A Cry for Justice

Read Isaiah 61

Isaiah 61:8-9 - “For I, the Lord, love justice.  I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants will be recognized and honored among the nations.  Everyone will realize that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”

Freedom - do we “get it”?  The United States  - Home of the Brave - Land of the Free - Our founding documents declare we are given the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The intent of these words may have been to give hope, to inspire a revolution, and create ideals for a new country, yet unless one’s head is “buried in the sand,” a person does not have to look very far to realize that many find these words empty, hollow, and even cruel.  

Imagine how cruel these words must sound to the family of Ahmaud Arbery on what should be his 26th birthday.  Murdered while on a jog, simply because he was profiled and deemed unfit to run freely due to the color of his skin.  This happened in a land where we say ALL people are created equal and where ALL people should be free to go for a run on any street in our nation. 

Why do these horrible attacks continue to happen?  Haven't race relations gotten better? As I reflect on these current circumstances and our history I ask, could it be that we as a nation are not really quite as "free" as we think we are?  The prophet Isaiah writes that the Spirit of the Lord has anointed us to declare favor and freedom.  Isaiah then mentions the afflicted, the brokenhearted, the captive, the prisoner - sounds like bondage, not freedom. 

It is impossible to read the entirety of Isaiah 61, and not come away with a sense that God’s heart is for His created beings to walk in freedom, not bound by shame and injustice.  Isaiah quotes God - “For I, the Lord, love justice.”   The prophet Micah (6:8) reiterates this call to justice, telling us that the “Lord requires us to do justice.”  Isaiah calls the anointed ones to proclaim the day of vengeance of our God.  Paul quotes Deuteronomy in Romans 12:19,  “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”  Love and justice flow from the heart of God and were designed to flow from our hearts as well!  Vengeance was never meant to flow from our hearts - only from God’s. Can we become "bound" in our quest for justice, when driven by vengeance instead of a heart of love?

The Christian Church will celebrate Pentecost Sunday May 31.  Isaiah 61 illustrates Pentecost this way: freedom, justice, gladness, rebuilding, repairing, a double portion, favor among the nations, etc...  The anointed (sons and daughters) are called to lead people to freedom! Can we lead people to freedom if we are bound🤔(see Moses)?  Do you find yourself “bound” in any way?  Bound by pride? By fear? By anger? Bound a broken heart?  By shame? By bitterness?

Prayer: Jesus, please reveal to me any part of my heart that is bound. You anointed me to walk in freedom and lead others to freedom.  Show me my part in “doing justice.”  Position me Jesus to love my neighbor!   Jesus, please repair the ruins and rebuild hearts in Brunswick, Georgia and around our nation!  Jesus - may Ahmaud Arbery's story and the Arbery descendants become an oak of righteousness - a planting that ultimately reveals the glory of the Lord.