Loving Mercy and Doing Justice

As we look at our own commission as disciples of Christ, let’s start by looking at Isaiah’s commission, as found in chapter 6 of his writings. You’re familiar with this text, but let’s look a little deeper:

¹In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Notice when Isaiah remembers seeing the Lord – in the year that King Uzziah died. Except for the end there, it was said of King Uzziah that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He had reigned in Israel for 52 years – since the age of 16. And now we see at the time of his death the Lord appears to Isaiah.  Sometimes we can only see God clearly when that which we have set our focus upon is removed. Even the most worthwhile things upon which we set our focus can distract us from God.

So now that God has Isaiah’s attention, what is the response? It is at once intensely personal:

⁵Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

But never private:

⁸Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

As we see with Isaiah, our calling as Christians is at once intensely personal, but never private – let’s revisit that text in Micah that tells us so clearly “what the Lord requires”:

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
                                             —Micah 6:8

A previous post covered the personal nature of discipleship in what it means to “walk humbly with your God.” Now we turn to the public ministry, as we look at what it means to “act justly” and to “love mercy.” 

Immigration

I was writing something on Uriah the Hittite the other day, and was struck by the implications for how the people of God approach the immigrant.

Now, in the case of Uriah, we see someone clearly ingrafted into the covenant community, even one of David’s “mighty men,” and yet it is still deemed necessary to identify him as a Hittite. There may be many reasons for this, but one purpose it serves is to show how this individual — ingrafted into the family of God — acts far more honorably than any of the others mentioned in the story who end up being explicitly or implicitly responsible for this honorable man’s murder.

As a country, there may be reasons for determining who can and cannot be part of the national fabric, but as Christians, we must recall that our God is not subject to borders. What’s more, our nation’s history of immigration policy is incredibly racist, with those excluded at any given point in history reflecting the prejudices of the day. Most recent policy debates would make you think the United States only had one land border with another country, as immigration policy always has far more to do with our southern border than our northern one.

As we engage in immigration policy debates, we would do well to do so with God’s heart for all His people, irrespective of nation, tribe, or tongue. As in the case of Uriah, we know of many immigrants serving their chosen country honorably…let us hope we can treat them with greater respect than Uriah was shown for his unwavering loyalty and service!