A Society of Justice & Peace!

“Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
And righteousness abide in the fruitful field.
The effect of righteousness will be peace, (Shalom)
And the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,
In secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”
(Isaiah 32: 16-18)

“When God reigns, when the kingdom comes, then society will be put to rights. The emphasis of Isaiah, not to mention every other prophet is not on the personal revival of millions in their relationship with God but on the establishment of a society in which justice is done and established – done by all because the powerful oppressors will be disestablished and the true people of God will be reestablished. There is no reason here to heap up more references, for the point is clear: the vision of Isaiah is for a society of justice and peace.” From the book A Community Called Atonement by Scot McKnight

What is the heart of God? What does God care about?

• God formed a nation through Abraham that was intended to be “a blessing to the nations.” (Genesis 12:2&3)
• God is full of compassion and desires justice for every person.
• Deuteronomy 10:17-19 - “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing”
• Deuteronomy 15:11 – “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land”
• Job 29:11-13 – “I rescued the poor…the fatherless…the man who was dying; I made the widow’s heart sing”
• Psalm 68:5 – “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling”
• Proverbs 14:31 – “Whoever is kind to the needy honors God”
• Proverbs 31:8-9 – “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute”
• Isaiah 1:17 – “Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.”
• Isaiah 58:1-12
• Jeremiah 22:15&16 – “He defended the cause of the poor and needy…Is that not what it means to know me?”
• Amos 5:23,24 – “Away with the noise of your songs…but let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”
• Micah 6:8 – “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”

God Cares & Wants Us to Care. He invites us to join him in his mission of restoring wholeness. Restoring wholeness is our responsibility.

“The disestablishment of injustice and systemic injustices as well as the establishment of justice and systemic justice are in their own way atoning acts, for thorough these acts the floodgates of relationship open for humans to be restored to God, to one another, to self, and to the world.” Scot McKnight