THE BIBLE AND INJUSTICE

PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)

NCE (English); Dip (Computer Studies); ND/HD (Journalism); Dip, BA (Theology) MA, PhD.

Call: +2348037346939 E-mail: professorbenonyeukwu@yahoo.com

THE BIBLE AND INJUSTICE

Devotional Text: Lev.19:15

INTRODUCTION:

Simply put, injustice is the violation of justice or to judge someone unfairly. To this end, the Holy Scripture says, “you shall do no injustice in judgement. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbour”,(vs. 15). The citation above shows that God requires fairness in judgement, as it particularly expresses His concern in giving the less-privileged honest and transparent judgement without undue influence of the highly placed persons in society, who may try to take unwarranted advantage of them through judicial process. In furtherance, judgement, as the Lord expresses in the same Scripture, should be in righteousness, and so, the judicial personnel who do the opposite are hereby cautioned.

GENERAL REMARKS

(1)     Injustice is not permitted in judgement, (Lev. 19:15)

(2)     Injustice in judgement is a violation of God’s Word, (vs.15)

(3)     In judgement, everybody, rich or poor, should be treated fairly (vs.15)

(4)     In judicial process, transparency is required of every judicial officer, (vs. 15)

INJUSTICE AND SOCIAL DISORDER

No doubt, injustice is one of the major brewers of social disorder in society. For, where people are not fairly treated or common resources evenly shared, injustice is at the background, and under such a situation, social instability becomes inevitable, as this undoubtedly results in litigations. In this connection, God’s Word calls for righteous and prudent handling of cases arising from injustices. Thus, the scriptural text of this lesson states, ‘you shall do no injustice in judgement. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbours”(vs 15). Therefore, in the events of the trampling on the rights of the less-privileged; or the latter advancing false accusation on the former, there must be fairness in the adjudication of such matter, as a way of achieving stability in society, since it is obvious that where there is injustice, social disorder definitely comes to play. Based on the foregoing, this lesson biblically states that:

(i)             By justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down, (Prov. 29:4)

(ii)           Leaders or judicial officers like David must learn to execute judgement and justice among the people

 without fear or favour, (2 Sam. 8:15)

(iii)          We must stop judging unjustly, but should always defend the rights of the poor and the orphans, as  well

 as be fair to the needy and helpless, (Palms 82:2-3)

INJUSTICE AND JUDICIAL SYSTEM

Judicial system refers to the places,  persons or powers associated with the administration of justice, and this, by the token of the scriptural text of this lesson should not be compromised, (Lev. 19:15). This  means that the judicial personnel should not be found wanting in terms of corruption, as the judicial institution must be constitutionally allowed to function without undue interference of the power that be, which is the only way injustice could be put out of the system. But, the reverse is often the case, as the judicial system, in most cases, is bedevilled by high level of corruption, as orchestrated by its officers and personnel who compromise standards, and by so doing enthrone injustice. It is, therefore, in the light of the above that God’s word says that:

(i)       Judicial officers should perform their duties in righteousness, (Lev. 19:15)

(ii)     The Lord knows all the terrible sins in judiciary, that is, how good men are persecuted,

 how they take bribes, and prevent the poor from getting justice in the courts, (Amos 5:12)

(iii)    Judicial officers should “hate what is evil, love what is right, and see that justice prevails in the courts, (vs. 15)

INJUSTICE AND CHURCH ADMINISTRATION

Church administration is a sacred one, dedicated to the services of the Lord, who owns and builds the church (Matt. 16:18), and so, transparency should be the watch-word in handling every affair of the church. For, in any church administration where rules are bent, injustice eats as cankerworm. This is the basic reason why there is noticeable play down on meritocracy in most denominations of the Christian Church. Injustice exist in any Church administration where staff promotion, posting and sundry assignments are not done on merit or constitutionally, just to fan the ember of ethnicism or personnel interest, and of course, God is not the author of any inglorious policy which tends to undermine justice (or fairness) in the Body of Christ. Having cited the obvious, it becomes a point of duty to state that:

(i)                   Church leaders should not aim at making money, like the sons of Samuel, who accepted bribes and did not decide cases honestly”, (1 Sam. 8:1-3)

(ii)                 They should be transparent, like Samuel, who challenged the people of any wrong doing, (1 Samuel 12:3-5)

(iii)                Church leaders should learn to be transparent in the adjudication of justice, and general administration of the church, (vs. 3-5)

In conclusion, please note that God’s Word is strictly against injustice, whether it is in judicial system or in the ordinary affairs of the human life. So, this lesson is a biblical campaign against injustice, which it cites as one of the main causes of social disorder in society, as it cautions against insincere handling of judicial matters, as well as throw-up the challenge that the Christian church should be the conscience of the world in justice. LEARN TO BE FAIR TO ALL!