Attributes of God - The Justice of God (Deuteronomy 30:11-20) (Sermon 12)

Last time we looked at the Holiness of God.

God revealed himself to Moses as the Holy One, in the sense of his separateness, at the

Burning Bush and the Crossing of the Red Sea. He learned that God is Glorious in Holiness.

• When Moses received the Law at Sinai, God revealed his Holiness in the sense of his Moral Excellence; His Absolute Purity & complete freedom from sin.

God revealed the Absolute Nature of his Holiness to Isaiah, as the Thrice Holy God.

• He saw a Vision of God's Holiness - a Holiness that fills Heaven & Earth.

Isaiah's Response was to cry out "Woe is me for I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips"

This morning we will consider the Attribute that tells us how God Maintains his Holiness,

namely, His Justice or His Righteousness.

God's Justice has been described as:

"That characteristic of His Nature that is manifested in the Active Preservation of His

Holiness." It is the Outward Expression of His Holiness.

• Scholars tell us that the most common Old Testament word for Just means 'straight',
• The New Testament word means 'equal. In a moral sense both mean 'right'."

When we say that God is Just, we are saying that God always does what is Right.

• God always does what should be done. He does it consistently & without partiality.

The word Just and the word Righteous are identical in both the Old & New Testaments.

• Sometimes the translators render the original word as 'just' and at other times as 'righteous'.
• For example, compare Nehemiah 9:8 with 9:33:

Whichever word the translators choose, it has essentially the same meaning.

• It has to do with the Actions of God. His Actions are always Right & Fair.

This morning we'll look at God's Justice through the History of God's People:

FIRSTLY, God revealed his Justice to Abraham at the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah:

• In this incident we see how God himself taught Abraham to use this Attribute of Justice as the basis of his Appeal to for the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah.
• After the incident when Sarah laughed because of God's promise of a son in her old age,

the Three Heavenly Visitors were about to depart.

• Then God revealed to Abraham how he was about to visit Sodom & Gomorrah.
• The Lord had heard the outcry of godly people concerning the Great & Grievous Sin of the inhabitants of these two wicked cities.

The Apostle Peter tells us that it was Righteous Lot & his family who were grieved:

"Lot was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw & heard"(2 Pet 2:8)

God's Justice is seen in the way in which he was willing to 'go down' to assess the situation:

"I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me.

If not, I will know" (Genesis 18:21).

To put it in modern language - God is Just, so he was not willing to act solely on hearsay.

• We know that God is the All-Knowing & All-Seeing God;
• He did not need to go down to these cities because he already knew about their wickedness.
• Nevertheless, God wants us to have examples of the way in which he always acts justly.
• God wants to be Seen to be Just. He acts on the basis of factual information .
• He acts justly, on the basis of personal knowledge, and not on hearsay & gossip.
• God deals with these people justly, because they were truly wicked.

The fact that God is teaching Abraham about Justice is made clear at the start the passage:

"Then the Lord said: 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will

surely become a great & powerful nation, and all the nations on earth will be blessed

through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household

after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right & just, so that the Lord will

bring for Abraham what he has promised him" (Genesis 18:17-19).

• God knew what he was about to do.
• However, he wanted Abraham to know that what he purposed to do was Righteous & Just.
• He wanted Abraham to be a part of what he was doing so that he'd never forget this lesson
• God wants Abraham & his Children to

"Keep the way of the Lord by doing what is Right & Just."

God taught Abraham about his Justice by putting it in his heart to intercede for these cities.

• Notice how this fact is emphasised throughout Abraham's Prayer:

"Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous

people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of

the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing - to kill the righteous

with the wicked, treating them the righteous & the wicked alike. Far be it from you!

Will not the Judge of the earth do Right?" (Genesis 18:23-25).

The whole basis of Abraham's plea with God is the Lord's Justice & Righteousness.

• Abraham was certainly concerned for the righteous people in those cities.
• But his main concern was that God's Attribute of Justice should be maintained.

Abraham's desire is that God should Judge these people with Justice & Righteousness;

This is why he asks the question: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?" (v23)

• Abraham asks this rhetorical question and even provides the obvious answer.

The implication is clear:

• Abraham believed that it was absolutely impossible for the God of Justice to deal with the righteous & the wicked in the same way.
• It against the Nature of a Holy God to do such a thing.
• God cannot deal with people in a manner that is against his Divine Attribute of Justice.

• If God were to destroy both the wicked & the righteous without any distinction,

he would NOT be acting according to the principle of Righteousness & Justice.

Abraham asks the Same Question in another way:

• Behind this question we see the Confidence of a Man of Faith.

• We see the Absolute Confidence of a man who firmly believed in God's Fairness.

Abraham is saying: "Surely, a Holy God must act Justly to vindicate his Holy Nature."

