Biblical Justice (4)
“If fire breaks out and catches in thorns, so that stacked grain, standing grain, or the field is consumed, he who kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.” Exodus 22.6
Guarding against injustice
Justice, we have said, refracts the character and will of God into the human situation. The Kingdom economy is thus concerned with justice as the objective of every grace exchange—all the ways we use our time, pursue our work, relate to others, make and use culture, and participate in society. Justice is a jewel with five facets, at least, according to the Biblical worldview. We are acting justly when we love our neighbors in the same way God loves them. Thus, the first facet of justice is what we may refer to as obligatory justice, and it is a kind of catch-all category for whatever love requires.
The second facet of the jewel of justice we may refer to as preventive justice. Public policy should provide laws and statutes that help to ensure that people will always keep the interests and wellbeing of their neighbors in mind. People cannot be permitted to undertake endeavors which may endanger their neighbors or their property without taking appropriate precautions. By keeping watch over a fire one has started, one may ensure that only what should be burned is burned, thus preventing injustice from occurring against one’s neighbor.
While it’s possible to see each of the Ten Commandments as containing some aspect of preventive justice, the practice of preventive justice is exemplified in the Law of God in specific ways, designed to suggest a variety of situations and circumstances. One must guard against his flocks or cattle grazing in a neighbor’s fields (Deut. 22.1-4). Open pits should be covered (Ex. 21.33, 34). Homes must be built to guard against injury to people (Deut. 22.8). Dangerous animals must be kept in (Ex. 21.35, 36). Inheritances are to be protected (Num. 27.8-11). And so forth. Even animals and the creation itself are protected by the Law from being treated unjustly by human beings (cf. Deut. 25.4; 22.6, 7).
Where we can prevent injustice before it happens, love for our neighbors requires that we do so.
Considering others
These various statutes serve primarily to remind people to consider the interests and wellbeing of their neighbor so as to prevent any injustice arising from negligence, carelessness, or indifference. As with obligatory justice, preventive justice is backed up by other forms of justice. These statutes and precepts are intended to guide people in loving their neighbors so that no unintended harm may come from any of our actions.
Preventive justice, like obligatory justice, describes the practice of grace economics for all members of a society. We do not require courts of law to balance the scales of preventive and obligatory justice; each of us must study and learn to practice the obligations of these basic forms of justice as part of our everyday lives.
Because all people have the Law of God written on their hearts, even though they may deny this, a sense of justice exists in everyone; and we can especially see the ways preventive justice works in our society to protect ourselves and our neighbors: posted speed limits; tamper-proof bottles; leash laws; property lines and stakes; and much more. All these serve to remind us that people know they are obliged to think about their neighbors and to act with a measure of love for them. It is right and just so to do.
The Golden Rule is simply the best way of encapsulating the demands of obligatory and preventive justice: Think about what you’d want others to do in order to show grace to you. Then do that for others. Prepare to do it, plan for it, and practice it consistently.
Preventive justice at work
Other examples of preventive justice, written into civil statutes, can be cited. In certain communities, people are required by their neighborhood association to remove the snow from their sidewalks as soon as possible. This is to protect the safety and ensure the wellbeing of delivery persons and neighbors who may be out on a stroll. There is no penalty for not removing the snow. However, if people do not remove it, neighbors may look askance at them, and someone who is injured or can show that he has been unduly inconvenienced by our neglect, may have grounds to collect for damages. The neighborly thing to do is to keep the sidewalks clean in front of your home, and thus bear witness to all who may enter your neighborhood that here we love our neighbors as ourselves.
Other communities may pass laws to protect their water supplies—wells, rivers, or reservoirs. To ensure that water is as good as it can be, local statutes may prohibit the use of certain kinds of fertilizers or other outdoor chemical treatments. During summer months, signs may appear in the community advising people that the town council has determined that “Voluntary Water Usage Restrictions” are in effect. The policies put in place by elected officials are designed to discourage and, hopefully, prevent neighbors from committing injustice against one another by failing to exercise appropriate regard for the water supply of their neighbors.
Such policies and statutes reflect the preventive justice facet of God’s Law, and are to be welcomed, not begrudged. They help us to see that the Law of God can and should—and, indeed, already does—inform our public policies and our personal practice when it comes to living out the requirements of justice.
Non-Christians obey such statutes out of an inherent sense of oughtness. We who participate in the Kingdom economy, where grace is the currency, do so out of love for God and our neighbors.
For reflection
1. Explain the difference between obligatory justice and preventive justice. Is there overlap here?2. Can you think of any other kinds of laws today which would be examples of preventive justice? How should we regard such laws?3. Do you think it’s possible for a government to go too far in trying to prevent injustice? Can you give an example of what that might look like?
Next steps—Conversation: Review the Biblical examples of preventive justice cited in this article. How many of these have some parallel in the laws we follow today? Meditate on Romans 2.14, 15. People may cringe at the idea of obeying God’s Law, but why must we obey it? Share your thoughts with a Christian friend.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: Our daily Scriptorium column is focusing on Ephesians 4. This week in our Read Moorepodcast we begin a look at three brief and related books, beginning with The Gospel of the Kingdom. Our Crosfigell teaching letter continues our study of the life of Brigit, a contemporary of Brendan. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
