Sabbath: God’s Love of Justice
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 1st of February 2025
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study: Psalms 33:5, Psalms 85:10, Deuteronomy 32:4, James 1:17, Titus 1:2, Exodus 32:14, Matthew 5:43-48.
Memory Text:
“ ‘But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight’ says the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:24, NKJV).
In the ancient Near East, the “gods” of the nations were not only fickle, immoral, and unpredictable, but they also commanded atrocities, such as child sacrifice. And even then, the pagan masses could not count on their favor, and so they dared not cross their tribal “deities.”
According to Deuteronomy 32:17, behind such “gods” were demons (see also 1 Corinthians 10:20-21). And their forms of worship were ripe for exploitation, leaving the people in great spiritual and moral darkness.
The God of the Bible could not be more different from these demonic forces. Yahweh is perfectly good and His character changeless. And it is only because of God’s constant goodness that we can have any hope, now and for eternity.
In stark contrast to the false gods of the ancient world, and even to the modern “gods” of today, as well, Yahweh is deeply concerned about evil, suffering, injustice, and oppression—all of which He constantly and unequivocally condemns. And, most important, He will one day eradicate them all, as well.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, February 8.
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When I was studying for my teaching degree I had to do a project on assessment in schools. I had a stack of data I could use - the schools assessment register. This book recorded all the marks in major tests and examinations for every subject and every teacher. It was in the days of programmable calculators - I had one of those - so I went to work calculating the means and standard deviations over a very large sample. I drew quite a few conclusions from this study. The two that are interesting for this illustration are: a) Teachers were remarkably consistent with themselves in their grading. They would have the same mean and standard deviation for just about every assessment. b) Teachers were very inconsistent with one another. Some teachers would have high means and small standard deviations, and others would have low means and wide deviations. Thus a student could get a mark of 70 in say English and be an average student, but a 70 in maths would be near the top of the class. Such inconsistency between teachers was a topic of much debate as you can probably imagine.
It is comforting to know that the justice of God is consistent. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way:
I don't think God kills. He just withdraws His protection.
Satan and his acolytes will be destroyed eventually in Revelation 20. That’s killing, no matter how we describe the process. What protection would God be withdrawing at that stage?
The Creator of this wonderful universe will put an end to evil.
What protection was withdrawn from Ananias and Sapphira? When God opened up the earth and it swallow up the rebels at Kadesh Barnea what protection was withdrawn? I could site other instances that are similar.
I like the title of our lesson "God's love of Justice". It's not love and justice as though the two ideas are opposed or different. As fallen humans we try and compare God's ways with our fallen ways of Justice.
Satan wants to portray God's actions as evil. We may not understand why God does what He does, but He always does what is righteous and just... ALWAYS.
GOD'S protection was withdrawn. There are not different kinds of protection. Satan kills.
He does kill as does sin, but in some of the situations mentioned, it does not make sense to attribute the killing to Satan. For example, I don't see any evidence that Satan caused the flood or was waiting to send it and God allowed him to do it. The flood was God's initiation - He warned about it, made provision for salvation, directed the animals and Noah to enter the ark etc. God was in full control.
Stina, I am glad you have your thinking cap on. This may help you in your thinking process. Just remember that we welcome you to make further comments, testimonies, or contributions to our blog that you have picked up about the Bible through your experiences. We appreciate your questions also.
Now from the book 'To Know God, A 5day Plan'. Amazon has the book in Kindle form, if you happen to have that app.
Reading from page 7.
"There are conflicting ideas of what God is like. Some say He is vengeful, angry, and arbitrary. Others picture Him as a sort of Santa Claus, whose primary purpose is to fulfill the wishes of His people. Still others say He is like a giant marshmallow, who wouldn’t hurt anybody and who is easily swayed and permissive."