Abraham pleads for the deliverance of these cities if any righteous people can be found -

if there are 50, then 45, then 40, then 30, then 20, then 10.

• But there were not even Ten Righteous People in these two wicked cities.

There were only three who escaped this judgement, four if you include Lot's wife.

• Here we learn that God, in his Divine Justice, would not deal with the wicked in such a manner that would punish the righteous as well.
• God did not spare the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah, but he did spare Lot & his two daughters, and he would have spared Lot's wife if she had not disobeyed the Lord by looking back.

God sent Two Angels of Destruction to deal with the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah.

But, first, God sent the Two Angels to Lot with a vitally important message:

"Do you have anyone else here - sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city

who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The

outcry of the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it" (19:12-13)

• The two sons-in-law thought he was joking when he told them about the imminent judgement.
• They refused to leave and so they perished with their people in Sodom.

The Prophet Nehemiah recognised the fact that Abraham had Learned this Lesson.

Nehemiah believed that God's Justice is an abiding principle for the manner in

which God deals with his people throughout the ages (Nehemiah 9:7-8):

"You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans

and named him Abraham. You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant

with him to give his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites,

Jebusites & Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are a Righteous."

We are looking at God's Justice through various incidents in the History of God's People.

FIRSTLY: God revealed his Justice to Abraham at the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah:

• Abraham asked the question: Will not the Judge of the earth do Right? (Genesis 18:25).

SECONDLY: God revealed his Justice to Moses after the giving of the Law to his people:

• Last time we saw how God revealed his Holiness to Moses in the giving of the Law.

During Moses' address in Deuteronomy ch 4 to 11, he re-states the Ten Commandments.

• In chs 27-30, Moses gives a final exhortation, in which he highlights God's Justice.
• When the Israelites entered Canaan, they must hold a special Ceremony for the purpose of

reminding the people of their Covenant Obligations (Deut 27:1-8).

- Moses emphasises the Consequences of Disobeying God's Law (28:15-57).

- They will be carried out of the land of Canaan by their enemies (28:58-68).

- Then the Lord will Restore His People & give them Hearts to Love their God (ch 29-30).

Moses completes his address by giving a summary of his message to God's people (30:15-20).

"See, I set before you today Life & Prosperity, Death & Destruction. For I command you

today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees

& laws; then you will live & increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land

you are entering to possess. But if your hearts turn away and you are not obedient, and if

you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this

day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are

crossing the Jordan to enter & possess. This day I call heaven & earth as witnesses

against you that I set before you Life & Death, Blessings & Curses. Now choose life."

These final words of Moses explain how God Preserves His Holiness through His Justice

- God preserves his Holiness by Rewarding Obedience & Punishing Disobedience (v16-18)

• God's Response to Israel's Behaviour will be determined by their Choice of Good or Evil.

• God's Response will always have One Goal in view, namely, the Defence of His Holiness.

• In other words, this passage illustrates God's Attribute of Justice.
• God promises that he will always deal Justly with His People.
• The Lord does this by Promising Real Blessings and by Threatening Real Punishment.

Moses sets before God's People Two Contrasting Choices & Two Inevitable Consequences:

• "See, I set before you Life & Prosperity, & Death & Destruction" (30:15).
• The Two Choices given by Moses are Mutually Exclusive.
• The Two Choices are made crystal clear: Life & Prosperity Or Death & Destruction.
• The Israelites were to be left in No Doubt & No Confusion about the Choices before them.
• There are no more contrasting choices than Life OR Death; Prosperity OR Destruction!

The First Choice set before the Nation of Israel was to Choose Life & Prosperity:

• By using the word 'Life', Moses means that one of the two roads that Israel could take would ensure the Nation's Continuance on Earth.
• The word translated as 'Prosperity' refers to that which is 'good, pleasant or agreeable.'

• It describes desirable circumstances that produce Contentment, Happiness & Comfort.
• Note, however, that this is not a promise that 'all their troubles would be over',

but that the overall picture would be one of Prosperity, Contentment & Happiness.

The Second Choice set before the Nation of Israel was to Choose Death & Destruction:

• By using the word 'Death', Moses means that the people would face certain destruction and that the Nation would Not Continue on Earth.
• The word translated as 'Destruction' refers to 'trouble of the worst kind.'

It refers to evil, wickedness, grief, injury, misery & distress.

• The term Death stands for the very Opposite of the term Life.

Moses sets forth Two Distinct & Mutually Exclusive Choices for Israel's Future.

• The Nation could experience Life & Prosperity OR Death & Destruction.
• They could experience the Favour of God or the Curse of God.

