Justice
It’s hard to watch the local news in Atlanta without being disgusted with the choices of people who have no regard for human life or any life for that matter. They have no respect for the law of the land or the law of God. It is really hard to understand their thought process.
Our judicial system is somewhat slow and it’s certainly not perfect. The people in our society who commit violent crimes are brought to justice and punished under the law. I believe if the law didn’t handle justice, there is enough good people who would not let their crimes slip under the rug.
The Israelites set out to avenge the rape and murder of a woman. She was a concubine of a Levite. The people of the nation rose up to hold the men who committed this crime accountable. Check this out…
10 We’ll take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred from a thousand, and a thousand from ten thousand, to get provisions for the army. Then, when the army arrives at Gibeah in Benjamin, it can give them what they deserve for this outrageous act done in Israel.’ 11 So all the Israelites got together and united as one against the city.
12 The tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, ‘What about this awful crime that was committed among you? 13 Now turn those wicked men of Gibeah over to us so that we may put them to death and purge the evil from Israel.’ (Judges 20:10-13 NIV)
Justice is sometimes messy. It is sometimes a struggle. There has to be a code of conduct in our society or people who have no respect for others will steal, kill and destroy. It seems to me that even with our laws and judicial system there are a crazy number of people who still have no respect for others and certainly no respect for authority.
Justice enforces boundaries and the code of law. Laws were written for our protection and our safety. I don’t always like the law, but I’ve been taught to respect the law and the rule of law. I struggle with the traffic laws the most. When I break the law by driving too fast, I’m pretty full of myself. I think it would wise for me to slow down and operate with in the boundaries of the traffic law.
The above story made me sick to my stomach yesterday when I read it. Today I feel like the people of Israel answered the call to justice. This cowardly act could not stand and the people responsible had to be punished. To me it looks like justice was served.
Pressing On!
Dwayne