"JUSTICE?"
We all know and say this pledge to our American flag. “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands; one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Lady Justice. She’s been around since the days the Greeks worshipped the Olympian gods. And she stands in numerous courthouses, courtrooms, and libraries across the United States and all around the world.
Everyone wants justice. Everyone here wants justice. But is justice what our hearts truly call for?
Today’s topic is justice. And here’s the title: “Justice?”
I’d like you to see what the Bible teaches on this subject. I’d like you to see justice from Heaven’s viewpoint. And to do so, I’d like to take you to a man who, in essence, devised his own form of justice. II Samuel 13.
Please find with me II Samuel thirteen and verse twenty-one. King David has just received some extremely sad news. His firstborn son Amnon has taken his daughter by another wife and assaulted and sexually violated her.
II Samuel 13:21 “But when king David heard of all these things, he was very wroth.”
As I read this I wondered “Isn’t this an interesting response to a sin that seems very similar to David’s own sin with Bathsheba, a woman who was completely off limits to David?
That’s David’s reaction to the sin. Now look with me at the reaction of Amnon’s half-brother Absalom; verse twenty-two. (22) “And Absalom spake unto his brother Amnon neither good nor bad: for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.”
One of the most difficult things you will ever have to do is to wait on God when you believe someone should be punished for their sin. Maybe you believe you should never have to wait for justice to be done on your behalf. You can certainly imagine the thoughts and the feelings Absalom had against his half-brother Amnon.
How long should you wait for justice to be done?
The Bible has a lot to say about this subject.
First though, let me read the rest of the story and see just what Absalom did. Absalom and Tamar were brother and sister. They had the same mother and father. Amnon was their half-brother. He had the same father as they did, but a different mother.
And Amnon was David’s firstborn son while Absalom was his third-born son.
II Samuel 13:23 “And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baalhazor, which is beside Ephraim: and Absalom invited all the king's sons.
(24) And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold now, thy servant hath sheepshearers; let the king, I beseech thee, and his servants go with thy servant.
(25) And the king said to Absalom, Nay, my son, let us not all now go, lest we be chargeable unto thee. And he pressed him: howbeit he would not go, but blessed him.
(26) Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee? (27) But Absalom pressed him, that he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him.
(28) Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.
(29) And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled.”
Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to see what should be done in the face of an injustice, especially when you are far removed from the actual situation? We have the benefit of looking back on this situation. We have the benefit of reading about it. We have the benefit of being an arm-chair General so-to-speak. We weren’t there. We aren’t the people involved here.
But let me remind you of this. The Bible is filled with principles. And these principles apply to you and me today. They are eternal principles. They always apply.
And fortunately for us, what God has given us in the Bible is not a list of those principles, but stories; true stories telling us how a principle was applied or what happens when it isn’t.
The story of Tamar being assaulted by her half-brother Amnon and Absalom’s response to it is important for a number of reasons.
And the first one is this. God sees everything and He knows the motives of every heart.
Lady Justice. She’s been around since the days the Greeks worshipped the Olympian gods. And she stands in numerous courthouses, courtrooms, and libraries across the United States and all around the world.
Everyone wants justice. Everyone here wants justice. But is justice what our hearts truly call for?
Today’s topic is justice. And here’s the title: “Justice?”
I’d like you to see what the Bible teaches on this subject. I’d like you to see justice from Heaven’s viewpoint. And to do so, I’d like to take you to a man who, in essence, devised his own form of justice. II Samuel 13.
Please find with me II Samuel thirteen and verse twenty-one. King David has just received some extremely sad news. His firstborn son Amnon has taken his daughter by another wife and assaulted and sexually violated her.
II Samuel 13:21 “But when king David heard of all these things, he was very wroth.”
As I read this I wondered “Isn’t this an interesting response to a sin that seems very similar to David’s own sin with Bathsheba, a woman who was completely off limits to David?
That’s David’s reaction to the sin. Now look with me at the reaction of Amnon’s half-brother Absalom; verse twenty-two. (22) “And Absalom spake unto his brother Amnon neither good nor bad: for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.”
One of the most difficult things you will ever have to do is to wait on God when you believe someone should be punished for their sin. Maybe you believe you should never have to wait for justice to be done on your behalf. You can certainly imagine the thoughts and the feelings Absalom had against his half-brother Amnon.
How long should you wait for justice to be done?
The Bible has a lot to say about this subject.
First though, let me read the rest of the story and see just what Absalom did. Absalom and Tamar were brother and sister. They had the same mother and father. Amnon was their half-brother. He had the same father as they did, but a different mother.
And Amnon was David’s firstborn son while Absalom was his third-born son.
II Samuel 13:23 “And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baalhazor, which is beside Ephraim: and Absalom invited all the king's sons.
(24) And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold now, thy servant hath sheepshearers; let the king, I beseech thee, and his servants go with thy servant.
(25) And the king said to Absalom, Nay, my son, let us not all now go, lest we be chargeable unto thee. And he pressed him: howbeit he would not go, but blessed him.
(26) Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee? (27) But Absalom pressed him, that he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him.
(28) Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.
(29) And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled.”
Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to see what should be done in the face of an injustice, especially when you are far removed from the actual situation? We have the benefit of looking back on this situation. We have the benefit of reading about it. We have the benefit of being an arm-chair General so-to-speak. We weren’t there. We aren’t the people involved here.
But let me remind you of this. The Bible is filled with principles. And these principles apply to you and me today. They are eternal principles. They always apply.
And fortunately for us, what God has given us in the Bible is not a list of those principles, but stories; true stories telling us how a principle was applied or what happens when it isn’t.
The story of Tamar being assaulted by her half-brother Amnon and Absalom’s response to it is important for a number of reasons.
And the first one is this. God sees everything and He knows the motives of every heart.