This week's Bible Study - January 17, 2010
Wrestling with Injustice
 Background Scripture:
Ecclesiastes 3:16-17; 4:1; 8:2-13
Quote of the Week:
“A kingdom founded on injustice never lasts.”
-- Seneca quotes (Roman philosopher, mid-1st century AD)
Is there injustice in this world? Of course there is. Some of it is fairly minimal and in other cases, it is amazingly out of hand. In the sports arena, you will often hear fans of a team saying that they got robbed by the officials. This is rarely the case, as with few exceptions, most officials are doing the best that they can do so that they are impartial to one team or another. Sometimes, a blown call can cost a lot, but in most cases, it is simply an inconvenience. You can ask just about any sports team if they believe the officiating is even, and you will hear that the officials favor the other team. But, even if so, this type of injustice does not compare to what happens elsewhere in our world.
We see the 'haves' routinely walking all over the 'have-nots'. Money speaks more often than justice in many places around our world. We see people that are downtrodden and will continue to stay that way, because it seems that they will never get a fair shake. We see people that cannot defend themselves being bullied by others, from the time we are in grade school and throughout life. We hear of extreme prejudices and racism throughout our world. We know that many people in our own land do not consider infants to be worthy of life, even after birth. People may talk about their own rights, but many people see no reason to show concern for the rights of those who cannot yet take care of themselves.
Bad things have happened in the lives of many people and often it has nothing to do with anything that they did. I could list many such things in this paragraph, but you know them. You can look at the hurt and disappointments in your own life. As we think about dealing with injustice, each of us has our own story. In some of them, we have been treated unjustly by others. In others, we may have been the one who treated others unjustly.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, we see some examples of many things that we face in life. The last couple of lessons have taught us how to view life in general and to consider how we use our time throughout life. This passage begins to hit home as we do see wickedness in the place of judgment and justice. We can easily find examples of wickedness in the halls of justice throughout the world. There are people who never get a fair shake, because of the injustice of others.
It is easy for us to find that, but before we go much further, we need to take a look inside. Is it possible that there is injustice and/or wickedness in our own lives? Do a quick assessment and ask yourself if there are people that you have dealt with in an unjust manner. Do you hold things against others for no real reason or for an extended period of time? It is easy for us to look at what others do wrong, but we are amiss if we do not shine that light back on our own lives.
Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes wrote that God would bring both the righteous and the wicked to judgment. While it may appear that injustice wins on this earth, there will come a time of reckoning before our Maker. Every activity and every deed of our lives will be brought under the light of Christ. If there is injustice, we can rest that God will handle that in its due time, but if there is injustice in our own lives, we need to rectify that before we allow it to overtake us. A critical spirit is one that can easily overtake a person, as they see themselves in the right and only see the error of other's ways. Don't let that critical spirit overtake you.
Solomon continued to write of all the oppression that was taking place on the earth. We touched on it briefly, but we know that in our world there are those that are abused, enslaved, raped and deprived of basic rights that all people deserve. Just about every day, you can hear of another child that has been kidnapped or some other atrocity. In large cities, you hear nightly of criminal acts, beatings and murders. It has become so commonplace that it doesn't even shock us as it once may have. When I first moved to the St. Louis area, I remember being appalled at the number of shocking stories on the news every evening. This is true in any large city. I have to admit that when I hear of those today, I hardly bat an eye. Perhaps you are like me and need to see once again the world from God's perspective and care more for those who have been treated unjustly.
In many cases, there are those that are oppressed with no hope of recovery. They have no comforter that cures their ills. In many of the cases, there are not even those who come to their aid once the oppression has happened - they are defenseless against what is being done and often left to fend for themselves in the time following. The power and the influence are on the side of the oppressors and there are none that stand with the oppressed. It is important that we see the oppressed and that we hear their stories, so that we can be moved to act. We should be driven to do something about the injustice in our world. We are so often willing to say the words, but are we willing to put our words into action?
In the 8th chapter of Ecclesiastes talks about the command of the king which should be obeyed. He writes to obey because of an oath that was taken before God. As believers, we should support our governmental leaders. Admittedly, this can be hard to do, but this is still what we are called to do. If you read Romans 13:1-7, you will see that it is clear that all people are to be in subjection to the governing authorities, as they have received this authority from God. In America, people become very polarized over politics and every two or four years, the elections cause many people to fear the worst. If their candidate doesn't win, they believe that society will surely fall. Granted, society hasn't gotten a whole lot better, but it hasn't been solely because of our leaders. It probably has more to do with those of us who vote rather than those who lead.
As believers, we are to be subject to our authorities. We may not agree with everything that they push, but even then, we should pray for them and support them. In many countries around the world, the authorities are much worse and are legitimately feared. However, even there, believers are called to support and to pray for them. It is amazing to me that as I have traveled around the world, I have seen governments that are very antagonistic towards Christians, as they seem to think that the Christian cause is to overthrow or disobey our leaders. In reality, the presence of true believers would pray for these same leaders.