Moses tells us how these Two Choices will result in either Blessing or Punishment (30:15-18)

• The whole Law of Moses is summed up in a Positive Statement:

"Love the Lord your God, walk in his ways, & keep his commands, decrees & laws"

• This statement is followed by a Promise of Blessing:

• Obedience to the Law of God will lead to the Blessing of Life & Prosperity for the Nation.

The Warning of a Punishment for Disobedience is equally clear (30:17-18):

"But if your hearts turn away & you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow

down to other gods & worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be

• Obedience will bring Life & Prosperity; but Disobedience will result in Death & Destruction

• Israel would face Life or Death, depending on their Response to the Law of Moses.

The Punishment of God is just as clear as the Blessing of God.

• The Choices are Absolutely Opposite to one another.
• Obey and you will Live & Increase as a Nation. The Lord will Bless you as a Nation.
• Disobey and you will Die & be Destroyed as a Nation. The Lord will Punish you as a Nation.

• The Holy One of Israel demanded His People's Conformity to His Standard of Morality.

Take note that the Difference between these two possible futures for Israel as a Nation depends upon either Obedience OR Disobedience to God's Standard of Holiness.

• The Holiness of God demands that he deals with his people with Justice.
• Justice demands a choice between two verdicts - Guilty or Not Guilty.
• God's Justice demands a verdict of Life for Obedience OR Death for Disobedience.
• God's Justice demands either a Reward of Prosperity OR a Penalty of Destruction.
• God's Justice demands either Blessing OR Punishment, for either Righteous or Evil Deeds.

Note how Moses re-emphasises the Justice of God in the Song of Moses in chapter 32:

"I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock,

his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong,

• upright & just is he" (Deuteronomy 32:3-4).

Throughout the History of God's People, he always dealt with them according to the fundamental principles of Holiness & Justice:

The Psalmist says (Ps 33:5; 45:6; 89:14; 145:17-20):

"The Lord loves Righteousness & Justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love …

Your throne, O God, will last for ever & ever; a sceptre of Justice will be the sceptre of

your Kingdom … Righteousness & Justice are the foundation of your throne; love &

faithfulness go before you … The Lord is Righteous in all his ways … He fulfils the

desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry & he saves them. The Lord watches

over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy."

• God always deals justly with his people. People can never accuse God of any injustice.

The Prophet Isaiah declares:

"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: 'In repentance & rest is

your salvation, in quietness & trust is your strength, but you would have none of it … Yet

the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a

God of Justice. Blessed are those who wait for him!'" (Isaiah 30:15 & 18).

• God always does what is Just & Fair. He always does what is Right & Good.

God's Justice or His Righteousness is the Natural Expression of His Holiness:

• When the Scriptures speak of God being Just or Righteous, we are being assured that

God's Actions toward us are always in perfect agreement with his Holy Nature.

• God has given us his Just & Righteous Law which is a reflection of his Holiness.

• God has laid down Standards which are Holy & Good;

• Any consequences for violating God's Holy Standards are always Just & Fair.

• Obedience to the Law, which is conformity to God's Holiness, is rewarded;
• Disobedience to the Law is regarded as Sin, which must be punished.

In his dealings with his creatures God is always Just & Righteous.

We are looking at God's Justice through various incidents in the History of God's People.

FIRSTLY: God revealed his Justice to Abraham at the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah.

SECONDLY: God revealed his Justice to Moses after the giving of the Law to his people.

THIRDLY: God revealed his Justice in the New Testament, with relation to Salvation:

• The Attributes of Holiness, Righteousness & Justice were at the very heart of the O. T. Law.
• These Attributes of God are also central to the New Testament teaching on Salvation.
• This is at the very heart of the Dispute between Jesus and the Scribes & Pharisees.

At the very outset of his Ministry, Jesus made his interpretation of the Old Testament teaching on Righteousness & Justice perfectly clear.

• Jesus did not promote a 'new or different' interpretation of the Law.
• Rather, he sought to re-establish the proper understanding of the Law and God's Standard of Holiness & Justice as it was taught in the Books of the Law & the Prophets.

Remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:

"Do you think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to

abolish them but to fulfil them. I tell you the truth, until heaven & earth disappear, no the

smallest letter, not the least stroke of the pen, will by any means disappear from the Law

until everything is accomplished" (Matthew 5:17-18).

In both Old & New Testaments one thing remains the same; the Sinfulness of Man.

Jesus made man's inability to reach God's Standard of Righteousness clear when he said:

"I tell you the truth, unless a man is Born Again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God …

Flesh give birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at

my saying, 'You must be born again'" (John 3:3 & 5).

Again, Jesus said:

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light

because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come

into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes

into the light, so that it may be seen plainly what he has done through God" (Jn 3:19-21).

Note how both Moses & Jesus set forth a series of Distinct & Mutually Exclusive Concepts:

- Moses said that the Nation could experience Life & Prosperity OR Death & Destruction.

