BaptistWay Bible Series for July 12: God’s mission: Restoration and justice

Over the past few weeks, our study unit has focused on God’s mission. We’ve done so by focusing on biblical texts often thought of as climactic texts, or passages that provide a definitive insight into the meaning of the mission of God, speaking clearly and powerfully to this theme.

Most of these climactic texts have been familiar through previous Bible studies or perhaps you’ve heard your pastor use some of them during a sermon. Regardless of whether these verses are familiar, the big-picture focus of this series of studies is intended to be twofold: to help offer greater understanding of God’s mission and to challenge you toward more action in participating in it.

This week’s study is a logical complement to last week’s lesson on reconciliation and redemption. It deals with restoration and justice, with “making things right” not only with God’s mission but also making things right with those in need, because God’s mission is to bring restoration and justice to people who are needy and oppressed.

Does God care about the needy and oppressed? As we will see while exploring these climactic passages about justice, God elevates the poor and the defenseless to levels governments and individuals rarely do. He provides them a voice when the world rarely hears their cries. Among the questions we will explore as we look at these passages are “Do we hear them?” and “Will we respond to their need?”

“Open your hand to the poor” (Deuteronomy 15:1-11)

This passage occurs in the context of Moses delivering laws to Israel concerning giving. In previous passages, he introduces the concept of the tithe, or first tenth, to be given to God, following it with a mandate to give every three years to the poor (14:28-29).

In the same spirit, he introduces an even more radical concept to the people: The sabbatical year, or year of release, from indebtedness. In our focal verses, he explains the year of release as a cancellation of debt every seven years, a time of rest from debt not unlike the weekly sabbath rest.  

Anticipating the issues that a homeless, wandering people might have with this mandate, God explains through Moses in verse 4 that “There will, however, be no one in need among you, because the Lord is sure to bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession to occupy.”

In addition to the sabbatical year concept, Moses adds in verses 10-11 the general admonition to: “Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.’”

Questions to explore

• It is unclear if Israel ever followed this mandate. In fact, 2 Chronicles 36:21 records that while Judah was in exile in Babylon, “the land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all of the time of its desolation it rested.”

• Is this a practice we should follow in modern times even if Israel did not?

• What would the global economic implications be?

• What is God’s part of the deal for the year of release?

 
“Do justice” (Micah 6:8)

If ever there was a climactic verse, Micah 6:8 is it. It asks a question and gives a brief answer.  In full, verse 8 says, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Instead of looking at the context, let’s take it at face value and dissect what it says—and how it says it. It seems God has some basic requirements for man, expressed in three action verbs. Notice that none of these is a form of being, they’re all a form of doing. Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly with God. In the end, when you’ve made all three of these action verbs a part of your life, you will be what God wants you to be.

Question to explore

• What are the actions necessary to “do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God?”

No oppression of the weak (Jeremiah 7:1-7)

This passage takes place as Jeremiah is standing at the gate of the temple, calling for the people to reform their worship practices. To do so, God has given Jeremiah a message that they must change their lifestyles if their worship is likewise to be changed.

Crucial to our lesson is the conditional command found in verses 5-6: “For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever.”

Notice that God, through his prophet, gives equal treatment of the weakest or most oppressed of society (the alien, widow and orphan) to murder (shedding of innocent blood) and idolatry (going after other gods). In this climactic passage, God says right worship and Israel’s ability to stay in the Promised Land is contingent upon these commands.

Questions to explore

• God equates the treatment of the resident alien, widow and orphan in importance with life itself and the worship of one God. Do our civil laws or practices reflect this equality? What does this passage say to you in terms of the immigration debate in the United States?

Year of jubilee fulfilled (Luke 4:16-21)

This passage notes Jesus’ preaching in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. He chose to read a passage of Scripture we know as Isaiah 61 that brought a word of hope to the poor, the captive, the blind and the oppressed—and to usher in the year of jubilee, the sabbatical year of forgiveness of debt.  

While Jesus’ reading initially received favor with his hometown listeners, he dropped a bombshell on them at the end in verse 21—“Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” He claimed to be the anointed one.

This is one of the most important passages in the Bible, because it offers a definitive message from Jesus about who he was and what his mission is. And, while it can be read literally, look at it again figuratively while inserting the word “spiritual” in front of many of the concepts: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me  to bring good news to the (spiritually) poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the (spiritual) captives and recovery of sight to the (spiritually) blind, to let the (spiritually) oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (the year of forgiveness of spiritual debt).”

Question to explore

• How can you spiritually help the oppressed while helping them physically as well?

Pure, undefiled religion (James 1:27)

This climactic passage occurs as James is urging Christian believers not only to believe, but to act on their beliefs. Without this action, he says in verse 26, this kind of self-deceiving religion is “worthless.” But in verse 27, he gives the antithesis of worthless religion: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” This pure and undefiled religion occurs, he is saying, when believers throw themselves into real-world, practical investment of their time and selves toward those in real need.

He expands this practical “works from faith” thought in our second focal passage, James 2:14-16 by asking “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what good is it?” What a condemnation on those who do not do the practical things necessary to help the weak.

Question to explore

• What have you done recently to practically meet the needs of the weak or needy?