Solomon writes that a king's word is supreme, and because of that, we should not stand up for a bad cause. The king can do as he pleases and is very seldom questioned. If we obey the rulers, we seldom experience harm. Even where there is injustice, there is a proper time and procedure to handle the issues. There are many people who want to cause disturbances over relatively insignificant issues, while they let more major things go unnoticed. One significant avenue for justice should be in the authorities, which is one reason that we need to pray for our leaders, on all levels. Just as the turning of the earth is controlled by God's hand, so too are the kings and kingdoms.
We tend to think that man has more power than we really have. Kings and kingdoms have their role, as do leaders and authorities at all levels - from government, business, schools and every other area. However, no man or government has power over the wind to contain it. Some have looked at the wind as an energy source, and it can prove beneficial, but you can only use it where it is. You cannot make the wind appear elsewhere.
Likewise, no one has power over the day of his death. There are certainly exceptions when people have taken their own lives, but this passage is clear that we do not know when we will die. I know of several people that have dealt with serious illnesses in the past few months - some of them didn't make it and others have recovered. It may be the same illness that two people have, with only one that survives. There may be some indicators, but we don't have control over that. We need to realize that our lives are fully in God's hands and trust that he will watch over us as long as we live.
Those who practice wickedness may mistakenly believe that they are in control of their own destiny. Many wars have been fought to face wickedness in places all over the world. Solomon considered all the things that he had seen in life and he realized that there is a time when a man lords it over others to his own hurt. He saw the judgment of those who had practiced wickedness, receiving praise from others who had followed them. His conclusion, once again, was that it was meaningless. Lording over others and living only for self did not come to a better end than those who had been lorded over.
We see the injustices that are done in this life, where people seem to get off with no penalty. We have all seen cases in which a person committed some atrocious crime against others and the sentence is not quickly carried out. When this happens, the hearts of many people begin scheming to do wrong in their minds. They tend to want to take the law into their own hands and avenge some crime. When our perspective is only about this world, we see things that impact us greatly. If life was only what we experience here, then some of the things that we see are indeed very detrimental. We see wicked people that commit many crimes and continue to live to commit more. We see those who are trying to do the right thing that suffer tremendous loss or die prematurely. The word 'unfair' tends to come up in our minds; especially if this life is it and there is no more.
Solomon writes that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God. Even when it seems others are doing better or experiencing more success, our success is based on eternity, and not just this week, month or year. When we can focus on doing what God has called us to do, we have the peace of mind that comes along with that. However, for the wicked that do not fear God, they have no such peace. It will not go well with them, as they will face the wrath of the Almighty God.
Closing
I believe we first need to examine our own lives - are we living unjust lives? Are we treating people in a way that is demeaning? As you think; assess the relationships that you have, and those whom you are in contact with often. Are you treating them justly, or are you using your position to continually put someone else down? It is easy for us to point our fingers at others, but are we willing to truly examine our own lives? When it is all said and done, we all answer to God personally. Life is not graded on a curve and we can't compare how 'good' we are in relation to others. Is God pleased with how you treat others?
Think about those around you that are treated with injustice. Are we coming to the aid of those who cannot defend themselves? There are many groups and organizations that deal with the rights of others. One key area of injustice involves the issue of life. It has become so politicized that many think it is based on where your politics are. Granted, many believers have different politics, but isn't there something wrong when we are neglecting to protect those who cannot protect themselves? We have the issue of the sanctity of life, both for unborn children and those who are near to the end of life. Are we helping those who don't seem to have an opportunity to speak for themselves? It is one thing to take a position in our minds, but are we actively supporting others who are working to help those in these situations?
We will see many people that are wicked and seem to prosper. Their prosperity will be short-lived, as they distance themselves from God. While it may seem to be a good situation for them now, how will they deal with eternity? But, God even desires to reach these people. God didn't just choose the perfect people - he chose us, as those who have our own problems. Our problems may seem to pale in significance to those who are wicked, but we know we all have issues. As we deal with those who have been treated with injustice, we also need to share the love of Christ with all people. God has moved in a mighty way in the lives of those who once did wrong. You may remember Saul, who persecuted Christians, yet became Paul and perhaps the world's greatest missionary for Christ. There are also modern day examples of people who have committed all sorts of crimes and have found Christ in prison. Several of these people are actively ministering to reach those who were in the lifestyles that they came from. God is all about changing people, so we need to realize that God can still work in the lives of those who will change.
Perhaps you have had a past experience where you treated others in an unjust manner. We have all made mistakes in our past, and for some people, it becomes downright debilitating. God wants you to turn to him and seek to live for him for the rest of your days. Your future begins now - what will you do?
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