Summary: Christians should show mercy to those unjustly oppressed.

GOD AND JUSTICE

Texts: Amos 6, 8; Zephaniah 3

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"Injustice is relatively easy to bear; what stings is justice."__ H.L. Mencken, Prejudices

We should act with justice in everything. Justice can be considered right behavior.

Ethics involve or express moral approval or disapproval consistent with God’s Word

and His holy nature. Two of the minor prophets Amos & Zephaniah show that justice

is one of the great themes of the O.T. Some other themes are God, man, sin,

righteousness, grace, covenant, law, atonement, the Messiah. Consider Micah 6:8,

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee,

but to do justly ( Strong’s # H4941- right, proper, and fitting), and to love mercy, and to

walk humbly (Strong’s # H6800 - to be humble, be modest, be lowly) with thy God?"

Amos 5:24, "But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty

stream.

Christians should show mercy to those unjustly oppressed. Amos chapter six indicates

that God hates arrogance. Arrogance is that stinking attitude of superiority toward others.

Many in the days of Amos demonstrated an air of exaggerated self-importance. They would

make overbearing demands on others. Presumptuous (Going beyond what is right or proper)

actions toward others were often the norm. The arrogant believed they deserved every

pleasure, they should satisfy every desire

Amos warned (6:7) that the affluent ruling class would be the first to go into captivity.

Amos’s prophecies came true. The writer of the book of Proverbs expands our picture

of God’s displeasure with overbearing aristocrats--Proverbs 16:18, "Pride (Strong’s

# H1347, arrogance) goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit ( Strong’s #H7307,

arrogant desire/an impatient vain emptiness) before a fall (Strong’s #H3783, a stumbling,

a fall, a calamity)."

Now we find that God hates injustice (Amos 8:4-12). Justice, Biblically speaking,

is that which is moral (right behavior) and ethically (involving or expressing moral approval or

disapproval) right, consistent with God’s Word and holy nature.

Injustice is defined as a violation of the rights of others. In this particular instance

the Northern Kingdom merchants were being dishonest in their buying, selling, and

trading. Inflated prices, unfair weights, measures, and scales (v. 5) had become the norm.

Many of the poor became debtors and even slaves to those crooked merchants.

D. L. Moody stated in his book, "We may say that covetous desire plunged the

human race into sin. We can trace the river back from age to age until we get to its

rise in Eden. When Eve saw that the forbidden fruit was good for food and that it was

desirable to the eyes, she partook of it, and Adam with her. They were not satisfied

with all that God had showered upon them, but coveted the wisdom of gods which

Satan deceitfully told them might be obtained by eating the fruit. She saw,--she

desired--then she took! Three steps from innocence into sin."____Moody, D. L.

Weighed and Wanting Addresses on the Ten Commandments, 1898,Fleming H. Revell Company

Chicago : New York : Toronto, Publishers of Evangelical Literature,

Copyright, 1898, by The Bible Institute Colportage Association.

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Now God remembered and justly rewarded each group.

The poor would be consoled in their grief. The crooks would be punished.

Illustration: "In China’s later Han era, there lived a politician called Yang Zhen, a man known

for his upright character. After Yang Zhen was made a provincial governor, one

of his earlier patrons, Wang Mi, paid him an unexpected visit. As they talked over

old times, Wang Mi brought out a large gold cup and presented it to Yang Zhen.

Yang Zhen refused to accept it, but Wang Mi persisted, saying, "There’s no one

here tonight but you and me, so no one will know."

"You say that no one will know," Yang Zhen replied, "but that is not true. Heaven

will know, and you and I will know too."

Wang Mi was ashamed, and backed down. Subsequently Yang Zhen’s integrity won

increasing recognition, and he rose to a high post in the central government.

Human nature is weak, and we tend to yield to temptation when we think nobody can

see us. In fact, if there was no police force, many people would not hesitate to steal.

This is not to say that when we do something bad, we feel no compunction at all, just

that man is weak and prone to yield to temptation. But even if nobody witnesses our

sins, and not a soul knows of them, we cannot hide the truth from the eyes of our

conscience. In the end, what is important is not that other people know, but that we

ourselves know. When Yang Zhen told Wang Mi that "Heaven will know," he meant

that the gods would know what he had done: in other words, his own conscience.

