Women assume & misunderstand men

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Lola Rose

ICE warrants other rules. Immigration

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Biblical Justice vs social justice

 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 “𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞”: 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐞

Matt Arakaky on Biblical Justice 

Have you ever been lectured by someone claiming that the Hebrew Bible commands us to “do justice”—with the clear implication that this phrase serves as a stand-in for progressive political ideology? In my experience, when I hear this phraseology used, it is usually communicated in a smug, patronizing way by people who have no exegetical understanding of what “justice” means in the Hebrew Bible and its ancient Near Eastern context. As is so often the case, these individuals import their modern understanding of the term into the Old Testament (a fallacy biblical scholars call “eisegesis”). 

As a general rule, I only have time to respond to errors that I see repeated multiple times and in multiple places, and unfortunately this topic meets that litmus test. Although it is rather unbecoming for ecclesial leaders to parrot popular talking points without doing thorough research, this has become commonplace. A perusal of op-eds in even once historic Evangelical publications shows how sloppy interpretation of Scripture has become. The meaning of words in their original cultural setting are ignored either because it is too much work to study Scripture properly or because it is easier to be dishonest without this necessary analysis. Sadly, we can be astounded with Jesus when even the “teacher(s) of Israel” (John 3:10) do not know how to rightly divide the word of God (2 Tim 2:15). How can this be so?

So, what does the Hebrew Bible mean by the word “justice” (𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘱𝘢𝘵/מִשְׁפָּט)? The basic answer is that 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘱𝘢𝘵 is foundationally a legal term and has a lot to do with the concept of world order. Before we answer this question in more detail, however, we must first turn to the ancient Egyptian worldview, which stands in the background of the Old Testament in many important ways. 

In ancient Egypt, it was believed that one of Pharaoh’s main duties was to establish “order” (𝘮𝘢𝘢𝘵) and repel the forces of “chaos” (𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘦𝘵). Ancient Egyptians believed that chaos (𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘦𝘵) and order (𝘮𝘢𝘢𝘵) lived in perpetual conflict with each other. The Pharaoh’s rule established order, but chaos always stalked in the shadows looking for the right moment to strike. If the Pharoah slacked in his regnal duties, chaos would gain a foothold and wreak havoc. With the Hittites, Assyrians and Babylonians to the north and the Nubians to the south, Egypt’s security was always tentative. In many ways, the Egyptian worldview centered on the enduring threat of chaos, which was usually personified in hostile nations that threatened to undo 𝘮𝘢𝘢𝘵’s cosmic balance and order. Along with the king and royal elites, regular, everyday Egyptians were also expected to uphold the principles of 𝘮𝘢𝘢𝘵/order and repel chaos/ 𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘦𝘵 by acting in accordance with moral principles. 

One of the main responsibilities of ancient Israel’s throne, like Egypt’s, was to maintain world order by upholding the principles of “justice” (𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘱𝘢𝘵/מִשְׁפָּט). In the Hebrew Bible, God overcomes and defeats the forces of chaos and continues to keep this chaos constrained (see, e.g., Gen 1:2, Exod 15:8; Job 26:12–13; Ps 33:7; 74:13–14; 89:9–10; 93:3–4; 104:6–9; Isa 27:1; Jer 5:22; Hab 3:8, 15; Nah 1:4 among innumerable other examples). One means God uses to accomplish this goal is the implementation of Torah, which lays out moral and ethical instruction for God’s people. The Israelite king and citizens are expected to pledge themselves to the principles of God’s moral law, which provides structure and order to the cosmos. Obeying Torah brings order, while chaos and disorder reenter the world every time sin prevails. For our purposes here, sin can simply be defined as any action or ideology that stands in violent opposition to the revealed will of God. 

Note well: there can therefore be no “justice” (𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘱𝘢𝘵) that contradicts God’s revealed will in Scripture and His design in natural order. One cannot cloak sin with the label of “justice,” because true justice is fundamentally opposed to sin. “Justice” establishes order and righteousness while “injustice” is caused by sin and chaos that violates God’s design for creation. Pay careful attention to how one scholar defines 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘱𝘢𝘵: “Righteousness: A just cause coincides with the substance of a right verdict. In this context 𝘮𝘪𝘴̌𝘱𝘢̄𝘵̣ often has the meaning ‘what is right and proper, righteousness.’ Here 𝘮𝘪𝘴̌𝘱𝘢̄𝘵̣ stands as an absolute entity, almost ‘world order,’ ‘the God-given norm to ensure a well-ordered society.’ Proper conduct in all spheres is to be done in 𝘮𝘪𝘴̌𝘱𝘢̄𝘵̣ or in conformity with 𝘮𝘪𝘴̌𝘱𝘢̄𝘵̣” (𝘛𝘋𝘖𝘛 9:92). 

Therefore, according to the Scriptures, so-called “reproductive justice” is no justice at all since it is a cipher for the slaughtering of innocent children in the womb, which Scripture adamantly opposes. The same can be said of issues concerning LGBTQI “justice” and the assault on the nuclear family, whose deterioration has had well-documented negative effects on society and violates God will for creation. Even so-called noble causes fail to be 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘱𝘢𝘵 when their effects on society are perilous and destructive. An open southern border that allows violent gang members and terrorists to enter the country, encourages sex trafficking, and enables the influx of fentanyl would not have been seen as 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘱𝘢𝘵 by the ancient Hebrews (on the Hebrew Bible and contemporary proof texting of illegal immigration, see below). Tolerating a nuclear Iran that can unleash a nuclear holocaust on the Jews would certainly fail the 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘱𝘢𝘵 test. Flying the flag of a government that murdered and raped Israelis and celebrated it in their streets would also not be seen as 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘱𝘢𝘵, and neither would the persecution and assault of Jews on college campuses, for that matter. The use of "justice" for that which is fundamentally opposed to God's will is nothing more than a demonic parody. 

So, then, what can we say about the progressive hijacking of the biblical term “justice”? It is not simply inaccurate and sloppy; it is conniving and purposefully subversive of the biblical text itself. The claims are facile and the logic specious. You need to be careful when you hear people on social media tell you what biblical terms mean—such individuals can be subversive and probably lack the exegetical acumen to properly unpack the Scriptures. May God have mercy on us and send us leaders who can handle His word with the care and honor it deserves.