Study Focus: Ps. 33:5, Jer. 18:7–10, Mal. 3:6, James 1:17.
Introduction: Throughout Scripture, God’s love and justice are intrinsic to His character. These attributes reveal His deep concern for justice and righteousness.
Lesson Themes:
Love and justice belong together. Although we are not used to thinking about love and justice together, throughout Scripture, true love requires justice, and true justice is driven by love. Conversely, a pretense of love without justice is lenience toward evil; and justice without love consists of cold legalism. Therefore, genuine love and justice describe God’s perfect character. He loves justice and intends to see justice practiced in the world.
Loving justice requires constancy. Justice is the foundation of God’s government. His actions are grounded on the constancy of the divine moral character, not on random decisions and unjust deeds. God’s justice emanates from His regularity, as He never lies, and His promises are unbreakable. While Scripture affirms God’s moral immutability, it also indicates that His actions may relationally change in response to human decisions.
Loving justice takes repentance into account. We find statements in Scripture about God not relenting, meaning that He does not lie. Also, passages of the Old Testament indicate that God repents, in the sense of His not bringing the expected judgment announced by Him due to human wrongdoing. God’s relenting does not mean that He lied about His judgment but that He relationally changes His actions toward people if they repent and decide to live a life of fellowship with Him.
Life Application: Considering that God may change relationally toward His people when they choose to accept or reject Him, how can we reflect God’s loving justice as we react to injustice and wrongdoing in the world?
Part II: Commentary
1. Love and Justice Belong Together.
Many people think that love and justice are mutually exclusive. According to this perspective, one cannot be just and loving at the same time. In this view, love is lenient and precludes, or at least blurs, the due application of justice. Conversely, it is argued that justice has to be objective and dispassionate. Thus, it necessarily excludes any form of mercy and love.
However, this view is not the only (nor the best) way of thinking about the distinction of love and justice. In fact, love and justice do not form a dichotomy in the Bible but are, rather, coherently combined in the description of God’s perfect character. In the biblical wholistic account of love and justice, one cannot be properly thought of without the other. A pretense of love without justice is actually unfairness/partisanship, whereas the idea of justice without love is really cold legalism. In fact, the Bible goes even a step further in the description of God’s character. God does not merely combine love and justice; He actually loves justice (Ps. 33:5, Isa. 61:8).
The Hebrew term for justice, in Psalm 33:5 and Isaiah 61:8, is mišpāṭ, which conveys the idea of correct government. According to Robert Culver, while modern conceptions of democratic government separate legislative, judicial, and executive functions, mišpāṭ is not “restricted to judicial processes only” but actually refers to “all functions of government.” From this perspective, if there is no separation of functions, government in biblical times centered primarily on the figure of the ruler rather than on law codes. Also, the ruler/judge had executive and “judicial powers.” In other words, the ruler/judge not only made judicial decisions but also executed or caused them to be executed. As an example, when David appealed to God as judge in his contention with Saul, David was not only thinking in terms of a juridical decision but also assumed a judicial execution of deliverance and vindication: “let the Lord be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand” (1 Sam. 24:15, NKJV).—Robert D. Culver, “2443 שָׁפַט,” in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), p. 948.
If we take this broad understanding of justice into account, to say that God loves justice seems to imply at least two important points for our study of God. First, God’s justice is not merely related to law codes, but it fundamentally concerns His heart and character. Second, He loves not only the deliberation of justice but also its execution.
2. Loving Justice Requires Constancy.
If justice refers to sound government with good judgment and execution, as pointed out above, it must exclude the possibility of random or capricious decisions on the part of the ruler. From this perspective, justice requires constancy and regularity. There are two main passages in Scripture, one in the Old Testament and the other in the New Testament, that are normally used to affirm God’s immutability. While the concept of immutability is heavily loaded with philosophical assumptions in discussions about the doctrine of God in diverse traditions of Christian theology, it is safe to say that Malachi 3:6 and James 1:17 underscore the constancy of God’s moral character. To put a finer point upon it, He is morally immutable or changeless.