I sat through 4 years years of Morris Vendons sermons. His prose in books is even better. Never dull just the ability to make Ellen White and the Bible understandable, yet accurately interesting. Not necessarily commonplace, but understandable to the commoner and interesting to the mathematicians. I remember him saying, "it is alright for me to speak in parables, is it not? Then, hearing the chuckle of the audience, common and sofisticsted alike. Now, I am not making him a grurue, yet there is value in his writings. He was not an entertainer. He was a man with a message to reach all. We have many like that in our day and time. It would behove us to utilize them. We always sould let others writings draw us to the Bible if only to check for accuracy . I would say though that we will intuitively(the Holy Spirit draws us back too)be drawin back to the Bible to get aquointed with the One who made our salvation possible.
Good day and God Bless.
God cannot do evil and He does not violate His law even the 10 Commandments which say thou shall not kill.
Killing or murder is taking someone’s life that does not belong to you.
God is the creator and owner of all things and that includes our individual lives.
He does not kill but only takes away what rightfully belongs to Him. He can take away someone’s life because He is the creator and owner of that life.
What is justice? What do acts of justice look like? Why is God so touched and moved by acts of injustice? The Bible explains justice as a moral aspect rather than a legal principle. Justice is presented in the Bible as a lifestyle of righteousness (right doing), fairness, and integrity. In the Bible, justice is more than punishing wrongdoing but also restoration of the oppressed. It is one aspect of God's nature. The Bible declares that justice is the foundation of God’s throne (Psalms 89:14). Biblical justice is God’s desire for human beings to live in equity, compassion, and truth. Justice is expressed in fairness, mercy, and protecting the marginalized (Zechariah 7:9-10, Isaiah 1:17).
Perhaps the most effective definition of justice is expressed in Micah 6:8. This verse stipulates justice as a moral obligation, mercy, and social responsibility. True love can only be expressed in justice. It is not possible to exercise love and injustice at the same time. Justice is the mouthpiece of the vulnerable in society (orphans, widows, poor, strangers, and the oppressed). Justice is a spiritual calling (Isaiah 1:17, Jeremiah 22:3). The Bible says that justice is an act of worship. We cannot worship a Just God and do acts of injustice. Proverbs 21:3 – “To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice”. Justice is a spiritual mandate. Upholding justice is an act of obedience to God (Amos 5:24). Jesus affirmed justice as an important component of spiritual living (Matthew 23:23).
God is touched and moved by acts of injustice. First and foremost, God is just by nature (Psalm 89:14, Deuteronomy 32:4). Therefore, injustices oppose God. Secondly, God is the defender of the oppressed and the vulnerable (Proverbs 14:31, Exodus 22:22-23). Thirdly, the Bible says that God hates corruption and oppression (Isaiah 10:1-2). God is offended by injustice and lies. Injustice hurts the people God loves and it is against the principles of fairness and compassion.
“Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honours God.” - Proverbs 14:31
You have free will to do what you want, but I'm letting you know that there are spiritual consequences that comes from disobeying God.Repent or Perish, The Bible has made it clear that God is not mocked for whatever a man sows, that he will reap.
What Grace and Mercy God has shown to mankind — revealing Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ — a clear testimony of who He is: "the God who loves Justice!" He has shown us how to walk in His Way, extending to us His help by His Holy Spirit! “Yahweh is deeply concerned about evil, suffering, injustice, and oppression”, as He leads us out of darkness into His heavenly light! All Praises belong to God the Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ - Amen!
Imagine children's sacrifice! What a terrible worship. Nowdays, evil may have changed its strategies, but continues to work for the disgrace of mankind. Self seems to be human's lately and most mortal worship.
Modern society has its 'gods' as well. One of them even sacrifices children. One of today's gods is sex and the sacrifices of our children include abortions, child pornography, child trafficking...not necessarily through the fire, but sacrifices none the less and the innocent pay the painful price.
Hello Wanda! Welcome to the Sabbath School Net blog. Sadly, you are very correct. "The more things change, the more they remain the same." Indeed, the pagan gods of eros, molech, and even the demon of mammon are still worshipped today, although society is more "sophisticated" in the way they worship them. It is still as evil and idolatrous as ever. One day true justice will be served for the victims of these "gods." Thank you for your comment.
