God Is Just

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. - Isaiah 30:18

Devotion:

I don’t know about you, but I am a big fan of law shows, especially the classics like Perry Mason and Matlock. I know, I’m dating myself (I was very young when I watched these shows). One of the reasons I like these shows is because justice is always served in the end. It usually occurs through a very clever plot twist that happens in the last five minutes of the show. While these shows are good entertainment, the reality is they end perfectly every time because they aren’t real.

In truth, justice seems out of reach in our imperfect world. We see injustice daily in the news, in our workplace, or even in our personal lives. Many times the scales of justice just don’t seem balanced and situations can seem hopeless. Yet there is hope even in this unbalanced world. You see, the one true God, the One who has always been and always will be, is not only just, he is perfectly just.

Justice is one of the attributes of God that is spoken about frequently in Scripture. We read it in Isaiah 30:18, “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.”

And again in Psalm 33:4-5, “For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.” Not only is the Lord a God of justice, but the psalmist says he loves righteousness and justice. This is such a comfort to hear, isn’t it?

Imagine a judge who knows every piece of evidence, was in the room as a witness when the incident occurred, knows the thoughts of all of those involved, and loves you so much he wants what is best for you. Would you trust him to make a just and loving judgment? Of course!

We see the fulfillment of this attribute of God in Jesus’ ministry on earth. Jesus pursued justice or rightness for those who didn’t have anyone to defend them. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus confronts the Pharisees over their hypocrisy in tithing but neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness in their actions. When Jesus healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath, the Pharisees were unhappy that he broke the law by doing work. Jesus responds by telling them it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath—Jesus pursued justice for the crippled man (Matthew 12:9-14).

Even when his disciples were trying to keep the children from bothering Jesus, he was indignant. At that time, children were thought of as less important than adults. Jesus scolds the disciples and directs them to allow the children to come to him—Jesus pursued justice for those who couldn’t do it for themselves (Mark 10:13-16).

Throughout his ministry, Jesus pursued justice even though he knew it would make enemies of the religious leaders of that time. Ultimately, Jesus pursued justice and rightness when he displayed his love for us by taking our place on the cross to make us right with God, something we could not do for ourselves. Paul says when God sent Christ as a sacrifice for our sins it was, “to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:25-26).

Through Christ’s death, God showed he was both righteous and just as he paid the wages of sin and death and forgave you and me (Romans 6:23). This world may not be just, but we must not lose heart. Trust in God who is perfectly just, the one who sees all, knows all, and loves us all. God’s justice is perfect, was fulfilled by his perfect son Jesus, and will ultimately prevail when Christ comes again. No last-minute plot twist here because we already know the rest of the story—the fulfillment of God’s promise to bring justice to this world and make all things right in creation.

PRAYER

Dear Lord,

We know we live in an imperfect world full of injustice. We also know you are a just and perfect God who sees all, knows all, and loves us all so perfectly. We are so thankful for that! Help us to keep our eyes on you, the author and perfecter of our faith, as we live our lives. We are so thankful you sent Jesus to show us how to live, to take on our sin, and to make us right with you—something we could not do on our own. Help us to seek your justice and help those who cannot do it on their own. We eagerly await the time when you will bring justice to this world and make all things right. Help us to serve you faithfully and bring glory to your name until that time.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

Sheila Urton
Director of Adult Ministries, OKC

Sheila Urton is the Director of Adult Ministries at the OKC location. She is passionate about helping people deepen their relationship with God through discipleship, community, and the study of God’s Word.

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