For Those Who Desire Justice

Possibly you, like so many, have been sinned against in one way or another. Sometimes this desire for justice can seem overwhelming. You long for the person who sinned against you, your family, your neighbor, your community, or a group of people of which you connect to get what he has coming, to get what she is due, or to get a taste of their own medicine. Often other emotions are comingled with this desire. Hurt. Anger. Shame. Guilt. Helplessness. Hopeless. These all work together, at times, to forge a giant crevice through your soul where every day you are affected by these things. If you are one of those who desire justice, I have some good news for you today.

Justice For Your Perpetrator

Listen how God describes Himself in Exodus. Here, God talks with Moses as He prepares to once again give him the Ten Commandments. This text was partially quoted often in the Bible.

Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:5-7)

First, we must point out that to the guilty, God made all the preparations in necessary for you to be forgiven in Jesus Christ. This text emphasizes God’s willingness to forgive. Notice the key words: merciful, gracious, longsuffering, abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. Oh guilty friend, these are good, deep, and meaningful truths for you. God forgives. This truth applies to all of us. Even the one who desperately desires God’s justice in a particular way needs God’s forgiveness, mercy, and kindness as well.

Second, for the person who has been so egregiously sinned against, the text further describes God’s character related to you as well. You desire justice. God provides justice in His way and in His timing. Notice what the text says again: by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation.

For those of you who so desperately desire justice against whom has sinned against you, take a moment to let this sink in – God does not clear the guilty. God will provide justice in His timing and in His way.

What that Means for You

For anyone who longs to see God’s justice in another person’s life for sin, you can have rest. Every day, or many days, or when triggered, no doubt you spend much energy on wishing justice to be done. For some of you, the judicial system in your mind has failed you. You wonder where you can get true justice.

This text helps you. You can trust God to bring justice. What this text means is that you do not need to hold tightly to your desire for justice; instead, you can trust God with your justice. The energy you spend on justice can be spent on other better and more helpful things.

No doubt, the Apostle Paul understood this, among so many other biblical writers.

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)

Notice this list of passages that correspond to what we need to know and do related to those upon whom we desire vengeance. If you are wondering how much the Bible has to say about this, just click on these to see them: Romans 12:14-21; Hebrews 10:30; Romans 13:1-14; Deuteronomy 32:35; Proverbs 24:29; Proverbs 20:22; Psalm 94:1; Leviticus 19:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:15.

Fellow follower of Jesus Christ, received these passages as good instruction for your soul. Release the energy used to hold onto your desire for vengeance and justice. Trust God to handle the sin against you, your family, your neighbor, your community, or others. God will. He does not release the guilty. God’s wrath functions in righteousness and keeps you from the poison of your own. Your wrath spoils. You only hurt yourself. Plus, the energy God gives you to walk in the Spirit and by love serve others gets used in ways for which it was never intended to be used. This simply complicates your life more.

God has it. God allows you to empty your hands as an outworking of your heart of vengeance so that you can have a focused heart and busy hands living for God’s fuller, richer, and deeper purpose.