Justice is overlooked and pushed away in our society. Why? First, the justice that most of us have experienced was actually vengeance. Vengeance is unhealthy both for the recipient and the assailant. That is not disputable. Second, the leaders, powerful people, and the wealthy do not seem to experience punishment for their sins against God or society, whereas poor people who do not have the money or skills to work the system, do. In fact, the underlying idea is generally that all poor people or unskilled people are that way because they are bad people making habitual bad choices and their judgment is their current straits. It has become such a problem that society’s current message that we are unable to make judgement calls almost seems moral.
People’s tenancy to push away justice is playing out right now in our election process. Some think the court hearings are going to prove lawlessness and decide the election. The Constitution states that, in a time such as this, the state’s electors will generally split and the Senate makes the decision. If the purpose of the court hearings is not to choose the election, then what are they for? To administer justice through finding the laws that were broken, finding the people that broke them, and finally administering justice. If you watch the live broadcasts of current hearings, instead of reading articles or listening to any media outlet, you will see the leaders that are guilty are the same people who are running the hearings and have allowed the election laws to become so lax that breaking laws was not even necessary. For instance, back in 2002, a law was passed that allows any election’s results to be multiplied or divided, unevenly, to help the one they justify ought to win. That is one thing the protester’s signs and chants “one person, one vote,” and “I am less than one person” reference. There are people who have campaigned and won, only to have their votes multiplied by a number like “.666” in one instance, and their constituent’s votes to be multiplied by something like 1.2, before the results were announced to the public. This construing of the elections results is a real thing that has been, and is currently happening. It is only beginning to be addressed, finally.
That problem is a whole ‘nother can of worms, within our current can of worms. Back to the first can of worms: our “elected” officials are making it clear they understand the system made a wrong turn and needs to change; however, they are not asking the hard questions or bringing up the topics that should be discussed. Instead, they are humoring the hard questions for a few minutes to the end that an act is played out. This act is played in order to hamper those seeking justice while at the same time protecting themselves and their colleagues from the judgment that is needed in order to ensure they are made stronger leaders. Unfortunately, life does not work like that. Life is not a cake walk during times of change, responsibility and integrity. Now is the appropriate time for change
Things like this election’s events happen everyday and collectively they have brought us all to believe that justice is worthless for us, and is only experienced by the poor and unskilled. I pray The Savior strengthens us as a people so as to be honorable enough to have strong leaders. Currently, our leadership quite rightly reflects our society’s behaviors.
This flurry of sub-conscience psychological devices that are a result of the systems that surround us make it nearly impossible for any of us to actually experience true judgment, unadulterated, from The Savior. Let’s focus on what “mishpat” really is, when mishpat is appropriate, how mishpat is administered, and to what end. When the Bible teaches that sparing the rod spoils the child, it is talking about mishpat. Therefore, when running from His judgments on our lives, we are doing both us and Him harm. His harm comes because our value to Him increases when we are made stronger and more filled with ability and long-suffering in doing good. Our harm comes for the same reason. We are allowing ourselves to move forward unskilled, weak, and less valuable than what is available to us through His strength when we do not allow Him to mold us using mishpat.
So when is judgment appropriate? In Romans’ second chapter it teaches us that all unGodliness will be judged: some now, some at the end. It gives two circumstances when this will happen: on that last and final day, or now. We will be judged based on our works. Our works include the things we do each and every day as habit. The things we do when things are great and when things are terrible. Our works are what He will see and judge us based on. If He sees His Son working through us, mercy will be lavished on our shortcomings. If He see’s anything other than His Son’s perfection in our works, judgment will be dealt where it ought to have been accepted so long ago. That mishpat, just like our daily judgments, is what our final destination will be determined by, justifiably based on our works.
For those who decide to bite the bullet and deal with judgment now, it is for good reason. The other side of that mature decision are the riches of His goodness, forbearance and long-suffering. Our works decide our fate today and in the future: glory, honor and immortality for those who, through patient continuance, do good, but indignation, wrath, tribulation, and anguish on every single soul of man who continues in doing evil and who obeys lawlessness.
The Bible teaches us that those who do and teach His laws will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven and that those who do not do His laws and teach others not to do them will be called least. That means there are lesser and greater places in the future and the judgment that is justly placed on you on that day, based on your works, will determine your place, whether in heaven or the lake of fire. It tells us that those who hear and do His commands are like those who dug real deep and placed their house on the rock. Those who do not do His commands are like those who place their house on sand. We all know what happens eventually to a great palace built on the sand.
