“The evil
do not understand justice,
but those
who seek the Lord understand it
completely.”
~Proverbs 28:5 (NRSV).
Many decisions of the court we do
not truly understand, lest we have insufficient knowledge of the legal system
and such scant knowledge of the Lord.
Offenders seem to either get off scot-free or they receive more than their full
load of punishment. Victims of crime, on the other hand, never seem to receive
full compensation or justice, for time cannot be reversed.
Making Sense Of The Justice System
We may all struggle to make sense
of the justice meted out to both criminals and victims, but if we follow God,
we trust that there is a method that makes the felt injustice right.
When the proverb above says that
those who seek the Lord understand
justice completely it means that believers have faith that overall justice is
served by the justice system—in Proverbs’ day, the torah: the Hebrew mode of teaching (as opposed to the Torah as Hebrew Law book) taught about
righteousness and justice. As a result, the Hebrews recognised the tenets of
justice. Believers do too.
This doesn’t mean we accept every
judgment emotion free. There are so many things in life that we initially shake
our heads at; the believer doesn’t leave it there, though.
Those that seek God with all their
hearts understand they must process the emotions and harmonise their reactions,
for in this is true dependence on the Lord.
They work hard on notions of forgiveness that rely on their personal approach
to life. They understand that to not forgive renders them bitter and twisted.
The more bitter and twisted we become the less rationality we have in
separating justice from injustice.
Making sense of the justice system
is simply that; having faith that the superintending system is good for us,
even if some judgments seem to betray sense.
Retaining The Broader Perspective
This is a good overall rule to
maintain in life: maintaining a good global perspective on matters where the
emotions are quickly enrolled is wisdom. It speaks for our balance when we
wisely reserve judgment regarding contentious issues, and even those that
appear straightforward.
Jesus mentioned in Matthew 11:19
that truth comes relatively late in the piece. We quickly develop our views on
many things, but then are forced to re-evaluate many of these views because
more truth most often comes to light, later.
Wisdom holds us to good account by
calm use of balance as we seek insight to the truth.
***
It’s easy to become frustrated
with the justice system. What seems so hit-and-miss, and a blight on many
victims of crime, is a reflection of an imperfect system in an imperfect world.
When we recognise that God is
behind the global justice system—the
eternal justice system—we can have faith that our justice systems, overall,
operate under God.
It comes as a great comfort to us
when we trust God to help us in our anger and exasperation. Justice does
eventually come. Having a patient faith is infinitely better than becoming
bitter and twisted.
© 2012 S. J. Wickham.
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