Justice has been a hot word in our society. Many people want justice, but we might have different ideas about what justice means. In Micah 6:8, the prophet calls us to act justly, but what does that mean?

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. —Micah 6:8 (NIV)

How would you define justice?

We live in a world that wants justice. Usually what we mean is that we want the fair and equitable prosecution of the guilty. But there is a difference between retributive justice (punishment) and restorative justice (flourishing). Micah’s challenge is toward restorative justice.

What is restorative justice?

Jesus told a parable that helps us understand justice on a practical level.
Take a moment and read the parable of the Good Samaritan. Luke 10:30-37

To act justly means… We don’t do people wrong.
Or to put it another way… we should never put someone in a ditch.

When you want a piece of land, you find a way to seize it. When you want someone’s house, you take it by fraud and violence. You cheat a man of his property, stealing his family’s inheritance. —Micah 2:2 (NLT)
Listen to me, you leaders of Israel! You hate justice and twist all that is right. 10 You are building Jerusalem on a foundation of murder and corruption. 11 You rulers make decisions based on bribes; you priests teach God’s laws only for a price; you prophets won’t prophesy unless you are paid. Yet all of you claim to depend on the Lord. —Micah 3:9-11 (NLT)
Officials and judges alike demand bribes. The people with influence get what they want, and together they scheme to twist justice. —Micah 7:3 (NLT)

What problems do you see that Micah is calling out?

Just people will intentionally examine all of their affairs to make sure that they don’t hurt people.

To act justly means… We help those who have been wronged.

The problem of the first 2 men in the parable of the Good Samaritan is not that they put the man in the ditch, but that they didn’t help him out of it.

Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. —Isaiah 1:17 (NIV)
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. 9 Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. —Proverbs 31:8-9 (NLT)

To act justly is not a passive thing. We have to actively engage.

What are ways we can actively help those who have been wronged?

To act justly means… We try to right what’s wrong.

Justice is more than just helping people out of ditch, justice is about trying to make the road safe so fewer people wind up in the ditch in the first place.

The Lord will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. 4 Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has made this promise! —Micah 4:3-4 (NLT)

How might we share this vision with the world?