Set Apart July 12 Devotional
by David Joynt on July 12, 2024
LEVITICUS 19:15-16 | 15 You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand idly by when the blood of your neighbor is at stake: I am the Lord.
These two verses have a breathtaking scope. Justice in judgement, implies equality before the law, a standard which is relatively recent in western societies, absent in many areas of the world, and hard to achieve in practice in our own land. This covers all legal judgements, every court, judge, lawyer, jury, every officer of the law, and every prosecutor.
But legal redress is a limited practice. Many crimes and harms are not subject to laws or not prosecutable for various reasons. To reflect God, the formal justice process is vital but insufficient. We must also be fair and just in social situations. Slander or false rumors can destroy someone or their prospects for success or employment as easily as theft of property. Indeed, stealing a reputation in this way can undermine a lifetime of work and action.
Have you ever suffered from the breach of these commands?
Gracious God,
Help us to reflect Your will and character in our courts and legal affairs. Help us also remember to protect one another’s reputations in the things we say.
Amen.
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