Insist on Justice for All

God's Urgent CallCalling of Prophets
Moses and the Burning Bush

Exodus 23:1-9 The Message

23 1-3 “Don’t pass on malicious gossip.
“Don’t link up with a wicked person and give corrupt testimony. Don’t go along with the crowd in doing evil and don’t fudge your testimony in a case just to please the crowd. And just because someone is poor, don’t show favoritism in a dispute.
4-5 “If you find your enemy’s ox or donkey loose, take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying helpless under its load, don’t walk off and leave it. Help it up.
6 “When there is a dispute concerning your poor, don’t tamper with the justice due them.
7 “Stay clear of false accusations. Don’t contribute to the death of innocent and good people. I don’t let the wicked off the hook.
8 “Don’t take bribes. Bribes blind perfectly good eyes and twist the speech of good people.
9 “Don’t take advantage of a stranger. You know what it’s like to be a stranger; you were strangers in Egypt.

For Reflection

Much of the time we tend to think that justice is limited to retribution, a rationalized outcome for wrong-doing.  Occasionally, we define it as an equitable distribution of community resources, (distributive). More rarely, we define it as a personal action.

Thousands of years later, God's gift of Mosiac law is just as contemporary as it was when God delivered it.  Devout affections and pious resolutions are insufficient signs of obedience to the grace of God.  Let your action be consistent with God's love of justice.

Pray

Pray that you will accept the grace of God in God's precepts and promises.  Pray so that the Spirit enters you and fills your soul with the need to seek justice for all.  Pray that you will be a priest in God's Kingdom.