The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 140:12,
"I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy."
In this psalm David acknowledges the Lord will insure justice is secured for the poor as he "upholds the cause of the needy."
The term "justice" gets bandied about quite a bit these days. "Social justice", "environmental justice", "racial justice"… I'm sure you have heard it all as well. What exactly does "justice" mean? Merriam-Webster defines it as "the maintenance or administration of what is just". So… what does "just" mean? The first meaning Merriam-Webster provides is fairly useless, "conforming to a standard of correctness". What is the standard for correctness? I think you see what I mean. My "correctness" may not be your "correctness" and that fairly renders the term meaningless.
The second meaning provides a better definition in my estimation, "acting or being in conformity with what is morally upright or good". On the one hand, it at least provides for an appeal to a standard, "what is morally upright or good." However, it still carries with it the weakness of the first definition. My "morally upright or good" my not be your "morally upright or good."
In the final analysis, the concepts of "just" and "justice" become very weak within a culture that is shifting. I recall our previous president saying he had "evolved" on the subject of same-sex marriage - revealing the changing nature of what might be considered "morally upright or good". The terms "just" and "justice" have no meaning in such a context and in our culture today. The use of the term in our culture today is simply to provide weight to an argument or a movement were there is nothing weighty.
However, were David to define what he meant by "justice", he would point to the Creator of mankind and proclaim that that which is consistent with our Creator forms the basis for our understanding of what is "morally upright or good" and, so, makes the concepts of "just" and "justice" comprehensible and meaningful.
Apart from the Lord, the concepts of "just" and "justice" really lack any coherent meaning no matter what era or culture you live in.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy."
In this psalm David acknowledges the Lord will insure justice is secured for the poor as he "upholds the cause of the needy."
The term "justice" gets bandied about quite a bit these days. "Social justice", "environmental justice", "racial justice"… I'm sure you have heard it all as well. What exactly does "justice" mean? Merriam-Webster defines it as "the maintenance or administration of what is just". So… what does "just" mean? The first meaning Merriam-Webster provides is fairly useless, "conforming to a standard of correctness". What is the standard for correctness? I think you see what I mean. My "correctness" may not be your "correctness" and that fairly renders the term meaningless.
The second meaning provides a better definition in my estimation, "acting or being in conformity with what is morally upright or good". On the one hand, it at least provides for an appeal to a standard, "what is morally upright or good." However, it still carries with it the weakness of the first definition. My "morally upright or good" my not be your "morally upright or good."
In the final analysis, the concepts of "just" and "justice" become very weak within a culture that is shifting. I recall our previous president saying he had "evolved" on the subject of same-sex marriage - revealing the changing nature of what might be considered "morally upright or good". The terms "just" and "justice" have no meaning in such a context and in our culture today. The use of the term in our culture today is simply to provide weight to an argument or a movement were there is nothing weighty.
However, were David to define what he meant by "justice", he would point to the Creator of mankind and proclaim that that which is consistent with our Creator forms the basis for our understanding of what is "morally upright or good" and, so, makes the concepts of "just" and "justice" comprehensible and meaningful.
Apart from the Lord, the concepts of "just" and "justice" really lack any coherent meaning no matter what era or culture you live in.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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