Justice from Love (Micah 6)

In Sermons, The Whole Story, Year 2024 by harvest.admin

Resource by Peter Park

If there was one thing in this world that everyone could agree on, and there aren’t many, regardless of who you are…We can all agree that injustice is real. It’s everywhere. Some have personally experienced it more than others. And depending on who you ask, they may have a list of 20 different injustices. For example, you have some of the classics like racism and human trafficking. And then there are some newer ones where quite honestly, I don’t understand how it’s a justice issue, like climate change. (Could be wrong.) And it gets even more confusing when you ask people why those injustices exist and how we should go about addressing them. 

So we’re going to look at what the Bible has to say about justice and what it means for us as believers.

Micah 6 1 Hear what the Lord says: Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. 2 Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the Lord, and you enduring foundations of the earth, for the Lord has an indictment against his people, and he will contend with Israel. 3 “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me! 4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. 5 O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

Setting: Legal court case. God has an indictment against his people. They are on trial for their evil deeds, for abandoning God and his ways. 

And creation is witness. Why have they turned from God? Not because he’s done anything wrong. God has done only good. It cannot be denied – He saved them from slavery, blessed them when others sought to curse them, and fulfilled his promises to bring them to a good land, where they could live in relationship with him.

Micah’s response for the people: 6 “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? 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 thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” 

Micah’s question: How can I make things right for my sin so I can come before God? To have a relationship with him? And Micah uses hyperbole and rhetorical questions to say: Nothing they do can atone for their sin. Even the highest and unimaginable offering is not enough. Because you can’t earn or buy God’s forgiveness and approval.

And sacrifices could just be made to just fulfill the act. “Alright, God. I did what you wanted. So you can leave me alone now.” (Kids – Say sorry.) Outward appearances of worship/obedience don’t always mean the inward heart is right with God. And that’s what God has always been after. He wants the hearts of his people to reflect his heart.

8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

This is what it’s going to take to be right with God, what he requires of his people. 3 parts…

1. Do Justice – Before getting into justice, note: Though not here in this verse, “righteousness” is often tied to and appears with “justice”.

Ps. 89:14 – Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.

Jer. 22:3 – Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.

Righteousness – (tsedeq/tsadeqah) – Sometimes even translated as justice. Conforms to a standard – God standard. It’s rightness and right relationship with God. And it includes rightness with others. So being righteous before God means not only being personally holy, it also means right dealings and relationships with man, others, according to God’s standards.

Justice – mishpat. 2 kinds of justice in the Bible…

A. Retributive Justice – Consequences and discipline/punishment for sin. This is often what we have in mind when we think about justice. Some are thinking – “So you’re telling me the bible wants me to execute justice on people? Sign me up. I want to enforce some justice. I want to drop the hammer and punish the bad drivers in KL, the motos, the people that get on my nerves and annoy me, etc. I’ve got names in mind right now.” (Ministry – How many? Shy. Not honest.)

I understand that thought but that’s not quite what’s happening here. This verse isn’t saying, you get vengeance whenever you’re wronged or you see wrong being done. God says he alone is avenger and he will repay for every wrong doing. (Ro. 12:19) Sometimes, there will be retributive justice through structures like the government and the legal system or on a smaller scale in our homes. But we are oftentimes not the executors, especially if it’s on a societal scale. (On the other hand…)

B. Restorative Justice – Over 200x in OT with focus on the vulnerable – widow, orphan, foreigner, poor. Justice that is concerned about treating people equally (Lev. 24:22) and giving them their rights. (Dt. 18) Not simply charity. It addresses perverted justice and seeks to establish true justice for everyone, doing right by them and making them whole. 

Now justice can take on a lot of meanings and people can mean a lot of things by justice. But not everything labeled as justice is really justice as defined by scripture. Differentiate: Man’s Approach to Justice (Wrong, Inadequate) vs. Biblical Justice. Both are trying to address injustice but are completely different in their foundation and approach. 

Man’s Justice (Many, but 3 quick problems…)

-Relative and lacks solid basis – Who gets to decide/define what is just or not and on what basis/worldview? Is every issue someone cares about a “justice” issue? The “truth” is too personal and dependent on contemporary history – “Everyone has their own truth.” Countless differing and competing views. But what happens when my truth and your truth don’t get along? (Do we do rock, paper, scissors? That’s how we settle things in Student ministry. Do we fight? Stronger, more powerful wins and is right? That’s how it’s gone for a lot of history.) 

-Motivates others by guilt, emotional manipulation, and feared labels – “If you don’t agree with me, my views and my solutions, then you’re a racist or whatever evil person.” And no one wants to be called those things. Or “You don’t want to be on the wrong side of history.” But what happens when 100yrs later – History/Group was wrong.

-Only addresses the symptoms – Ex: Racism. How do you stop racism? Can you create a law? Can you just tell people to stop? How do you enforce it? It’s problematic because racism itself is not the problem, it is a manifestation/symptom of a deeper problem. Or Power – “Authority and power lead to oppression. And oppression is bad. So we have to get rid of power.” But power itself is not a bad thing. There need to be systems and people who have power to keep things from total chaos – to leverage power for the good of the community. The same goes for money – in and of itself is not morally bad. Money can be used for good/bad. They’re just tools/symptoms that reflect the owner.

