What other scriptures emphasize justice and fairness in relationships, like Job 31:13? Job 31:13—A Personal Commitment to Justice “If I have denied justice to my male or female servants when they had a grievance against me,” (Job 31:13) By holding himself accountable, Job models the heart of God: justice and fairness in every relationship. Justice Embedded in the Law of Moses • Exodus 23:6 – “You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.” • Leviticus 19:13 – “You must not defraud your neighbor or rob him. You must not withhold until morning the wages of a hired hand.” • Deuteronomy 24:14-15 – “Do not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy… Pay his wages each day before sunset… otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.” • Exodus 23:9 – “Do not oppress a foreign resident; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners…” The Prophets Speak Up for the Oppressed • Isaiah 1:17 – “Learn to do right; seek justice, correct the oppressor; defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.” • Micah 6:8 – “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you except to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” • Amos 5:24 – “But let justice roll on like a river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” • Zechariah 7:9-10 – “Administer true justice… Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor…” • Malachi 3:5 – “I will draw near to you for judgment… against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and who deny justice to the foreigner.” Wisdom Literature Reinforces the Standard • Proverbs 22:22-23 – “Do not rob a poor man because he is poor… for the LORD will take up their case.” • Proverbs 14:31 – “Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.” • Proverbs 29:7 – “A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.” • Psalm 82:3-4 – “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed.” • Psalm 15:1-3 – The one who may dwell with the LORD “does no harm to his neighbor.” New Testament Continuity • Matthew 7:12 – “In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you.” • Luke 6:31 – “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” • Ephesians 6:9 – “Masters, treat your slaves in the same way… there is no favoritism with Him.” • Colossians 4:1 – “Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” • James 5:4 – “The wages you failed to pay the workmen… are crying out against you.” • 1 John 3:17-18 – “Let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.” Living Out Biblical Justice Today • Treat every employee, family member, and neighbor with impartial fairness, remembering we answer to the same Master in heaven. • Pay promptly and generously; refuse any hint of exploitation. • Speak up for the vulnerable—widows, orphans, immigrants, the poor—mirroring God’s own advocacy. • Measure every decision by the Golden Rule, ensuring actions align with both justice and mercy. |
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