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And Justice for All
THIS QUARTER’S SABBATH SCHOOL LESSONS ABOUT THE MINOR
prophets (so-called) reminded me how little things have changed over the past two and a half
millennia. If you’re looking for some tame, bland messages about personal spirituality, you had
best look elsewhere. The messages of Joel, Amos, Nahum, Habakkuk, and others are messages of
judgment against the same things that plague our society today: greed, oppression, classism, and
indifference to the marginalized among us.
The messages of these prophetic activists is also a reminder that God’s heart is as concerned
with the nations of the world as it is for His own chosen people. And that often He uses others
as instruments to render judgment on His own people.
These voices remind us that truth in the abstract is unacceptable in isolation. In order to be
truly effective, words and ideas have to be combined with acts and deeds. What good is it to say
that we all come from one Creator if we cultivate a climate of inequality? Or if we ignore the
material and emotional needs of people in our society just so we can say we care about their
spiritual destiny? Or if we condemn others while hiding behind our own prejudices?
Author Anne Lamott wrote: “You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image
when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.” While we often claim to know the
mind of God, only our actions will show whether we truly do.
The prophetic voice says, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the
Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14). We know that justice will reign when Christ
returns, which is all the more reason to live it now. n
Stephen
Chavez
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The name of my Judge is Jesus.
Say It in Seven
Sunlight compromises the light of most stars.
day on the Adventist Review
Each Facebook page we share a sevenword
proverb. Created by associate
editor Lael Caesar, these seven-word
sayings are inspirational, thoughtprovoking,
and creative. They appear in
a graphic format to make them instantly
appealing. Facebook users often
comment on or “like” the proverbs,
giving the Adventist Review an interactive
element to our growing ministry.
Here are seven of the most popular
seven-word proverbs in recent weeks
(indicated by the number of people who
“liked” the proverb). Two are shown as
they appeared on Facebook.
What Jesus seeks is engagement, not access.
No one dies of suspicion in heaven.
You cannot finish the work without work.