Malachi 3 is shaped by the idea of God’s justice. The chapter is introduced by the question of divine justice, in Malachi 2:17, namely, “ ‘Where is the God of justice?’ ” In other words, what is going to happen to “everyone who does evil” (Mal. 2:17, NKJV)? In response to this fundamental question, Malachi 3 highlights the coming of divine judgment. “ ‘Who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?’ ” (Mal. 3:2, NKJV). The judgment has in view particularly the rebellious history of God’s people, but this serious message is actually intended as a call to repentance. Therefore, the tone of God’s future judgment is ultimately a hopeful one.
In this context of judgment and hope, the Lord emphasizes that He does not change, and this fact is, indeed, the reason why His people are not destroyed (Mal. 3:6). The idea of God’s changelessness is rendered in the New English Translation Bible as “ ‘I, the Lord, do not go back on my promises,’ ” which captures the notion of God’s moral covenantal immutability, suggested by the context of the passage. At the same time, the emphasis of Malachi 3:7 (“ ‘Return to Me, and I will return to you’ ” [NKJV]) highlights a relational and positive change of attitude on God’s part, which is what He desires to do, depending on the people’s repentance.
In James 1:17, the idea of divine constancy and moral immutability is also underscored. The context of James 1 indicates that temptations are not prompted by God, as He consistently and constantly gives us good and perfect gifts from above. Thus, instead of a capricious combination of temptations and gifts, He consistently offers us only gifts. As “the Father of lights,” He shows “no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17, NKJV). The connection between God as the Creator of light and His constancy also appears in Psalm 136:7–9, which is part of the iterative emphasis of the psalm: “For His mercy endures forever” (NKJV). In these verses, the psalmist underscores the creative power and constancy of God: “to Him who made great lights, for His mercy endures forever—the sun to rule by day, for His mercy endures forever; the moon and stars to rule by night, for His mercy endures forever” (Ps. 136:7–9, NKJV).
3. Loving Justice Takes Repentance Into Account.
The Old Testament seems to have paradoxical statements about the repenting and relenting nature of God. On the one hand, we have passages—such as Numbers 23:19 (“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” [NKJV]) and 1 Samuel 15:29 (“ ‘The Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent’ ” [NKJV])—that affirm God’s constancy. To put it more pointedly, the Lord does not relent. The main point of these statements is that God does not lie, which is consistent with the New Testament teaching about God in Titus 1:2 and Hebrews 6:18.
On the other hand, Old Testament passages narrate God’s relenting or repenting in the sense of His not bringing the judgment He announced against those who did evil. One of the most well-known examples is the divine mercy shown to Nineveh in the book of Jonah (Jon. 3:10), where Jonah himself, in the beginning of chapter 4, disagrees with God’s repenting. Jonah’s explanation of why he does not want to announce the coming divine judgment against Nineveh reinforces God’s mercy: “ ‘Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm’ ” (Jon. 4:1, 2, NKJV).
Jonah 4:2 contains at least three important reasons why this “relenting” on God’s part should not come as a surprise. First, Jonah himself indicates that he suspected, from the beginning, that such an outcome would happen. This anticipation of God’s mercy is the real reason Jonah fled to Tarshish. Second, his statement about God here echoes Exodus 32:14 and Exodus 34:6, 7, where Israel itself was the object of God’s repentance. Hence, well before the divine relenting regarding Nineveh, God did the same with Israel in the past. Third, this type of relenting does not mean that God lied about His announced judgments, for He explains in Jeremiah 18:7–10 that “ ‘the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it’ ” (NKJV). Therefore, God relationally changes His attitude toward the people if they relationally change their attitude toward Him.
Part III: Life Application
Scripture affirms God’s moral immutability, but He may change relationally toward His people when they choose to accept or reject Him. With this idea in mind, discuss the following questions:
How can we reflect God’s justice as we react to injustice and wrongdoing in the world?
God repents and changes His judgment depending on the people’s attitude toward Him. Is God’s justice full of revenge and retribution, or does it envisage some form of restoration? Explain. How is God’s repentance related to restoration?
God is willing to relent and restore His relationship with His people. From this perspective, how can we cultivate justice and love to restore broken relationships?
Have there been times when you tried to confront injustice and it backfired or went poorly? If so, how did you respond? How can you continue to pursue justice and help the most vulnerable?
Have you ever been treated unjustly? If so, what was the outcome of your situation? How does your experience influence the way you treat others?
