I am sure that all of you who are reading this blog message are aware of the unfortunate circumstances that have befallen young Trayvon Martin, a young man of 17 years of age who found himself at the mercy of George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. This great injustice has caused great public outcry from people of all races, genders, ages, and socio-economical backgrounds in our nation. Many are saddened, outraged, infuriated, frustrated, disappointed, discouraged, fed-up, and confused at how such a thing could happen in 2012. All of these emotions are justified and understood because, after all, young Trayvon was simply walking down the street in a community where he had a right and reason to be, carrying a can of ice tea and a bag of skittles. With all of the public outcry for justice behind this situation and my heart being burdened with the injustice of it all, I thought it fitting to see what God has to say on the issue of Justice.
In Isaiah 1:17, God gives an instruction to His people about doing what is good and seeking justice. He said, “Learn to do good, work for justice. Help the down and out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless.” [MSG] There are a lot of things that we go about doing on our daily journey called life and much of it is for ourselves, but it is required of us that we seek justice, not just for ourselves, but for others. We must stand up against oppression and injustice by reproving (correcting) it when we see it and come to the defense of others. The word for justice as used here in Isaiah 1:17 is taken from the word judgment in the King James Version of the bible, which in the Greek means “right, cause, lawful, and order.” [Blueletterbible.org]. So, when you seek or work for justice you are seeking and working for that which is right, cause worthy, lawful, and in order. Standing up for justice is standing up for order in the sight of God.
In Proverbs 31:9 King Lemuel’s mother warned him against injustice by telling him, “open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” The New Living Translation puts it this way, “speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.” King Lemuel’s mother was speaking to her son in this way because he was a leader, one who would rule the people and she knew that it was important for a leader to be just in his decisions and actions in how he interacted with people, especially a leader who represented God. It is important for leaders to stand up and not only seek justice, by speak out against injustice on behalf of those who are at the mercy of others, but it is not only for leaders to seek and advocate for justice on behalf of others. It is incumbent upon us all to open our mouths and speak up on behalf of others that they might get justice. God is a God of justice and deals justly with mankind and requires us to deal justly with one another.
When I think about the atrocity of the killing of Trayvon Martin and the fact that his mother and father had to bury their child I am reminded about another young man whose mother had to bury him because he was cut down in his youth because of the color of his skin, Emmet Till in 1955 at the age of 14. As I think on these unfortunate events my heart aches and I am moved to tears. I do not believe that God, the righteous judge who is just and angered by injustice, will allow Trayvon Martin’s death to be in vain. I believe that his death will lead to change in what is acceptable and right in the realm of social justice in this world that we live in.
Justice is not only a legal issue, but also a social one. It governs how we interact with and respond to each other; it speaks to our very humanity and sense of what is right not in our own eyes, but in the eyes of God. Life is precious because we are all created in God’s image so, we cry out, stand up for, and go to bat for all the Trayvon Martin’s of this world whose voices have been silenced at the hands of the wicked and sanctioned by the blind eye of injustice.
- Dr. DeShonda Bailey
