"Doing" Justice

We are making the grave mistake of oversimplifying when we say that the Old Testament is about a bunch of rules (often with the equally oversimplifying comment that the New Testament introduces grace). Reading carefully, we see plenty of instances where empty, faithless, ritualistic fidelity to the Rules is strongly critiqued. One such instance is Micah 6:8. After lambasting the people for empty, but "faithful" (i.e., going through the motions accurately) ritual, the prophet says:

He has told you, O man, what is good,

and what the Lord really wants from you: 

He wants you to promote justice, to be faithful,

and to live obediently before  your God.

Let's focus on the word "justice," even though all parts of this verse are rich. What does it mean to promote (or "do") justice?

We often think of "justice" in terms of the law of the land. Someone commits a crime, so what is justice? Prison. A homeowner has been bilked by the utility company, so what is justice? Restitution and a fine for the company. A youth vandalizes a public building, and what is justice? Repair the damage and community service. We think of "justice" in terms of law and order or having the rulebreakers pay up. In a passage that faults empty rulekeeping, certainly "justice" can't mean only this.

There is also a common view of "justice" that basically means that it's unfair that anyone has less. "Justice" in this case is the cause of the poor and oppressed. The bad guys are the "system" and there is no justice as long as there's poverty or underresourcing. This, too, is partly correct to the context. Where there is oppression, there is no justice.

However, it would be insufficient to say that "justice" is just one of these. And it's not even accurate to say that "justice" is the both of these together.

The word "justice" in this passage means "to make right." It is related to the word "righteousness." It is not a legal term and it is not a social term. It is not restricted to punishment or poverty. The word means to set wrong things right. This of course can include law and order as well as fighting forms of oppression. On the other hand, just punishing lawbreakers or extracting people out of poverty does not constitute "doing justice." It includes any situation where things aren't "right."

Micah tells the people that empty religion is displeasing to the Lord. If you perform all the rituals but are not "making things right" in your society, you are not offering the Lord anything He really wants.

What does it mean to "make things right" with lawbreakers and rulebreakers? Only punishment? What does it mean to "make things right" with the poor, when Jesus says we will always have the poor with us? What does it mean to "make things right" when we see any form of oppression? What does it mean to "make things right" when someone needs eternal hope but doesn't know where to find it?