Preventive Justice – The Kingdom Curriculum XVII (4)

Preventive Justice

“If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution.” Exodus 22:6

In this statute we see the interplay of two facets of the jewel of justice. The one–restorative justice–we will consider in our next installment. Knowing that, if we are responsible for someone else’s loss of property we shall have to replace it out of our own (restorative justice), we are encouraged to practice the second facet of the jewel of justice, preventive justice.

Preventive justice seeks to prevent disruptions to the system of justice in a community. By practicing preventive justice individuals take precautions against treating others unjustly. If I have some trash or leaves to burn, therefore, I’m going to wait for a day that isn’t windy, get a burn permit from the town hall, and stand by until the fire is out. I’m taking loving steps to ensure that my neighbor’s property is not endangered by my actions. I’m preventing injustice and, thus, practicing preventive justice.

It would not be difficult to multiply examples of this, many of which we probably take for granted. Using turn signals and driving the speed limit help to keep our neighbors from harm. Putting a fence around our swimming pool can protect the lives of pets and small children. Making sure that my place of business has access for handicapped people, personnel policies and manuals, and safety warnings and instructions posted in various places–these are all examples of preventive justice, actions we take in anticipation of things going wrong, which can help to ensure they don’t.

Even families practice preventive justice: keeping sharp knives and harmful chemicals out of the reach of children; telling teens in advance when they need to be home, and making sure they can reach us whenever we’re out; keeping good batteries in the fire alarms; properly maintaining cars, tools, and lawn equipment. These are everyday examples of good things to do that will help to ensure that we do not foist injustice on others. Justice is not simply a matter of criminal courts; it is a way of life, and a way of loving our neighbors as ourselves.

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.