Biblical Justice

-God’s character – He establishes absolute truth – righteous/just/unjust

-Every person is an image bearer of God. (Ge. 1-2) Therefore, everyone is equal in value and dignity and is due justice and honor according to God’s laws. CS Lewis – There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. (Lev. 19:15; Deut. 16:19; Prov. 14:31)

-Addresses the heart – the root issue of sin and its outworking – injustice. It’s not simply a problem/symptom out there to be fixed, but in here. So no efforts towards justice will be complete without heart change efforts.

-Communal/Social Aspect – Bruce Waltke – “The righteous are willing to disadvantage themselves to advantage the community; the wicked are willing to disadvantage the community to advantage themselves.” (Needy – Gleaning – Dt. 24:17-22). Nothing is ever just about the individual. We’re very interconnected. Church is one body. (Yet:)

-Individual Responsibility – Everyone is responsible as an individual before God about whether they engage in justice or injustice. 

-Stewardship and Generosity – What I have is not mine. All I have is God’s. I’m just his manager. (Ezek. 18:5) So I have an obligation to God, the rightful owner, and how he desires my life and resources to be spent and leveraged, for others.

-Advocacates for the least of these – poor, widow, sojourner, hungry, vulnerable, and marginalized. (Ps. 41:1; Prov. 29:7). Taking care of those who cannot fight for justice or speak up for themselves because God loves them and is deeply concerned for their welfare.

?-Categories of injustice in scripture: taking advantage of, cheating, stealing, sexually mistreating, physically harming, treating someone as less than, lying for one’s advantage especially against the vulnerable AND withholding, not helping/caring/lifting up/loving them.

Keller – If you are a Christian, and you refrain from committing adultery or using profanity or missing church, but you don’t do the hard work of thinking through how to do justice in every area of life – you are failing to live justly and righteously.

Again, God’s justice and righteousness are tied together. You cannot be righteous without being just. And not doing justice is not just passivity, but it is an injustice itself, sin, and wickedness to God.

So we need to discern how to do justice in all the places we have influence – Homes, Church, Communities, Government (where it applies), Businesses, and Workplaces. Recognize: Oftentimes, complex.

But we will not do justice unless we…

2. Love Kindness/Mercy – “Hesed” – God’s steadfast/loyal love. It’s his covenant faithfulness, his grace and compassion. SLJ JSB – “Never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always, and forever love.” This is God’s posture towards his people, even when they are disobedient.

See, God’s love/hesed is not based on us – what we’ve done or haven’t done, what we deserve or don’t deserve, who we are or who we are not. (Kids book: Mommy Do You Love Me – Sometimes you make me mad. Sometimes you make me sad. But no matter what you say or do, Mommy will always love you. – Wife will use. Daddy/I don’t ever give my kids a reason to doubt my love for them. – Like their heavenly Father) God’s love is completely based on himself – It’s who he is. God is love. And he loves you with an unshakable love. But his love is not just come and stay as you are. It’s come as you are and become as I am.

He calls his people to love one another with the same kind of steadfast, faithful, loyal love with which he loves us. This is what it means to love kindness/mercy/hesed. To love when people are unlovable, to give grace when favor is not deserved, to show mercy instead of retribution, and to meet others’ needs as if they were our own just as God does for us.

But we will not love kindness/mercy unless we…

3. Walk Humbly – This last part is the key to following the rest of the verse. Because if we know what it is to walk humbly with God, we will have a heart that loves mercy and out of the overflow, do justice. 

So what does it mean to walk humbly with God? There are two parts: 

A. Understanding who we are. Here’s what the bible says about who we are apart from God:

-We’re sinful, dead in our sin. We’re separated from God and under his wrath. And the image of God that we bear has been marred.

-We’re wicked, our thoughts and deeds are always on evil. There’s nothing good in us. We’re murderers, covetors, adulterers, idolaters, liars, thiefs, slanderers, greedy, drunkards…should I go on?

-And there is no way to save ourselves. There’s nothing we can do to fix the condition of our hearts.

B. Understanding who God is. Scripture says God is…

-Holy, Holy, Holy

-He’s love and merciful and gracious. All his ways are good.

-He’s just and righteous. He will not let sin go unpunished

-He’s sovereign and all powerful

-All glory, honor, power, wealth, wisdom, and blessing belong to him

-He’s Lord of All, the one true God. (All other gods are false gods.)

-And He’s the only one who can save us.

If we truly and intimately know who our God is, it puts who we are into right perspective. Doesn’t it? We are not God. We’re far from it. And that recognition is the first part of walking humbly with God.

Humility (Few more thoughts…)

-Humility is not beating yourself up and having a low self worth. But it is having a real and true understanding of yourself in light of who God is and created you to be. Yes, you’re a sinner and you deserve to die, but in Christ because of God’s love, you are sons and daughters of the Most High God. You are loved and delighted in, far beyond what you can ever imagine. Nothing will change that.

