Doing Justice, Defending the Poor.

It seems like we’ve spent many posts just doing an introduction. But let’s get to just a bit of what the Bible has to say about justice and partiality.

We’ve read this before, but let’s go back to Deuteronomy:

You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Deuteronomy 16:18-20

Notice that first part – “judges and officers in all your towns”. Justice would be accessible, and probably fairly quick. And the judgements, of course, must be just – “righteous judgment”. That is, based on God’s law, God’s justice.

Justice here is not trying to make everyone equal. But everyone is equal before the law. “You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality…” It doesn’t matter if the accused is male or female, king or slave, foreigner or national, rich or poor. If you steal, you give it back.

And why mention bribes? What is the problem with bribes? Simply this – bribes mean that the person with power and resources can obtain justice, and the poor person can’t. Or maybe the rich can break the law and escape because of a bribe. Yes, the rich do have a possible advantage here – the bribe. But God says NO – “you shall not accept a bribe”.

“Justice, and only justice, you shall follow…”

You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s…

Deuteronomy 1:17a

You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.

Leviticus 19:15

“Oh, but the poor are ‘oppressed’, and so we should give them the advantage.” No. The law should be equally applied to all.

Sometimes it’s more helpful if we use biblical terminology instead of the words and phrases of the world, like “racism” and “discrimination”. Terms like “partiality” and “favouritism” are more biblical terms (in English!).

Why does God only mention rich and poor? They are examples. What’s the main point? The law should apply to everyone equally. No government or expert should decide to change the law for certain people, oppressed or not.

But who is more likely to suffer from injustice? The poor. The vulnerable. Right? And so, the Bible tells us to help the poor. To ensure that they receive justice. And we personally help them as well.

We know that God loves His creation. And we also know that He specifically defends certain people – people we may call “vulnerable”. Let’s take a look at another text:

You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless. If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. If ever you take your neighbor’s cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

Exodus 22:21-27

Do not mistreat the poor, the foreigner, the vulnerable. Don’t use them for your own benefit.

Here are a few more principles in the next chapter:

You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.

Exodus 23:1-3

Always be honest. Speak the truth. Don’t be partial to the poor – but that’s only an example. What does it mean? Don’t be partial to anyone! Just be honest.

If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.

Exodus 23:4-5

It doesn’t matter if you’re not really fond of your neighbour. You’re a part of the community. We help one another.

You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit. Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.

Exodus 23:6-7

This is an important principle. The law should protect the innocent. We talked about this before, but here it is in black and white. Two or three witnesses – and that means that sometimes the wicked will escape. But we protect the innocent and the righteous. Why? Because God “will not acquit the wicked”. In other words, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12.19) In other words, when the wicked escape, they don’t escape forever. God is just.

God’s Word is so wise – so just!

And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

Exodus 23:8-9

We’ve already talked about that – let’s continue.

For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield, but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard. Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.

Exodus 23:10-12

This is great. There are laws in the Old Testament especially designed to protect the poor. Do you remember the law of gleaning? “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 23:22)

God’s law provides for the vulnerable. We’re not supposed to grasp on to every dollar we can. We leave something for the poor. Generosity. And this is generosity with dignity – the poor still work, but they have work to do.

Exodus 23 is another example of this. Leave your field alone for a year. It’s good for the soil, the environment. The poor can take the “wild” produce. The cattle have something different to eat. It’s good for everyone. God’s Word – so wise!

And of course there’s a day of rest – for your family, for your animals, for the foreigners, employees, slaves, whoever it may be.

Simple principles. Be honest. Don’t accept bribes. Don’t use and abuse people. Be generous. Work hard, and rest.

Yes, people will judge you unjustly. But where is my heart? Where is yours?

Because partiality is not only against the poor, the disabled, or the foreigner. It’s against whomever you don’t like, whomever you decide to use and abuse.

So next time we’ll come a little closer to home, and look at our own hearts. Are we showing favouritism?