Creator, Father, King #17

He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!

That’s not fair!

Have you ever heard that phrase before? Of course you have. It’s the cry that every child has howled at some point in their lives when they sense injustice.

• Someone cut in front of you in line to go to recess? That’s not fair!
• Billy’s LEGO pile looks slightly bigger than yours at playtime? That’s not fair!
• Betsy’s bedtime is thirty minutes later than yours because she’s older? That’s not fair!

Even as we get older, we crave justice. Throughout history, rulers of various kingdoms have been given the laudatory title “The Just” to describe their generally well-received reigns:

• James II “The Just” of Aragon and Sicily (reigned 1285–1327)
• Louis XIII “The Just” of France (reigned 1610–1643)
• Matthias I of Hungary, whose death in 1490 sparked the phrase, “Matthias is dead—justice is lost”

In America, we even name the judges who hold the highest court office in the land “Supreme Court justices.” No matter how old we are, the idea of justice—decisions based on fairness, equity, and righteousness—is a big deal to us.

Of course, all human justice fails at some point because of our sin. God’s justice, however, does not.

What’s It Mean?

God is just. He always does what is right. How does he know what is right? Because his standard of righteousness flows out of his own holy character, which is perfectly pure. As God testifies of himself in Isaiah 45:19, “I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right” (ESV).

In this life, you will experience much unfairness and injustice. Chances are, you probably already have. The world can be a cruel place, filled with inequalities. When you do experience injustice, remember those unfortunate situations are always products of sinful humanity’s shortcomings.

But take heart! You will never experience injustice from God. He always does what is right in accordance with his righteous character. And if you are his child, that’s good news for you!

Now What?

With a trusted adult’s permission, do a word search at BibleGateway.com or a similar online search engine with the words justice or righteous to see how many times Scripture describes God as a just, righteous King.

Did You Know?

Not everyone loves justice. Proverbs 21:15 says, “Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.”