A person who sins neither in thought nor deed, and is fair and just, gains enormous

courage and strength. As a leader, you need courage born of integrity in order to be

capable of powerful leadership. To achieve this courage, you must search your heart,

and make sure that your conscience is clear and your behavior is beyond

reproach."___Bits & Pieces, June 25, 1992. Taken from Konosuke Matsushita (founder of Panasonic)

Velvet Glove, Iron Fist, PHP Institute, Tokyo.

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Proverbs 2:22-23 gives added insight, "Rob not the poor, because he is poor:

neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: For the LORD will plead their cause, and

spoil ( H6906, deceive, defraud) the soul of those that spoiled them."

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From the way that Zephaniah 2 ended we perhaps hoped that this oppressing city was Nineveh. From the references to her prophets, her priests, and the sanctuary and the law, we know Jerusalem is the oppressing city.

b. She has not . . . she has not . . . she has not . . . she has not: In repeating these four phrases, the prophet tells us the root of Jerusalemfs sin.

i. She has not obeyed His voice: God called to His people, but they did not listen. If there is any voice for the sheep to obey, it is the voice of the shepherd - but she has not obeyed His voice.

ii. She has not received correction: Correction certainly came, but she did not receive it as correction from the Lord. Instead it was a bad time, tough circumstances, whatever - but she has not received correction.

iii. She has not trusted in the Lord: God never gave her a reason to stop trusting in Him; He never proved Himself unfaithful or untrustworthy. Now Godfs people will openly deny and contradict Godfs word and promises, showing that she has not trusted in the Lord.

iv. She has not drawn near to her God: The worst offence is saved for last. God longs for relationship with His people, but they rejected His desire and went their own way, so she has not drawn near to her God.__Guzik, David. "Study Guide for Zephaniah 3." Enduring Word. Blue Letter Bible. 7 Jul 2006. 2011. 21 Sep 2011.

AuthorID=2&contentID=7844&commInfo=31&topic=Zephaniah&

ar=Zep_3_1 >

God remembered all the schemes. God punished for every unjust deed.

The prosperity of the wicked ceased. Merriment and mirth would be replaced with

mourning.

Illustration: Supreme Court Justice Horace Gray once informed a man who had

appeared before him in a lower court and had escaped conviction on a technicality,

"I know that you are guilty and you know it, and I wish you to remember that one day you

will stand before a better and wiser Judge, and that there you will be dealt with according

to justice and not according to law." Surprised while burgling a house in Antwerp,

Belgium, the thief fled out the back door, clambered over a nine-foot wall, dropped

down the other side, and found himself in the city prison.___ Oops: The Book of Blunders, 1980.

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Revelation 18:11, "And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her;

for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:" The discussion here in Amos is

a near and partial fulfillment of Rev. 18:11. In the future the destruction of Babylon

(that wicked city and system) will be the ultimate and final fulfillment.

Spiritual renewal was needed then and is sorely needed in our land today.

Zephaniah the prophet gave some insight and direction about 100 years

after the time of Amos. This prophet gave indication that the results of a

spiritual renewal is justice ( Zeph. 3:9-20).

Prior to the Babylonian captivity, Judah, under the godly King Joshia experienced

a revival in the land because of the putting away of the idolatry that had brought

God’s displeasure. The spiritual, moral, and political climate improved greatly.

Long story short: Josiah died--Judah returned to idolatry. Destruction was declared

by God through Zephaniah. Then 70 years captivity cured Judah’s idolatry.

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In conclusion (I usually get a round of applause with those two words.), cleansing

from sin and sincere devotion to God are necessary for us to be just, and to have

justice win out among us. Now justice cannot prevail among the idolatrous and

sinful. In saving from sinful living, God also acts to cause justice to overcome.

Dr. Daniel Black, writer and editor of the adult Sunday School lessons for Pathway

Press in Cleveland, TN tells us that the worship of God and justice go hand-in-hand.

Captain Midnight said, "Be sure you’re right, then go ahead." The Captain of the Lord’s

host said in Luke 6:31, "...as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

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