Tag: justice
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Reflecting on Job 8 1-10, 20-22
How much do we agree with Bildad the Shuhite, that God does not pervert justice, nor the Almighty the right? (Job 8:3) How much do we agree that the pattern of sufferings and serenities we see in the human world around us and in our own lives reflects the working-out of divine or cosmic justice? […]
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Reflecting on Deuteronomy 24 10-21
Do people who have no fields or olive groves or vineyards – which probably includes most of us – need to pay any attention to the instructions for leaving some of their produce for the stranger and the orphan and the widow? And if so, why? We might ask similar questions about lending money and […]
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Studying Deuteronomy 24 10-21
One element of Biblical justice is compassion for the poor and vulnerable, and we will be focusing on that element as we study Deuteronomy 24:10-21, our text for Sunday, January 30. [Some questions on this text are here.] Here are a few notes on that text: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT: This is our third text from […]
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Reflecting on Deuteronomy 16 18-20, 17 8-13
What is entailed, practically, in the pursuit of justice, justice? Especially in our modern context, in which our system of justice is purposely secular, and involves highly trained legal specialists? How are regular people of today supposed to read texts like Deuteronomy 16:18-20 and Deuteronomy 17:8-13, which contain instructions for the ancient Israelites, and their […]
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Studying Deuteronomy 16 18-20, 17 8-13
We will be thinking about what it means to provide for the doing of justice in a community, as we study Deuteronomy 16:18-20 and Deuteronomy 17:8-13 for Sunday, January 23. [Some notes on the text are here.] Here are a few notes on these texts: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT: The book of Deuteronomy presents itself as […]
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Reflecting on Exodus 23 1-12
The central question of how the laws, the mishpatim, given in Exodus 23:1-12 apply to us, or might, gets us into such deep water that we seem unlikely swim our way out of it by the end of our study on Sunday, January 16. [Some notes on the text are here.] Probably we can all […]
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Studying Exodus 23 1-12
We will be examining some of the demands of Biblical justice as we are studying Exodus 23:1-12 for Sunday, January 16. This is in keeping with our quarter-long focus on “justice, law, and history.” [A few questions on this text are here.] Here are a few notes on this text: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT: Our text […]
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Reflecting on Deuteronomy 5 1-3, 10 12-13, & 27 1-10
How do we relate ourselves to the covenant we read about in Deuteronomy, the one with “statutes and ordinances” and mitzvot? Especially if we are Christian students of scripture? How do think and feel about this covenant, and how do we regard its provisions – what do we think they’re “about,” how do we think […]
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Reflecting on Psalm 9 1-12
How does the Psalmist describe justice, and its consequences, in Psalm 9? Do we recognize that description as justice, that is, as what we ourselves mean by “justice” when we use the word? This could be a big question for us as we study this psalm for Sunday, October 10. [Some notes on the text […]
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Studying Psalm 9 1-12
For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever. Psalm 9:18 Psalm 9:18 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. It’s utopian, in the sense that it asserts the possibility of a world that is otherwise than the current one with its “realistic” options. We are […]
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Celebrating Labor Day!
You shall not withhold the wages of poor and needy laborers, whether other Israelites or aliens who reside in your land in one of your towns. You shall pay them their wages daily before sunset, because they are poor and their livelihood depends on them; otherwise they might cry to THE HOLY ONE against you, […]
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Reflecting on Genesis 42 6-25
We are studying Genesis 42:6-25 for Sunday, September 20. This is the episode in the story of Joseph and his brothers when the brothers arrive in Egypt to buy grain, which is not exactly a family reunion. [Some notes on the text are here.] Here are some questions we might want to consider or discuss […]
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You-Know-Who’s For Labor
You shall not withhold the wages of poor and needy laborers, whether other Israelites or aliens who reside in your land in one of your towns. You shall pay them their wages daily before sunset, because they are poor and their livelihood depends on them; otherwise they might cry to YHWH against you, and you […]
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Reflecting on Hosea 11 & 12
We are studying Hosea, portions of chapters 11 and 12 (11:1-2, 7-10, 12:1-2, 6-14) for Sunday, May 31, as we wind up our quarter on Biblical messages of justice. [Here are some notes on the text.] Here are a few questions we might want to consider, or discuss, in studying this text: What is the […]
Matters of Interpretation 