Are you angry after seeing the rising incidents of shooting, violence and wickedness around the world? When such things happen we wonder where is God? What is He doing? Why does He not stop this?
In such times, it is important to understand God and His real nature. True, God is all powerful, but He is also long-suffering to all of us who have sinned otherwise each of us would have perished the moment we first sinned.
God and Justice
Job 34:12, 14-15 says, “Truly God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert justice. If [God] should set His heart upon him [man] and withdraw His [life-giving] spirit and His breath [from man] to Himself, All flesh would perish together, and man would turn again to dust.” AMP
Even Habakkuk in his time had the same questions and complained saying, “For destruction and violence are before me; and there is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is slackened and justice and a righteous sentence never go forth, for the [hostility of the] wicked surrounds the [uncompromisingly] righteous; therefore justice goes forth perverted.” (Habakkuk 1: 3-4 AMP)
Injustice, violence and wickedness are not something only this generation is experiencing. It started with Cain and Abel and went on until the days of Noah. Genesis 6:5-7 says, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved at heart. So the Lord said, I will destroy, blot out, and wipe away mankind, whom I have created from the face of the ground—not only man, [but] the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air—for it grieves Me and makes Me regretful that I have made them.”
Thankfully the world didn’t end at that time. God remembered His promise to Abraham so He didn’t destroy mankind completely. Noah found favor in His eyes, God chose his family to continue the human race.
God waits
God is a just God. Isaiah 59:15 tells us, “Justice is turned away backward, and righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) stands far off; for truth has fallen in the street (the city’s forum), and uprightness cannot enter [the courts of justice]. Yes, truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. And the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice.”
As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head. Obadiah 1:15
At such times, God stirs up His prophets and says what He said in Zephaniah 2:2 “[The time for repentance is speeding by like chaff whirled before the wind!] Therefore consider, before God’s decree brings forth [the curse upon you], before the time [to repent] is gone like the drifting chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you–yes, before the day of the wrath of the Lord comes upon you!”
When God says, “Time up!” He really means it. Obadiah 1:15 says, “For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head.”
Haman’s wicked plan
We can see a perfect example of God’s justice in Esther chapters 5 – 7. Haman had sneakily got the King to sign a decree to destroy the Jews in his kingdom. He hated Mordecai with all his heart and plotted to kill him. God placed Esther in the palace and at a very crucial time, she was instrumental in the deliverance of the Jewish people from Haman’s wicked plot.
Esther – the Queen who stood up for her people
What is extraordinary is how perfect the justice of God is. Haman ordered for a gallows be made. He left early in the morning to speak to the king, to arrange for Mordecai to be hanged. As he came before the king, the king said to him, “What shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?”
Haman gleefully thought, “Who else will the king want to honor other than to me?” He rattled out a list of the grandest things he could think of. But horror of horrors, the king told him to hurry up and do the same to Mordecai the Jew and leave out nothing that he had spoken about!
Imagine the torment Haman went through as he placed royal apparel that the king had worn and the horse which the king had ridden, and a royal crown on the head of Mordecai! Besides that he had to take Mordecai on horseback through the open square of the city, and publicly proclaim, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”
God’s perfect justice
On the same day Esther approached the king and Haman was invited to dinner with the king and queen. Esther invited them both to dinner the next day too. The king asked Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted. And what is your request? Even to the half of the kingdom, it shall be performed.”
She said, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition and my people at my request. For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, slain, and wiped out of existence!” The king asked her, “Who is he, and where is he who dares presume in his heart to do that?” She then pointed out the culprit, “An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman.”
As the king’s anger rose he was told about the gallows Haman had made for Mordecai. A servant named Harbonah said, “Behold, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman has made for Mordecai, whose warning saved the king, stands at the house of Haman.” And the king said, “Hang him on it!” So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath was pacified.”
Isn’t God’s justice perfect? Haman was hanged in the very same gallows that he made to hang Mordecai. Not just that the wicked plans he made to destroy the Jews were altered so that the Jews could defend themselves and save their lives.
