Matithyah (Matthew) 23:23
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and anise and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the Torah, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these you ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone."
In this study we are going to focus upon justice. However, underlying the concept of justice must always and ever be mercy and faith. Without mercy guiding one's actions, there can be no true justice. If one's own actions are not done in faith, there can be no justice.
Ya'aqov (James) 2:13
For judgment is without mercy to him who has showed no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
Mercy always outweighs justice. Whenever possible, justice should be replaced with mercy. This is not only appropriate, but it is demanded by Torah. We see this example repeated from YHWH towards Israel as she continually sinned in the face of the Almighty. Rather than giving her the judgment she deserved, He would extend mercy to Israel once again, and this repeatedly.
For a more complete treatment of justice, mercy, and faith as The Weightier Matters of Torah, please see that study.
Romans 14:23b
... whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Everything a person says, everything a person does, must be done in faith. This certainly must include seeking after justice. Justice is not simply a matter of determining facts and rendering a ruling. Justice is about seeking YHWH. Justice is about doing His will, not one's own will. Justice is not about restitution nearly as much as it is about restoration. Even though there is plenty in Torah about restitution, restitution is not the primary goal. Rather, it is about restoring the relationship between the parties involved. If a person does not understand this elementary principle, then such a person is not capable of rendering justice within a Torah society.