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Key Text: Jeremiah 9:24
Study Focus: Ps. 33:5, Jer. 18:7–10, Mal. 3:6, James 1:17.
Introduction: Throughout Scripture, God’s love and justice are intrinsic to His character. These attributes reveal His deep concern for justice and righteousness.
Lesson Themes:
Love and justice belong together. Although we are not used to thinking about love and justice together, throughout Scripture, true love requires justice, and true justice is driven by love. Conversely, a pretense of love without justice is lenience toward evil; and justice without love consists of cold legalism. Therefore, genuine love and justice describe God’s perfect character. He loves justice and intends to see justice practiced in the world.
Loving justice requires constancy. Justice is the foundation of God’s government. His actions are grounded on the constancy of the divine moral character, not on random decisions and unjust deeds. God’s justice emanates from His regularity, as He never lies, and His promises are unbreakable. While Scripture affirms God’s moral immutability, it also indicates that His actions may relationally change in response to human decisions.
Loving justice takes repentance into account. We find statements in Scripture about God not relenting, meaning that He does not lie. Also, passages of the Old Testament indicate that God repents, in the sense of His not bringing the expected judgment announced by Him due to human wrongdoing. God’s relenting does not mean that He lied about His judgment but that He relationally changes His actions toward people if they repent and decide to live a life of fellowship with Him.
Life Application: Considering that God may change relationally toward His people when they choose to accept or reject Him, how can we reflect God’s loving justice as we react to injustice and wrongdoing in the world?
Part II: Commentary
1. Love and Justice Belong Together.
Many people think that love and justice are mutually exclusive. According to this perspective, one cannot be just and loving at the same time. In this view, love is lenient and precludes, or at least blurs, the due application of justice. Conversely, it is argued that justice has to be objective and dispassionate. Thus, it necessarily excludes any form of mercy and love.
However, this view is not the only (nor the best) way of thinking about the distinction of love and justice. In fact, love and justice do not form a dichotomy in the Bible but are, rather, coherently combined in the description of God’s perfect character. In the biblical wholistic account of love and justice, one cannot be properly thought of without the other. A pretense of love without justice is actually unfairness/partisanship, whereas the idea of justice without love is really cold legalism. In fact, the Bible goes even a step further in the description of God’s character. God does not merely combine love and justice; He actually loves justice (Ps. 33:5, Isa. 61:8).
The Hebrew term for justice, in Psalm 33:5 and Isaiah 61:8, is mišpāṭ, which conveys the idea of correct government. According to Robert Culver, while modern conceptions of democratic government separate legislative, judicial, and executive functions, mišpāṭ is not “restricted to judicial processes only” but actually refers to “all functions of government.” From this perspective, if there is no separation of functions, government in biblical times centered primarily on the figure of the ruler rather than on law codes. Also, the ruler/judge had executive and “judicial powers.” In other words, the ruler/judge not only made judicial decisions but also executed or caused them to be executed. As an example, when David appealed to God as judge in his contention with Saul, David was not only thinking in terms of a juridical decision but also assumed a judicial execution of deliverance and vindication: “let the Lord be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand” (1 Sam. 24:15, NKJV).—Robert D. Culver, “2443 שָׁפַט,” in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), p. 948.
If we take this broad understanding of justice into account, to say that God loves justice seems to imply at least two important points for our study of God. First, God’s justice is not merely related to law codes, but it fundamentally concerns His heart and character. Second, He loves not only the deliberation of justice but also its execution.
2. Loving Justice Requires Constancy.
If justice refers to sound government with good judgment and execution, as pointed out above, it must exclude the possibility of random or capricious decisions on the part of the ruler. From this perspective, justice requires constancy and regularity. There are two main passages in Scripture, one in the Old Testament and the other in the New Testament, that are normally used to affirm God’s immutability. While the concept of immutability is heavily loaded with philosophical assumptions in discussions about the doctrine of God in diverse traditions of Christian theology, it is safe to say that Malachi 3:6 and James 1:17 underscore the constancy of God’s moral character. To put a finer point upon it, He is morally immutable or changeless.