-Humility stops comparison. It’s in our fallen human heart to compare ourselves to others, to find people who are lesser than us to make ourselves somebody. But God says, we’ve all fallen short of his glory and were all dead in our sin. So none of us have any grounds to boast before him because none of us earned or deserved his love.

-Instead, humility, as displayed and lived out by Jesus, is lowering yourself to become a servant, to consider others more significant than ourselves, and to look to the interest of others before our own. (Phil 2.)

-Humility at its heart is faithfully allowing God to change us to become like him. We’re not shaping God into who we want, but we are being transformed into his image. So we start to care for the things God cares about and do the things he commands – doing justice and loving mercy.

You see how it all fits together? M6:8 is three commands that flow from the one: Walk Humbly. TK: Walk humbly with God by doing justice from a heart of mercy. Micah 6:8 is basically the OT version of the Great Commandments: Love God and love others as yourself.

How God feels about injustice: 9 The voice of the Lord cries to the city—and it is sound wisdom to fear your name: “Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it! 10 Can I forget any longer the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is accursed? 11 Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights? 12 Your rich men are full of violence; your inhabitants speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. 13 Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow, making you desolate because of your sins. 14 You shall eat, but not be satisfied, and there shall be hunger within you; you shall put away, but not preserve, and what you preserve I will give to the sword. 15 You shall sow, but not reap; you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine. 16 For you have kept the statutes of Omri, and all the works of the house of Ahab; and you have walked in their counsels, that I may make you a desolation, and your inhabitants a hissing; so you shall bear the scorn of my people.”

Wickedness to God to deal with others, treat others, view others, in a way that lacks righteousness and justice due to them as image bearers. If we want to honor God and love God, this is how he wants us to show it. Not to save ourselves or earn God’s love. And it’s not that he doesn’t care about other things, but there’s no scenario where we get everything else right like our worship service and prayer and all our other ministries but we don’t do justice and be a church that honors God. He demands justice from his people. It’s not a suggestion. It’s not optional.

Not a competition, but many who don’t believe in God care about and are engaged in justice issues. We wouldn’t agree with everything they say or how they do things. But they try when they really have no reason to do justice. On what basis? If we all just live and die and there’s no meaning to life, then who cares if there’s injustice in this world or not. People who follow other religions would say that doing justice and good deeds are required for a better afterlife or to be let into paradise. And at the heart of their service they do it not for the good of the other person but for their own benefit. It’s self serving. It’s not out of love.

We as believers, we can’t let people who don’t believe in God at all or a false god to outdo us in doing biblical justice. Crazy. Unacceptable. Jesus says that to whom much is given, much is required (Lk. 14:28) and that those who have been forgiven much, love much. (Lk. 7:47) You and I have been given and forgiven much to in turn love much.

The gospel and biblical justice are not at odds with one another. (Lk. 10:27; Ja. 1:27, 2:16; Gal. 2:10) They go hand in hand. You cannot have the gospel without biblical justice… Jesus is the ultimate picture of what it looks like to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. (KJ) – God the Father’s merciful love (hesed) for us is why he sent his only son, Jesus, to humble himself by taking on flesh and to die and pay the penalty for us, the guilty, for our sin (retributive) and then gave us his perfect record (restorative). So we can be declared righteous and walk humbly with our God.

See, we are not only to preach the gospel but demonstrate and live out the gospel. People changed by the gospel become like the gospel. People saved by Jesus should become like Jesus. They seek justice and righteousness for the good of others because they’ve experienced and love God’s mercy as a fruit, the overflow, of walking humbly with their God.

It is too easy for us to just be around people who are like us. People who don’t have problems. People who don’t have needs. People who don’t need anything from us. People whose lives aren’t messy and hard. But these are the very people Jesus came for. We can’t just go about our lives with things that only concern us and say, those aren’t my problems. That’s their problem. That’s not how Christ treated us. Their problems must become our problem.

Stott: It comes more natural to us to shout the gospel at people from a distance than to involve ourselves deeply in their lives, to think ourselves into their culture and their problems, and to feel with them in their pains. Yet this implication of our Lord’s example is inescapable.

We need to close the distance from our marginalized neighbors. Our mission is both vertical and horizontal (Russell Moore) and our love, holistic. We have to preach the gospel so people come to Jesus and are forgiven and justified before God and also seek justice for them in all areas of life. (Short) 3 Practical Ways: Material-Legal, Medical, Financial. Empowerment – Invest to gain self-sufficiency. Taking on social structures – speak out and seek change. (Refugee Ministry) 

The gospel is holistic in its redemption and restoration. So we work to advance Christ kingdom everywhere sin has devastated. Church, God’s plan for justice and restoration for our city, KL, is us.

Life is not just living the best life you can to be a good person. That won’t save you. And you don’t need to change your life. You need a new life. You need a new heart that only comes through the forgiveness of your sins and walking humbly with Jesus.

Other videos in this series: