Mercy To The Wicked, Cruelty To The Righteous

So the law is slacked

and justice never goes forth.

For the wicked surround the righteous,

so justice goes forth perverted.

Habakkuk 1:4

Actions have consequences.

This is both a scientific truth and a moral proposition. We know that if we throw a large stone into a pond there will be waves and ripples. We know that those who commit crimes are subject to sanction by the law.

Scientifically, this is both the theory and the reality.

Morally, however, all too often it is not. At least, it does not seem to be.

We know that it is not because we see time and again people who commit infamous crimes somehow escape the law's sanction. We know that it is not because very often we ourselves have “gotten away” with small crimes, such as speeding or parking illegally; we might even have avoided legal trouble for getting in a fight.

Those who commit crimes are subject to the law's sanction, but often—too often—they manage to evade that sanction. Often—too often—people who commit crimes get away with it.

We know from Ecclesiastes 5:8 not to be surprised by this, for the world has always been this way. The poor are oppressed and the vulnerable exploited.

In Isaiah 10:1-2, the prophet specifically condemned the judges of Israel for their hypocrisy and corruption, preying on the poor and the vulnerable.

In Jeremiah 7:9-10, we see specific condemnation towards those who do wicked and evil things, only to claim “deliverance” at the hands of a corrupt priestly authority.

The depravity to which Israel had descended was in no small part living the hypocritical lie that actions do not have consequences, that sin can somehow go unpunished.

This was not a depravity that Israel had shed when it came time for Jesus to enter the world and begin His ministry.

We know that Jesus had particular condemnation for those among the Pharisees who were corrupt and unrighteous judges. In Matthew 23:4 and again in Matthew 23:23-24, He called out their legalistic hypocrisy, putting upon people burdens they would not carry themselves. In Mark 12:38-40, He denounces those among the scribes who carry themselves with pride and arrogance while exploiting the law to confiscate what little the poor of Israel possessed.

So common was judicial corruption among the people of Israel that, in Luke 18:1-8, Jesus used a parable about a corrupt judge to teach patience and perseverance in faith to His followers.

Even while Jesus was here on earth, corrupt men perverted and distorted the law for their own ends.

This man has done since he was ejected from Eden.

Yet we do not need the teachings of Jesus to know this is wrong. We have known from the beginning that such corruption was evil. If there was any doubt God made it plain in Leviticus 19:15 that judges are called to dispose cases with righteousness, in fairness and in justice.

God repeatedly reiterates the importance of this, ordaining the imperative of fairness and honesty in all dealings and business transactions, requiring in Leviticus 19:35-36 that honest measures and honest weights be used in concluding any purchase of goods. In case people were slow to get the message, He restated this core principle yet again in Deuteronomy 1:16-17, charging judges not to be partial, to hear equally the small and the great, the weak and the strong.

That was the theory. That was the commandment.

That remains the theory. That remains the commandment.

As was true in Israel in the time of Isaiah, of Jeremiah, of Habakkuk, and even of Jesus’ ministry here on earth, the reality of our time remains vastly different.

As was true in Israel during the time of Isaiah, of Jeremiah, of Habakkuk, and even of Jesus’ ministry here on earth, we are plagued with corrupt judges who pervert the law and deny justice. The criminal and the corrupt find sanctuary in the courts, while the poor and the vulnerable are left outside, injured and largely forgotten.

We know this is wrong. We know this is injustice. Yet we allow it to continue.

The reality of all crime—of all sin—is that each evil act hurts someone. Each evil act hurts someone besides the actor.

Every crime has a victim. Every sin produces injury in someone.

When those who commit crime evade the law’s sanction, those victimized by crime are again victimized by the courts charged with dispensing justice.

When we repent, if we are honest about our sins we must also be honest about those whom we have hurt. Not for nothing did Jesus, during His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:23-26) admonish those seeking atonement to first be reconciled with those whom they might have wronged. If we are sincere in wanting forgiveness we should naturally seek to make whatever amends we can to those whom we have wronged.

Making amends is nothing more than simple mercy to those who have been wronged.

Seeking reconciliation is nothing more than simple justice for everyone.

When people decry the supposed “cruelty” imposed when laws are enforced, do they pause to consider the cruelty imposed when the laws are not enforced?

When people seek mercy for those brought before the law, do they pause to contemplate what mercy looks like for those who were harmed?

When people talk of forgiveness for wrongdoing, do they pause to contemplate how to make whole those who have been wronged?

God’s Law leaves no room for doubt on what the standard for justice must be: there is justice for all, or there is justice for none. There is no third option.

We know this to be true. We know this is the standard. We know we have not upheld that standard, nor even come close to it.

If we blindly and without thinking accord mercy to the wicked, we are being cruel to the righteous.

If we focus on forgiveness and ignore consequence, we are doing a double harm to those who have been injured.

If we are partial in judging the actions of others, we partake in the oppression of others.

That is not justice. That is hypocrisy.

As individuals and as a society, we can do better than this. As individuals and as a society, we must do better than this.

As individuals and as a society, we are called to do better than this.

My prayer this day is that I will not overlook the injured or the oppressed. My prayer this day is that I will remember that mercy applies as much to those who have been wronged as to those who have done wrong. My prayer this day is that I will always be inspired to seek true justice—justice that flows equally to everyone—and not false and partial justice where only a few benefit while the rest suffer.

My prayer for you this day is that you also will not overlook the injured or the oppressed. My prayer for you this day is that you also will remember that mercy applies as much to those who have been wronged as to those who have done wrong. My prayer for you this day is that you also will always be inspired to seek true justice—justice that flows equally to everyone—and not false and partial justice where only a few benefit while the rest suffer.

God’s Law leaves no room for doubt on what the standard for justice must be: there is justice for all, or there is justice for none. There is no third option.

We know this to be true. We know this is the standard. We know we have not upheld that standard, nor even come close to it.

As individuals and as a society, we can do better than this. As individuals and as a society, we must do better than this.

As individuals and as a society, we are called to do better than this.