current thoughts on justice & deuteronomy

It seems that everywhere we turn, Randy and I see themes of justice...

I (Lindsay) am taking an Old Testament Survey class and so it is required to read through the entire Old Testament this semester. In reading Deuteronomy recently, I have begun to see God's heart for justice in an entirely new way. Even in the 10 commandments, I can see God's intentions to set up a society in which there is fairness and equality, the protection of human rights, and an appreciation of the gift of humanity.

My textbook reads:
"Commandment 10: Human Rights and Privileges (Deut. 24:17-26:15)
'You shall not covet... anything that belongs to your neighbor.'
Coveting is desiring to have something that is possessed by another. The legislation surrounding this commandment suggests that the rights of individuals need to be protected... it urges that rights we enjoy ought not be taken for granted."

This is precisely what Randy and I wrestle with so often when we dig into material and research for the class on Justice. Just this week, I was reading in another textbook about prayer, specifically the "prayer of tears." In Scripture and Christian history, we see over and over again instances of God's people seeing the reality of sin in themselves and the world and learning to sit before God broken over it. For some, these "tears" are more of an internal response to the consequences of sin, for me this is often a very full experience of internal and external mourning. This is a healthy posture to seek growth in, to ask the Lord for brokenness over the wrongdoings within our own lives and the world around us.

Within hours of my reading and reflecting on this different kind of prayer, Randy came home touched to the core about issues in Columbia. He joined a student group this week that seeks to learn more about the injustices around the world and look for ways to do something about it. They had invited a Columbian pastor to share about his situation and Randy was cut to the heart. It was all over his face, those internal "prayers of tears" of his heart, when he came home that day. In Columbia, inhumane treatment of workers and corruption in government-type entities prevails often. This was a reminder to Randy and I that we as Americans sometimes benefit from this injustice because, as was the case with this particular pastor's reports, he was sharing about an American company that profits from the poor treatment of workers and then sells their products to us daily in the States.

These things are heavy on our heart this week and we continue to seek God on how to respond.