Bible Study: Wisdom 1:1

Wisdom 1: Love justice, you who judge the earth; think of the Lord in goodness, and seek him in integrity of heart;

"Love justice"
The pious Jewish author of this holy book selected those two words as his opening phrase. Those of you who write for business or pleasure, think about how important this must be for the message that he is conveying.

He selects the word "Love." He does not select words like: seek, obtain, admire, fight for, be famous for; he selects the word "love." He is telling the reader that the reader should feel love, as in ardour, for justice. So the author is telling the reader, inspired by God, to feel a loving relationship with the virtue of justice. Can you see that he is urging a spiritual state of mind, rather than a specific action, as his opening exhortation? The author of Wisdom lived during a time of great persecution among pagans, and those of the faith were scared, oppressed, tired, and downtrodden. This is approximately one hundred years before the time of Christ. Yet for this book of encouragement and faith, he, in a foreshadowing of Christ's arrival, uses "love" as his opener.

The author tells the reader to "love justice." Justice is a virtue of righteous behavior and treatment. So the author is saying to love a virtue, a state of being, a state of mind, and a code of ethics, all rolled into one. Yet he is not opening with action steps. He is priming the reader for the state of mind and spirit that leads to survival in pagan times and ultimate salvation. He is telling the reader to have a feeling of ardor for the state of being of justice.

I could spend a day meditating on that message. I can think of fewer more profound messages for our time so succinctly than this one. This becomes especially clear when one imagines what he is not saying, put in modern vernacular and secular terms.

He is not saying:

Love being the highest paid lawyer.
Love being the lawyer who always wins.
Love being the lawyer on the most talk shows.
Love getting the best revenge for being "dissed."
Love getting on the most talk shows.
Love being the "holier than thou" advocate.
Love passing the most laws for the "downtrodden."
Love shouting down the dummy you think is being unjust.
Love telling others what to do in the name of justice.
Love the thrill of the hunt of the "unjust."
Love the thrill of the fight with the "unjust."
Love finding and printing the "scandal" about the "unjust."
Love the celebrity, love the notoriety, love the victim hood of the "unjust" or "downtrodden."
Love thinking you know how God will judge.

I don't know about you but I get a headache when I compare the wisdom and spirituality of "love justice" with the secular sausage grinder of justice that we live in today. You know sausages? Some taste great and some taste terrible, and we'd all rather not know what is ground up and put inside of them. This is why the Bible lives on and on as the way through all times to salvation: because it keeps the focus on the the holiest and healthiest way. If one truly "loves justice" then all of the deeds that one performs in life in the support of justice will carry through in the right way.

One should feel affection and ardor at the word and thought and quality of justice. And that should be a state of being based on the thought of justice as a complete accomplishment... one should love the goal, not the adrenaline and power rush of the process. If one loves justice based on all humankind's being one's neighbor and in the image of God, one's actions will follow more wholesomely and completely as a result. Those who say they "fight" for justice, but do not define justice as being rooted in love of neighbor and image of God are probably doing some unjust things and fighting for rights that are not terribly just at all.

"you who judge the earth"
In a way I've already explained this phrase. A judge is someone who has power in the material world and whose actions impact people's lives. That is everyone, my friend. Everyone is a judge in this modern society, with the power to drastically impact the people who are our "neighbors" on earth. The author selects this phrase to remind everyone that their every action is a "judgement" and it should be rooted in the love of God's justice. Each person "judges" when they decide to take an action. Even not acting on a problem when one could is making a judgement. Not providing aid or succour is a judgement, just as much as it is a judgement to act. Everyone needs to understand their reality as judges, and this is not something that can be mediated with buying carbon credits! The words you say or not, the things you do or not are all judgements, right, wrong, or indifferent in their intention, outcome, and subsequent effects and impacts.

"think of the Lord in goodness"
One should contemplate the Lord from within a mindset of personal goodness, created by a mental state of mind. He is not saying that you can't think of God when you are feeling bad and bloody minded, but he is advising that if you have power over others (and everyone does, just think how easily one person can ruin your day) that you promote throughout the day thinking of the Lord, rooted in a mindset that is as good as possible. It's like placing a flower in the prettiest vase that you can find and putting it on the nicest sunny spot on the table. Just doing that and seeing that creates a better day and state of mind, and promotes holiness. Likewise, as one goes through the work day of being in a position to "judge the earth" (even if that just means making the day of a co-worker, customer, or family member happy or miserable), keep a picture of the Lord in one's mind, within a garden bed of mental goodness.

"and seek him in integrity of heart"
The author points out through the use of the word "seek" that one must reach out to connect to God. God is not distant, God is all around. But it is a person's free will to establish communications, and to "seek" is to take proactive steps to reach out. The author advises to do this "in integrity of heart." Integrity is a code of conduct but it also implies an authenticity, especially when he chooses to say "integrity of heart" rather than something like integrity of deed, or show off your good works to get God's attention, or get God's attention by smacking down someone in an intellectual scriptures quoting duel. The author is advising that starting with one's own integrity of heart is the precondition for successful, high quality seeking and connection heart-to-heart with God. The author knows people are sinners, so he is not saying to wait until one is perfect to seek God (that would be a long wait), but he's advising how to establish the holiest and best state of being, which is with integrity. And again, as this phrase is about loving justice, by having one's own integrity of heart, one is most likely to recognize and experience God's justice, and find God in seeking in return.

I love this author! As I do all the authors of the Bible. There is a special richness in his concise yet deep writings that take the scriptures to a wonderful level, right before the birth of Jesus Christ on earth. And we've just looked at the first phrase of this book!