Divine Justice

Believe it or not, there are times when I get tired and cranky after a long day at school. Times when I’m selfish and act like everyone should cater to my every need. In those times I get mad easily. There have been times when I get home from school at 7 at night and I’m tired so I ask my sister if she can unpack my backpack. Well, most of the time she says no, so I get mad and ask my parents to tell her to do it but they say no too. In these times, I feel like they should do everything for me so that I can relax, but in doing so I end up implying that my needs are greater than all of theirs. 

Now, according to Google, justice is “the idea that people should be treated fairly and impartially. It can also refer to the administration of the law to make sure that people are treated fairly and impartially.” I know that my sense of justice is wrong. It’s human. We all end up putting ourselves before others. 

In today’s passage from Jeremiah, God is saying that the people who were supposed to be in charge of enforcing the law—the kings and rulers of the people—were acting like humans. They were acting selfishly and mistreating their role as an impartial judge. Since we can’t be trusted to judge right from wrong, God promised that He would bring in a righteous king, a fair king, and that king, Jesus, would do what was wise and just for His people. 

God decides what is just and what is right, not us. If you are ever stuck in a matter that makes you question what is just and right, my advice is pray. Ask God, who knows what is good and just, to help and to guide you to the proper course of action.  

• When are you most tempted to take “justice” into your own hands?  Besides prayer, what else can you do to trust in God’s ability to set things right?