Justice and the Prophets
God Requires Justice
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5)
Consequences for Injustice
Habakkuk 2:15-17 New International Version
15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors,
pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk,
so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!
16 You will be filled with shame instead of glory.
Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed[ a]!
The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you,
and disgrace will cover your glory.
17 The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
and your destruction of animals will terrify you.
For you have shed human blood;
you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.
For Reflection
Fighting violence with violence just leads to more violence. “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword (Matthew 26:52). We understand visible violence. Even though we also understand that escalating violence with a violent retributive act is a downward spiral of never-ending violence.
Just as devastating is invisible violence. "Invisible violence includes things like not being able to access childcare, losing a housing voucher because you put up a family member recently released from incarceration, restrictive voting rights, and much more. When suffering under this type of violence and unable to create change, it is easy to see why we might internalize that violence as seen in drug addiction, loss of hope, and self-hatred," says the Peace and Justice Center.
We don't often think of our institutions, regulations, and laws as violent acts. But when people are dehumanized by circumstances, we have created we start a downward spiral of violent acts.
Pray
Pray and contemplate the invisible violence that results from injustice in our communities.
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