Administering Justice – The Kingdom Curriculum XIX (1)

Administering Justice

Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you. Deuteronomy 16:20

Justice doesn’t just happen. Human beings are naturally self-centered and tend to look out for themselves first of all, and for others only perhaps after that. In seeking our own desires and ends we may not be inclined, in every instance, to do the right thing; we might try to do only the best thing to get whatever we want. In such instances justice will likely be compromised.

So if a society is to know justice and only justice, so that the promises and blessings of God may flourish in its midst, someone must be responsible to ensure justice in every situation. The maintenance of justice must be lodged in certain sectors of society, and protocols and procedures designed to ensure justice must be practiced by those responsible.

This is exactly what we find in the Law of God. Certain parties–more than one–are vested with the duty of working for justice in all relationships, and they are instructed in the way to proceed to help ensure that the ends of justice will be met.

We have seen that justice is a jewel with five facets, and that it must be extended to even the least of those in a society. When justice is practiced the love of God flows between neighbors, and the blessings of God fall upon the community. So let those responsible for ensuring justice–which includes all of us–study to understand our duty and be bold to engage it whenever the situation requires.

Reading and meditating on the Law of God is every believer’s duty and privilege (Ps. 1). Order your copy of The Law of God, a compendium of the commandments and precepts of God’s Law, by going to www.MyParuchia.com, point your browser to “Publications,” then click on the drop-down option, “Waxed Tablet Publications.”

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore.

T.M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.