God has a time for justice
If you are depressed and feel despair at the state of things, just put your trust in God. Since God is a merciful God, He has given those who are wicked grace and time to repent. In Jeremiah 46:17 it says, “They cried there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is destroyed and is only a noise; he has let the appointed time [in which God had him on probation] pass by!”
It is good to fear God as He holds our very breath in His hand. Those who are wicked would do well to repent and change their ways for when God says, “Time up!” they will run out of grace and God will judge them. Job 11:20 speaks about what happens to the wicked when judgment comes, “But the eyes of the wicked shall look [for relief] in vain, and they shall not escape [the justice of God]; and their hope shall be to give up the ghost.”
God should not be trifled with or taken lightly. He means every word He says. Romans 2:6-8 says, “God will repay each person according to what they have done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.”
What can we learn from this?
Ecclesiastes 12:13 sums it up very well. It advises us saying, “Fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is] and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God’s providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun] and the whole [duty] for every man.”
It is good for us to examine our hearts from time to time so we can repent for the evil things we have done. God is not a hard taskmaster. First and foremost He is a merciful God. Jonah said, “You are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and [when sinners turn to You and meet Your conditions] You revoke the [sentence of] evil against them.” Jonah 4:2
Jesus came to save sinners
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came down to earth and allowed Himself to be crucified on a cross like a criminal though He had done no wrong at all (The Roman Governor Pontius Pilate certified this). He did this so that fallible people like me and you could make the biggest exchange ever by trading all the wrong, evil and wicked things we have done with His righteousness.
Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24 NIV Those who accept the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, are saved from the punishment they deserve because Jesus paid the full penalty for their sins.
Many people think that it is fine to carry on living the way they lived before they accepted Jesus. But Jesus wants us to live by His values and obey His commands. Jesus says to us in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commands.” In Romans 12:9 Paul advises saying, “[Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good.”
When Jesus saved the woman who was caught in adultery, He said to her, “I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and from now on sin no more.” John 8:11 AMP Jesus is saying the same thing to us too. We need to let go of the old life, resist all temptations and do our part by living like Jesus did. Jesus a lived sinless life even as a human being. He is the perfect example for us to follow and our role model.
If you love Jesus do as He said
If we really love Jesus and are grateful for what He has done for us, we will obey His instructions. Jesus said, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12 NIV)
Jesus said, “From now on sin no more.” John 8:11
We live in a fallen world, where it is easy to sin and be sinned against by others. Heaven is the opposite of this world. It is the inhabitation of God, Who is perfect. He is holy and pure. Jesus says in Matthew 5:48, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Grace – an empowerment to not sin
It is sad that many people treat the grace of God as a ‘licence to sin.’ How can a holy and perfect God say that it is okay to live in sin? In Romans 6:1-2 Paul asks a very important question, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”
Hebrews 12:14 says, “Be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” NIV In order to ‘see God‘ we will need to be overcomers who overcome temptations and live a righteous life. Besides seeing God and going to heaven, there are more benefits of following God’s commandments. Revelation 2:26 says, “To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations.”
Heaven is a wonderful place. There are no tears there! Revelation 21:4 says that, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” NIV When our time on earth is over, far from the aches and pains, grief and sorrow of this fallen world, we will all stand in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ with Whom we will live forever!
Is Jesus your Savior?
If you have not yet received Jesus as you personal Savior, you can do so now. It is simple! Romans 10:13 says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Those who have been born into Christian families should not take this for granted, they too need to personally accept Jesus as their Savior. We cannot live our lives based on the faith of our parents. Heaven and Hell are real. Each person should make their own personal decision to choose Jesus.
To make Jesus your personal Savior, you can ask Him to do so in your own words. It could be a small prayer to Jesus like this, “Dear Jesus, I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and rose from the grave to give me new life. Lord, I want to know who You really are. Please reveal Yourself to me. Forgive me for everything wrong that I have done, change my heart and teach me the way You want me to live. Amen.”
If you have asked Jesus to be your Savior, find a good church in your area that follows the Holy Bible, which is the Word of God. If you cannot find a church near you, you could also join an online church.
If you are looking for a good resource to do a Bible Study on the subject of Love and Justice – Click here
The Cross – a symbol of the sacrifice Jesus made to save us from the consequences of our sins.