They could experience the Favour of God or the Curse of God.

Jesus speaks in the same kind of terms about All Men:

- He speaks of Spirit & Flesh; Life & Death; Light & Darkness.

Jesus Divides People into Two Distinct Groups - the Saved & the Condemned;

• The First Group are those who believe in Jesus as the Saviour:

• These are the people who are of the Spirit and Live in the Light;
• These are the people who will Receive Eternal Life.

The Second Group are those who Reject Jesus & his Salvation:

• These are the people who are of the Flesh;

• These are the people who shut themselves up in Darkness because their Deeds are Evil;

• These are the people who Condemn themselves and will face Eternal Death.

The contrast between these Two Groups is also emphasised by their Reaction to the Light:

• Everyone who does evil hates the light;
• Everyone who lives by the truth loves the light.

To change from being Haters of the Light to Lovers of the Light requires a Radical Change.

• Jesus says that this can only be brought about by being Born Again of the Spirit of God.
• It requires coming out of the Darkness of Sin by receiving the Light of the Gospel of Christ.
• Those who Love the Light will receive Eternal Life instead of Eternal Condemnation.

This teaching emphasises the fact that the Justice & Righteousness of God are particularly important with regard to Salvation & Condemnation.

• The Apostle Paul tells us:

• The Lord Jesus said:

"They will go away to Eternal Punishment, but the Righteous to Eternal Life" (Mtt 25:46).

God's Justice must be consistent with his Holiness.

• When his Holy Law is broken there must be punishment for disobedience.

• Moses said that God: "does not leave the guilty unpunished" (Exodus 34:7).

• The Prophet Ezekiel says: "The soul who sins is the one who will die" (Ezekiel 18:4).

• The Apostle Paul says: "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).

• The violation of God's Infinite Holiness demands an Infinite Punishment.
• Eternal Condemnation is the only Just Punishment for sin against an Eternally Holy God.

Ezekiel tells us God takes no pleasure in Punishing the Wicked (Ezekiel 33:11).

• However, Punishing the wicked is the only response which is consistent with God's Holiness.
• The Justice of God must be consistent with his Holiness.

God's Holiness & Justice are maintained in the Punishment of Sin.

God's Holiness & Justice must also be maintained in the Work of Salvation:

• For anyone to receive Salvation, sin must be dealt with, there must be atonement for sin.
• Divine Justice allows one person to be a Substitute for Another, so long as sin is punished.
• God, in his Divine Wisdom, provided a Substitute for Sinners in the Person of his Son.

Before Jesus was born, the Angel told people the reason why God the Father sent his Son:

The angel said to Mary: "You are to give him the name Jesus, because

he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

When Jesus began his Public Ministry, John the Baptist said:

"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

• Both the Angel & John the Baptist were declaring that Jesus is God's Substitute for Sinners.

Paul tells us how God Saves Sinners in a way that is consistent with his Holiness & Justice

• Paul tells the Romans that God provided a Righteousness, apart from the law (Rom 3:21).

• This Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (v22).
• Because All have Sinned and Fall Short of the Glory of God; the only way for God to provide Salvation was for God, by his grace, to provide a Redeemer in the Person of His Son (v23-24)
• God presented his Son as a Sacrifice of Atonement, so that Sinners could be

Justified through Faith in his blood. (v25).

Paul goes on to tell us the reason why God provided Salvation in this way:

"He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just & the one who

justifies the man who has faith in Jesus" (Rom 3:26).

God did not Save Sinners by Reducing the Charges against them:

• God did not change His Standard of Holiness.
• God did not change the Punishment for Sin, which is Death.
• Instead, God poured out the full measure of his Wrath upon his Son on the Cross.

God's Justice was maintained through the Death of his Son.

• The Death of Christ on the Cross completely satisfied God's Just Judgement against our sin.
• The Death of Christ for Sinners demonstrates God's Justice.
• The Penalty for Sin has been paid.
• Therefore, God can now Justly Forgive the Sins of those who accept this Sacrifice for Sin.
• God Saves the Sinner and still maintains His own Justice.

The message of both Old & New Testaments is precisely the same.

The two possible futures for Israel as a Nation and for All People in All Nations depend upon either Obedience OR Disobedience to the Standard of God's Holiness.

• The Holiness of God demands that he deals with All Men with Justice.
• Justice demands a choice between two verdicts concerning sin - Guilty or Not Guilty.
• God's Justice demands a verdict of Life for Obedience OR Death for Disobedience.
• God's Justice demands either a Reward of Prosperity & Eternal Life

OR a Penalty of Destruction & Eternal Condemnation.

• God's Justice demands either a Blessing OR a Curse, according to Righteous or Evil Deeds.
• God's Justice demands either Eternal Life or Eternal Condemnation, according to either acceptance or rejection of his Way of Salvation