforgiving servant, we are to extend the mercy so richly given to us even when justice might demand something else. That can only happen when we WALK HUMBLY before our God, recognizing God has done justice to His son on our behalf. We have received God’s mercy. It’s a kind of mercy that has invited us into an eternal and abundant life with God.

Have you considered the requirements of Micah 6:8 on your life? They aren’t suggestions or good ideas. They form the central commands of how to live life and follow God. When lived in totality, they allow us to carry out and extend the kind of justice our world so desperately needs and longs for but will never find apart from God.

If you’re reading this, then you are part of the PRM Family. You are helping us DO JUSTICE, LOVE MERCY, and WALK HUMBLY with our God which in turn helps us “create pathways out of poverty through Jesus with our neighbors in need.”

But we need more. More folks willing to diligently pray for us, support this kind of Biblical justice with their blessings, and come alongside to DO justice with us – all for the Glory of God. Would you pray about discovering how you can directly serve with us? If so, check out our“ Involvement” section under our Explore
tab at www.peoriarescue.org.