# 430 The Proverbs – ‘A manual for living’ (MSG). Proverbs 11:1-31 (1) Justice, neighbourliness, and kindness.

Isaiah 61:8 states: I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing.

Psalm 37:28 says: For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed.

Psalm 103:6 says: The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

And so, this vital subject continues in Proverbs 11:1

The Lord detests dishonest scales,
    but accurate weights find favor with him.

Justice!

Ronald J Sider suggests that “Justice is easier to demand than to define.” But continues that the “ultimate foundation of the obligation to give persons and institutions their due… [is] God and the order he embedded in nature” ( # 57) and then in His Word, the Bible. God is just in all his ways and so desires that his people also reflect that same justice in their dealings with others, as Proverbs 11:1 suggests, but also as Jesus taught, the second [greatest commandment] is … ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  (Matthew 22:39)

Sadly, as Sider says: “In the last two centuries, however, modern thinkers have rejected [not only God himself, but] the notion of a divine standard of justice underlying actual laws… [he quotes] Emil Brunner [who] argued… ‘If there is no divine standard of justice, there is no criterion for the legal system set up by the state. If there is no justice transcending the state, then the state can declare anything it likes to be law … the totalitarian state [e.g., communism] is the inevitable result’” (# 57)

Thank God, the reverse is true, there is a divine standard of justice, and the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. ¹⁸ He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.  (Deuteronomy 10:17-18)

And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice. (Psalm 50:6)

So, justice here in proverbs 11:1 is speaking of “honesty and fair dealing” in all our interactions with others which “reflect the relationship of God to his people.” (# 53)

This subject of ‘justice’ appears a number of times in Proverbs such as the following:

The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.                                             Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.  (22:7-8)

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. (31:8-9)

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. (3:27)

The blessings of justice and righteous living overflow to all those around them, including the community where they live and work and socialize and serve. Proverbs 11 then suggests that:

¹⁰ When the righteous [who are just and generous] prosper, the city rejoices;
    when the wicked [the unjust and selfish] perish, there are shouts of joy.

And continues that:

¹¹ Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
    but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

But, not only the city but the nation:

Righteousness [including justice] exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.  (14:34)

So, justice, neighbourliness, and simple kindness to one another – what a difference it all makes in our lives and to those around us. Proverbs 11 continues:

¹⁶ A kindhearted woman gains honor,
    but ruthless men gain only wealth.

¹⁷ Those who are kind benefit themselves,
    but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.

²⁴ One person gives freely, yet gains even more;
    another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

²⁵ A generous person will prosper;

This verse continues:

whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

As we consider the sorry state of the world around us (as yet another nation and leader falls in the Middle East), isn’t it time for us to aim to refresh others by showing justice to the oppressed, neighbourliness to those exhausted by the pressures of life, and kindness – simple kindness – to people weary of a living in a very unkind world system.

To the Ephesians, Paul wrote:

If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need … Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them … Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. ³² Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.  (Ephesians 4:30-32)