What is the why? “Why is judgment appropriate?” Judgment is appropriate in a circumstance where a person has fallen short by sinning. We all think we know what sin is. We know sin theory well. But who cares how much music theory you have? Can you draw a crowd, play the concert well, and hold the attention of the group all whilst subtly getting a message across that will benefit the hearer? Eventually, you have to be able to apply your knowledge of what sin is to your everyday actions and put an effort towards thwarting it. How can you stop doing a thing you only theoretically know, but do not take seriously enough to accept as bearing repercussions? It seems unfair that God would not clearly define what He sees as sins and what are not while holding us responsible for it. He is Almighty and created all things seen and unseen. Right? Couldn’t He have created everything in such a way that no matter what happens and no matter how much time passes and no matter what society changes, certain things would be clearly sins, and other things clearly not? Thankfully, holding us to unseen, theoretical, floating and changing standards is unfair. Thankfully, He did make it clear. Thankfully, God shows no partiality when it comes to justice and judgement.
her cubs, the same way He is
patient with His children.
Part of sin’s definitional references can be found in the Brit Hadasha if you have eyes that see and ears that hear. In 1 John 3:4: “Whoever commits sin commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” It is appropriate for Him to administer His judgment on His people who have invited Him to do so and only in circumstances when they have committed a lawless act. Why? So it does not happen again, for growth, for self value, for gaining abilities in administering love to those around us, and to be more able bodied in functioning as one of His very own good and faithful servants. Sin gets in the way of those things and sin can be very hard to pin down if your definition of sin is only a theory floating around that you may or may not apply whenever it seems appropriate to your desires and emotions. His people perish for lack of knowledge.
concise and it won’t change until heaven
and earth pass away
Thankfully, His law is less complicated and much simpler than any set of laws at any court house. Thus, contrary to the anti-gospel that is preached in churches, we can live lawful, just lives if we all work together to work towards doing so. We can live without lying, stealing, without being adulterers and liars. We can honor our fathers and mothers and we can honor Yahweh in all that we do. We can keep ourselves from gossiping and backbiting. We can take authority of our minds and thwart the negative, hurtful thoughts against others and the wishing of ill will towards the good in this world. In fact, we can allow Him to use us to do just the opposite of that. He has the authority to manumit us from those base elements. The gospel’s main point is that The Savior saves. What does being saved look like? It looks like living justly on the outside and on the inside. It looks like taking every thought captive and breaking free from being shackled by the idea that sin is a necessity or an enemy that cannot be defeated. “Sin cannot be defeated” is a vile and filthy message. Isn’t it? It keeps people enslaved! Be mature in the Spirit and grow beyond that base and elemental message that attracts so many.
In the Bible, as it was originally penned, the word “tzedeka”, which translates to “just”, is the word often penned when you see the word righteousness. The actual word “righteousness” does not exist in the Hebrew language. The idea exists without a doubt, but instead, a person who lives “justly” is so obviously doing so through the covering and protection of Yeshua, that it is simply understood as part of the fabric of living justly. The word for judgment in original Scripture is mishpat. Mishpat is defined as “the decided judgment”, as in for a crime or a lifestyle. Sounds scary, doesn’t it? Not really if you are seeking it for the purpose of living justly for the sake of His kingdom.
Did you know that relationships all work correctly only through a system of judgment? How can we deduce that? “Mishpocha” is the word for “family.” Since mishpocha and mishpat share the same base word, we can deduce that a mishpocha operates properly when proper mishpat is their foundational system.
Do not fall into judging your life based on the theoretical laws of people, but on the solid foundation that is the law of The Savior. Contrary to church culture’s rhetoric, The Scriptures teach that Yeshua lived and taught from His Father’s law and was never contrary to it. In fact, He fulfilled Torah and has instructed us to walk the same way, fulfilling our duties to The Father as well. How is it that so many have been tricked into thinking that Yeshua fulfilled His God given mission to the end that we ought not?
Fulfill your purpose and you will have the same solid foundation that Abraham had. The Father came to Him before giving him the “child o’ promise” for a reason. The Father ensured that Abraham knew what to do with the child long before he was born. Abraham knew the promise was being fulfilled for reasons greater than himself. The promise was fulfilled for Abraham in order to command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of Yahweh, to do justice (tzedeka) and judgment (mishpat).
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Author: T.Griffin
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Shalom, in The Savior
