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Social Injustice
1The Lord hasn't lost
his powerful strength;
he can still hear
and answer prayers.
2Your sins are the roadblock
between you and your God.
That's why he doesn't answer
your prayers
or let you see his face.
3Your talk is filled with lies
and plans for violence;
every finger on your hands
is covered with blood.
4You falsely accuse others
and tell lies in court;
sin and trouble are the names
of your children.
5You eat the deadly eggs
of poisonous snakes,
and more snakes crawl out
from the eggs left to hatch.
You weave spider webs,
6but you can't make clothes
with those webs
or hide behind them.
You're sinful and brutal.
7 You hurry off to do wrong
or murder innocent victims.
All you think about is sin;
you leave ruin and destruction
wherever you go.
8You don't know how
to live in peace
or to be fair with others.
The roads you make are crooked;
your followers cannot find peace.
The People Confess
9No one has come to defend us
or to bring about justice.
We hoped for a day of sunshine,
but all we found
was a dark, gloomy night.
10We feel our way along,
as if we were blind;
we stumble at noon,
as if it were night.
We can see no better
than someone dead.
11We growl like bears
and mourn like doves.
We hope for justice and victory,
but they escape us.
12How often have we sinned
and turned against you,
the Lord God?
Our sins condemn us!
We have done wrong.
13We have rebelled and refused
to follow you.
Our hearts were deceitful,
and so we lied;
we planned to abuse others
and turn our backs on you.
14Injustice is everywhere;
justice seems far away.
Truth is chased out of court;
honesty is shoved aside.
15Everyone tells lies;
those who turn from crime
end up ruined.
The Lord Will Rescue
When the Lord noticed
that justice had disappeared,
he became very displeased.
16 It disgusted him even more
to learn that no one
would do a thing about it.
So with his own powerful arm,
he won victories for truth.
17 Justice was the Lord's armor;
saving power was his helmet;
anger and revenge
were his clothes.
18Now the Lord will get furious
and do to his enemies,
both near and far,
what they did to his people.
19He will attack like a flood
in a mighty windstorm.
Nations in the west and the east
will then honor and praise
his wonderful name.
20 The Lord has promised to rescue
the city of Zion
and Jacob's descendants
who turn from sin.
21The Lord says: “My people,
I promise to give you my Spirit
and my message.
These will be my gifts to you
and your families forever.
I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Reflect
Psychology has shown that our perceptions do not yield a 100% carbon copy of reality. That is, our thinking often falls prey to a number of biases.
As we think about justice in a particular situation, a bias called the fundamental attribution error comes into play. Here’s how it works: When you see someone do something wrong, you most likely will attribute it to something internal – that is, to something about them like their character, personality, intentions, or intelligence. However, if when you yourself do something wrong (even possibly the same exact thing), you will attribute it to something external – to the circumstances, not your own character, personality, intentions or intelligence.
This is why we need to leave justice in God’s hands. Only he can see beyond the actions to the heart. In the first part of this chapter, God speaks of the sinfulness of that heart. In spite of what our biased thoughts will tell us, the truth is that we have all fallen short and those sins put up a roadblock between us and God.
The people confess this truth in verses 9 to 14. In fact, the opening verses acknowledge that they have not found justice and we are all feeling our way along blindly.
Thankfully the chapter doesn’t end there. In the closing verses, we read how important justice is to our Lord. A lack of justice displeases him greatly. He promises to rescue his people from those wrongs. Moreover, he promises to give us his Spirit, allowing us to see beyond our human biases and with his eyes.
Respond
God of Heaven, justice is your armor and saving power your helmet. It’s hard for me to not get discouraged when I see so much injustice around me. Help me today to rest in the knowledge of your promises. May I also serve as your hands today, healing the hurts of others and bringing them the freedom that comes from you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Arnie Cole
DR. ARNIE COLE (Pepperdine) is the CEO of Back to the Bible—an international radio and internet ministry—and Director of Research and Development for the Center for Bible Engagement. He has spent much of his professional life tracking trends of human behavior. Dr. Cole is the co-author of seven books, including Seven Secrets of Worry-Free Living (BroadStreet Publishing). He and his wife, Char, are parents of adult children and operate an equestrian center in Nebraska.