Thread by @conservmillen

Let’s talk about justice & Micah 6:8. The word for justice used there is misphat, which is used most frequently in Scripture to mean judgment in the context of criminal procedures, in court cases, sentencing, verdicts. To “do” justice in this verse means to execute, carry out. 1/

https://twitter.com/starphilling/status/1384953280703471624

Micah is prophesying to a people who had turned to idols and whose leaders were failing to enact God’s misphat. How do we know what God’s justice looks like? He makes it very clear in his law-giving to Israel. 2/

At least 4 characteristics that we see of procedural justice in the OT are 1) truthful (based on fact, evidence, witnesses) 2) impartial (unbiased, no special treatment) 3) direct (impacts those involved in the crime) 4) proportional (punishment fits crime) 3/

We see consistently in God’s law-giving that his justice is concerned with the verdict, the sentencing AND the process. All must be rooted in evidence & impartiality. 4/

The punishments he prescribes for each crime differs. Some are restorative, some involve restitution, some are purely punitive (like the death penalty). 5/

One characteristic of misphat that we ALWAYS see is that it cannot be separated from God’s righteousness and our obedience to it. We never see the justice humans are to enact as whatever we want it to mean, what feels good to us, or personal spite or vengeance. It is rational. 6/

People seem to quote Micah 6:8 without seeing that the prerequisite to “doing justice” is walking “humbly with God.” In the context of the entire book, we see that walking humbly with God means repentance from our sin & obedience to God’s righteous decrees. 7/

But what does it mean to “love mercy?” Does that mean no one should be punished for a crime? The Hebrew word hesed also means kindness or lovingkindness, and it is typically used in the context of someone in power showing “loyal love” & compassion to someone weaker. 8/

It would seem that God, in the context of not just Micah but the entire OT, is calling his people to do right: punish wrong as defined by him & his law, and love, help, & show compassion toward the poor, the needy, the helpless. 9/

America isn’t modern-day Israel, & Christians aren’t bound to OT judicial law, but we do & should learn what justice means from the God who created it. Christians should also stop misusing Micah 6:8 as a justification for whatever cause they want to champion. 10/10

One more thing that I mentioned but want to make clear, since the OP seems to be misunderstanding me. When I say justice is sometimes punitive & not restorative, that is very different than personal revenge, which Christians are commanded against. (Rom 12:19)