Justice – Kena Hawkins Newkirk

By the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps for…our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? Psalm 137:1-4

When the people of Israel arrived in Babylon, they were utterly traumatized. They had endured years of siege warfare, meaning they had spent months hungry and terrified at the army which waited outside their city gates. When the invading army finally made its way in, many people were killed. Those who survived the siege and the war now found themselves in the heart of the enemy’s country. Their captors mocked them, adding insult to injury, by asking them to sing a song of joy.

The people could not imagine singing a joyful song during such a terrible time, so instead they sing songs of lament. In fact, the Book of the Bible known as Lamentations contains song after song written about the trauma of the Exile.

Lament is the process of expressing one’s sadness or frustration to God. It is a holy practice that is cherished in the Bible but is sometimes missing from the church today. People are hesitant to share their sadness with God fearing it makes them look faithless. Often, we rather brush our trauma under the rug rather than process through it.

This passage has a special place in the modern world. In 1970, a Jamaican musical group called The Melodians released a reggae version of this Psalm. It was originally banned because of its Rastafarian background, but, eventually, it became a number one hit and a favorite song in gospel worship. Today, the lament of Israel takes on new meaning when churches sing these words as a call for social justice and Black liberation.

When you face trials or tragedy, you might be tempted to bottle up your pain or dismiss your suffering as lack of faith. However, God wants us to engage with our pain and the tradition of lament helps us do just that. Search your heart. What kind of pain is weighing on your heart? Take it to God through the practice of lament.

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you. To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

With the Northern Kingdom destroyed, the Southern Kingdom carried on as the primary nation who worshiped the Lord God. Unsurprisingly, the southern Kingdom of Judah fell into the same traps and snares as their neighbors. The people who claimed to follow the living God were acting no better and Idol worshippers.

The Prophet Micah critiques the character of the people by reminding them that God has already shown them how they are supposed to demonstrate their faith. He points out three distinct fruits of the spirit: justice, mercy, and humility. The first two, justice and mercy, are the two ways we care for one another. Mercy is something that usually happens in the moment, and justice is something that usually takes time.

We practice mercy when we have power over someone and choose to act with compassion or forgiveness. You might show a friend mercy when she steals from you by giving her a second chance. You might show mercy to a homeless person by giving them a few dollars or a warm blanket. Justice is a little bit different. We act with justice when something in our world is wrong, and we work to make it right. You might show justice to a thieving friend by having her return what was stolen. You might show justice to a homeless person by advocating for affordable housing or by supporting an agency that helps people get back on their feet.

Author and theologian Shane Claiborne reminds us that justice was the dangerous passion of Jesus Christ. “When people begin moving beyond (mercy) and toward justice and solidarity with the poor and oppressed, as Jesus did, they get in trouble,” he says. “Once we are actually friends with the folks in struggle, we start to ask why people are poor, which is never as popular as giving to charity…People are not crucified for helping poor people. People are crucified for joining them.”

There is a place for justice and mercy in a Christian’s life. To which is God calling you today and how will you respond?

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