One of the most elusive things on the planet is justice. Some societies strive very hard for it. Some make no attempts at all ruling by brute force. But built into the heart of every human being by the LORD is the desire for justice. It rises from deep inside us. Even in the most oppressive situations, there is a cry for justice.
Justice is based on rights and wrongs. Justice balances the needs of the offended with the needs of the offender and even of society. Justice is a tricky business.
I have had to serve at several judicial boards determining the fate of several military personnel. Many things get weighed in the process. It is not simply the offense committed, but also the career, family, and nation that get considered in these boards. It is very difficult to be sure we make just decisions. They are extremely difficult proceedings. We struggle and do our very best to provide justice, but we know that justice can’t really be done. Some of the offenses can’t be balanced. We can’t wipe out the innocence lost with a punishment. We can’t bring someone back to life with a discharge.
But justice demands many factors that can’t be measured. How do you measure the damage to a family name, their reputation, their standing in the community? How do you place a value on the negative impact on the community as one of their own becomes the bad example that some will follow? What is the price to be paid for missed birthdays and anniversaries?
Our proverb says that rendering improper verdicts, whether against the guilty or innocent, is something the LORD detests. It turns His stomach, if He had one. And yet even in societies that desire justice and have mechanisms to bring it about, justice so often eludes. For example, the person on death row for 20 years for murdering someone in cold blood, awaiting their next appeal attempt. Where is justice for the one murdered and their family? Where is justice for the taxpayer? In an attempt to not punish an innocent person, justice is suspended, sometimes for a lifetime. Victim’s families wither and die in the process.
Acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty are both wrong.
The Arnold Journey 