Proverbs 29:26. Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice.
Jesus, Paul, and Peter each taught us that God put human rulers in place for our good. From kings, to presidents, Congress to City Council, police, teachers, managers, parents, and pastors, all of these authorities are meant to bring about good and punish evil. They are meant to be instruments of God’s justice and righteousness on Earth.
Of course, the problem with every human ruler is that they are just that, human. Every human ruler is subject to their own appetites and irrationality, pressures from within and without. Not only is no ruler perfect, but they are often just as bad as the ones they are supposed to be punishing. Even the best of rulers will get things wrong. Justice will never be perfectly meted out this side of Heaven. Yes, seek the face of a ruler, call for justice here on Earth. Vote, petition, peacefully protest if you must. But never forget this – it is from the Lord that a man gets justice.
Sadly, reliance on man for justice is folly. The irony is thick since these proverbs were collected by King Solomon. How many sought his face over the years looking for justice? 1 Kings says the entire world came seeking an audience with the king. But even the wisest of rulers can be twisted in heart and selfish in deed. It is far more likely that a good ruler turns wicked than that a wicked ruler turns good.
In Christ we have a far better option – it is from the Lord that a man gets justice. All true justice comes from the Lord alone. Even the just decree of a human ruler is only made possible from God’s intervention. “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hands of the Lord, he turns it wherever he wishes” (Prov. 21:1).
Often justice is the forgotten portion of the gospel. Forgiveness and grace take center stage while justice is an afterthought. But justice is the whole point of the gospel. We are shown grace and forgiven so that there can be justice. If justice wasn’t necessary for our salvation, then we wouldn’t need the cross. God could have just forgiven us without the physical death and soul separation that Christ endured as the just reply of a holy God to sin.
Christian, don’t for one second believe that the cross replaced God’s justice with forgiveness and grace. No. What the cross does offer, however, is restorative justice in the place of punitive justice. Because of God’s forgiveness and grace in Christ, because Jesus took the punishment that we deserve, we can be restored to right relationship with God and we can everything we’ve lost in this life restored to us.
In his dying, Jesus lost it all. His family, his friends, his honor, his purity, his righteousness, even his connection to the Father. But in his resurrection, all was justly restored to Christ a thousand fold. He who was lifted up on that cross is now lifted up as ruler of all Heaven and Earth. The followers that abandoned him have been multiplied into millions who will follow him into eternal life. The shame of the hateful cross has become the glorious life of love.
It is not just Jesus that had everything restored. It is all who are in Christ too. We too will receive from the Lord everything good that has been lost, stolen, broken, and destroyed. A thousand fold. Not only will we not get the punitive justice that we all deserve (forgiveness), but we will get back the life of perfect peace and love that God created us for as his dear children (restorative justice).
You: Is there any place in your life where you are still waiting for justice?
You in Christ: How does our union with Christ allow us to trust that one day we will receive restorative justice?
Christ in you: How can Christ in you and the hope of future justice allow you to forgive others in this life?
Pray: Jesus, I can’t wait for you to be the just ruler over all the Earth. Come quickly and bring your justice with you. Amen.
To Live is Christ 