Malachi 3 is shaped by the idea of God’s justice. The chapter is introduced by the question of divine justice, in Malachi 2:17, namely, “ ‘Where is the God of justice?’ ” In other words, what is going to happen to “everyone who does evil” (Mal. 2:17, NKJV)? In response to this fundamental question, Malachi 3 highlights the coming of divine judgment. “ ‘Who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?’ ” (Mal. 3:2, NKJV). The judgment has in view particularly the rebellious history of God’s people, but this serious message is actually intended as a call to repentance. Therefore, the tone of God’s future judgment is ultimately a hopeful one.
In this context of judgment and hope, the Lord emphasizes that He does not change, and this fact is, indeed, the reason why His people are not destroyed (Mal. 3:6). The idea of God’s changelessness is rendered in the New English Translation Bible as “ ‘I, the Lord, do not go back on my promises,’ ” which captures the notion of God’s moral covenantal immutability, suggested by the context of the passage. At the same time, the emphasis of Malachi 3:7 (“ ‘Return to Me, and I will return to you’ ” [NKJV]) highlights a relational and positive change of attitude on God’s part, which is what He desires to do, depending on the people’s repentance.
In James 1:17, the idea of divine constancy and moral immutability is also underscored. The context of James 1 indicates that temptations are not prompted by God, as He consistently and constantly gives us good and perfect gifts from above. Thus, instead of a capricious combination of temptations and gifts, He consistently offers us only gifts. As “the Father of lights,” He shows “no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17, NKJV). The connection between God as the Creator of light and His constancy also appears in Psalm 136:7–9, which is part of the iterative emphasis of the psalm: “For His mercy endures forever” (NKJV). In these verses, the psalmist underscores the creative power and constancy of God: “to Him who made great lights, for His mercy endures forever—the sun to rule by day, for His mercy endures forever; the moon and stars to rule by night, for His mercy endures forever” (Ps. 136:7–9, NKJV).
3. Loving Justice Takes Repentance Into Account.
The Old Testament seems to have paradoxical statements about the repenting and relenting nature of God. On the one hand, we have passages—such as Numbers 23:19 (“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” [NKJV]) and 1 Samuel 15:29 (“ ‘The Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent’ ” [NKJV])—that affirm God’s constancy. To put it more pointedly, the Lord does not relent. The main point of these statements is that God does not lie, which is consistent with the New Testament teaching about God in Titus 1:2 and Hebrews 6:18.
On the other hand, Old Testament passages narrate God’s relenting or repenting in the sense of His not bringing the judgment He announced against those who did evil. One of the most well-known examples is the divine mercy shown to Nineveh in the book of Jonah (Jon. 3:10), where Jonah himself, in the beginning of chapter 4, disagrees with God’s repenting. Jonah’s explanation of why he does not want to announce the coming divine judgment against Nineveh reinforces God’s mercy: “ ‘Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm’ ” (Jon. 4:1, 2, NKJV).
Jonah 4:2 contains at least three important reasons why this “relenting” on God’s part should not come as a surprise. First, Jonah himself indicates that he suspected, from the beginning, that such an outcome would happen. This anticipation of God’s mercy is the real reason Jonah fled to Tarshish. Second, his statement about God here echoes Exodus 32:14 and Exodus 34:6, 7, where Israel itself was the object of God’s repentance. Hence, well before the divine relenting regarding Nineveh, God did the same with Israel in the past. Third, this type of relenting does not mean that God lied about His announced judgments, for He explains in Jeremiah 18:7–10 that “ ‘the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it’ ” (NKJV). Therefore, God relationally changes His attitude toward the people if they relationally change their attitude toward Him.
Part III: Life Application
Scripture affirms God’s moral immutability, but He may change relationally toward His people when they choose to accept or reject Him. With this idea in mind, discuss the following questions:
How can we reflect God’s justice as we react to injustice and wrongdoing in the world?
God repents and changes His judgment depending on the people’s attitude toward Him. Is God’s justice full of revenge and retribution, or does it envisage some form of restoration? Explain. How is God’s repentance related to restoration?
God is willing to relent and restore His relationship with His people. From this perspective, how can we cultivate justice and love to restore broken relationships?
Have there been times when you tried to confront injustice and it backfired or went poorly? If so, how did you respond? How can you continue to pursue justice and help the most vulnerable?
Have you ever been treated unjustly? If so, what was the outcome of your situation? How does your experience influence the way you treat others?