For I proclaim the name of the Lord: Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He. Deuteronomy 32:3,4
God of our salvation and our Rock, once again we approach the Mercy Seat as we begin the study of Your Word. We pray for wisdom to understand it, and Your grace to enable us to live according to it; for “our own good.” In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
All His ways are justice. As I began the study of this portion of our verse I went to the Hebrew word for justice or judgment (pronounced mish-pawt). It is a masculine noun meaning a judgment, a legal decision, a legal case, a claim, proper, rectitude. We do not hear words like proper and rectitude used much these days. But if we are talking about God’s justice, these words are sure to be mentioned. Unfortunately, the justice of God, in days gone by, as in our day, has been questioned, based on the opinion of human beings.
Perhaps one of the reasons for this is the way we study Scripture. What a dangerous and fearful thing it is for us to share with others, our opinion about the Word of God without testing it by the authority of His Word! There is really no excuse for this since God has left us, in His Word, a formula on how to study the Word! : ” ‘ “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little” ‘ “ (Isaiah 28:10).
Not a text, taken out of context, made to stand on its own, to mean what we want it to mean. But a complete study, within the entire Bible, on any given subject for a thorough understanding of the topic.
In verse 9 God seems to be searching for someone whom He can teach. The prophet asks the question: ” ‘ “Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts?” ‘ ”
At that time those who had been called and set aside to teach His people and rule them in justice had departed from God’s way because of strong drink:
“But they also have erred through wine, and through intoxicating drink are out of the way; The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, They are swallowed up by wine, they are out of the way through intoxicating drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgment” (7. Emphasis provided.).
This was the sad situation of God’s people. Hence His question, Who then shall I teach knowledge that they may teach My people? It was always God’s desire that His people be just in all their dealings, “In that day the Lord of hosts will be for a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people, for a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate” (5, 6). But how would they be infused with a spirit of justice if they were not listening to The Rock whose way is justice?
It was not much different in Paul’s day. The study of God’s Word was being neglected, and this was the result: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14. Emphasis provided.).
It sounds very much like the lament of the prophet Isaiah, doesn’t it? God’s people who are to be champions in matters of justice, are still drinking milk. We have not been using our senses, exercising them, in order to be able to judge correctly between good and evil. We are still babes, when in the understanding of right and wrong, we are to be fully grown adults!
The Good News is, we have The Rock, and all His ways are justice! Today we can begin to sit at His feet, and learn from Him!