We can get caught up in injustices done to us but what about injustices done to God? From the beginning of creation, He has only shown love and friendship and respect for humanity. He gave Adam and Eve no reason not to trust Him and every reason to love and trust Him. He handmade them in His own image, breathed into them His own breath, gave them a role of honor and authority over the rest of His creation, warned them of danger in their own backyard and the consequences if they ignored His warning. He walked and talked with them daily as best friends who look forward to spending time together.
And yet, when a stranger showed up casting doubt upon His character and on their friendship with God, Adam and Eve in a shocking moment believed the stranger’s lie that (1) God’s Words could not be trusted, and that (2) God was holding something back from them they deserved and needed. Just a subtle suggestion and they turned quickly to doubt and disbelief!
Today’s lesson uses the words: “fickle, immoral, unpredictable”. Changing from God’s close friend to His enemy in a moment. Ouch! And it all started with 4 powerful words, “Did God really say…..?” (Gen. 3:1). This wasn’t an honest question to understand God’s message, but a question coming from a mindset that condemns God and His Word if I can’t understand it. Demons still use this question so effectively to turn God’s children against His Word. And yet, God assures us that He is never withholding something good from us (Ps. 84:11; 34:10). If we doubt that about God, not only will we blow all over the place due to our faulty moral compass, but also we are treating God unjustly.
Injustice may mean: we are being hurt (I’m thinking of how much this first betrayal by humans….and each one thereafter…must hurt God); our rights are being violated (God‘s rights as their Creator were certainly being violated); our wants or needs are not being adequately met (God wants a close relationship with us , Zeph. 3:17, John 3:16); something is not right and injustice usually means running away from an important issue (God missing their nightly walks calling for them while they hid from their Best Friend is heartbreaking, Gen. 3:8-9); and injustice may mean we are doing more and giving more than we can comfortably do or give (God here reveals His plan to leave the comfort of heaven and die for those who betray His love to get the intimacy with humanity back , Gen. 3:15, 21).
God, do I treat You fairly? Do I tend to listen to other voices that urge me to doubt the trustworthiness and truthfulness of Your Word to me? Do I weigh the world’s voices against Yours? Am I easily swayed? Is Your voice louder in my heart and mind than that of the world’s? Is it louder than my own voice?
God delights in judgment. That fact will influence our view of His character.
Hello Gary,
According to most Christian interpretations, no, God does not delight in judgment; the Bible clearly states that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, indicating that his judgment is not motivated by a desire to punish, but rather to bring about repentance and restoration. Ezekiel 18:23
Hosea 6:6,1 Samuel 15:22 speaks of God desiring mercy not sacrifice.
Jeremiah 9:24- God delights in loving-kindness, justice, and righteousness.
God delights in a lot of things but I fail to find a verse that says that he delights in judgment.
Hello Tim.
I too accept that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and in fact He will wait until all have made their final irrevocable decision whether or not to trust God. (2Pet 3:9).
God IS love, including those who refuse His healing (wicked).
Jeremiah 9:24 (NKJV) states that God delights in judgement along with loving-kindness and righteousness. God’s love/judgement is justice, and His justice is to restore, (Isaiah 1:17; Jer 22:3) not destroy. God’s justice for the wicked is for Him to “give them up” to the consequences of their choice…separation from God/Life (Rom 1:18-32; Matt 27:46; Rom 6:23; Gal 6:7-8).
I believe that the way I view God’s character (John 3:17) affects my view of His judgement.
Thank you for your excellent clarifying comment, Gary.
I see that the Bible usually pairs justice and judgment in a manner that makes the two concepts inseparable. The Hebrew people looked forward to "judgment" as a time for God to set things right - to even the scales of justice.
And our Sabbath School lesson for this next week is on the topic of "God’s Love of Justice."
Lev 19:15: “You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor righteously/fairly.”
This principle is found also in Ex 23:3,6; Dt 1:17; 16:19.
The injustice or perverted justice carried out on Christ and Barabbas is described as an abomination in Prov 17:15: “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.”
Is righteous judgment in this case “justify the righteous and condemn the wicked”?