"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Remember reciting that as a kid in elementary school? It was habitually said every school morning, but was it ever really discussed, including the last three words of this pledge? From the lowest citizen to the highest official in the land, justice for all ideally means that every person is subject to the same legal standards in a democratic society in which rule of law is expected. An old 1970s TV cop show, Baretta, had a theme song that offered some good advice to would-be wrongdoers, no matter who you are; one line went as follows: ‘Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time, um hmmm, don’t do it’ -- Bing Videos. Israel’s first king, Saul, found out the hard way in the end that being a wrongdoer didn’t pay, even if he was king. Samuel and the people discovered that Saul’s impatience (1 Sam. 13:8-14); his disobedience, excuse-making, and lying (1 Sam. 15:9-23); his bitterness at being rejected (1 Sam. 15:24-36); and then his deep envy for his successor David (1 Sam. 18-26) drove a wedge between himself and the righteousness that God wanted in a ruler. His eventual death by his own hand (1 Sam. 31:4) served to underscore his self-destructive behavior, and marked the ultimate justice he received on earth. (See 19th Century artwork “Death of King Saul”, by Elie Marcuse.) He might have been the Israeli nation’s leader, but his penchant for iniquity was the fundamental flaw in his character – he was just not the man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14), while a one-time shepherd boy was willing to hew himself (for the most part) to God’s standard for right and wrong, and especially when he needed to confess that he was guilty of wrongdoing.
Saul’s political career should be a lesson for people even in the 21st Century, for it seems like something that all civilized states and societies should remember. Look for yourself and answer: Are people learning from the mistakes of their human ancestors, particularly in matters of justice? Cynically, it seems that today, people – especially the voting American public – are overlooking and shrugging their collective shoulders about justice for all. How much evidence needs to accumulate for a highly tribalized public to say ‘enough!’ Nevertheless, historically some pretty infamous crimes have gone unpunished, sometimes for years, making one ask God the age-old question – Why? Herod Antipas, with the help of the daughter (Salome) of his mate Herodious (his illegitimate wife) – a corrupt bunch of people, to say the least – beheaded God’s servant John the Baptist (Matthew 14:3-12). Much later in history, one could point to tyrants like Josef Stalin and Adolf Hitler, and ask ‘did they receive equal justice for the deaths of millions?’ In our 21st Century, can we expect Vladimir Putin to receive equal justice for an attack on Ukraine that has killed thousands? What does civilization say is fair in the realm of justice for all?
Before we become too jaded, let’s remember that God does watch, and will act in His sovereignty, on His own schedule. Others in history have been punished, like another Herod (Agrippa), Antipas’ nephew, who died immediately from an angel strike and worms that consumed him (Acts 12:21-23) because he allowed a crowd to call him god, a blasphemy that the true God will not tolerate. And, though the maniacal Hitler created havoc for over a decade (1933-45), he died by his own hand in a bunker while Germany disintegrated around him. Yes, God cares about justice, a word that is used biblically several dozen times (depending on the translation, between some 130 and 170 times). It’s a characteristic of Himself that God pledges will prevail, and which is perhaps most poignantly recalled around the Christmas holidays from Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 9:6-7); notably, justice is mentioned in connection with a righteous government there: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. Do you think God’s heart breaks for those crying out for justice, amidst what seems sometimes like a sea of injustice? How about Job, a despairing soul, who in his growing anguish accused God of withholding justice (19:7; 27:2); was then admonished by a young friend Elihu that God is indeed just (34:5-17; 36:3,17; and 37:23); and finally, was directly confronted by His Creator about this (40:8)? Oh yeh, then read the epilogue (ch. 42) and see how God rejuvenated Job’s life. Was Jesus also alluding to justice when He taught those closest to Himself to pray -- your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven? (Matthew 6:10)
American politics has traveled through many ups and downs on the road to justice. The Constitutional framers must have guessed that this might be an issue, even amongst the highest appointed leaders. Otherwise, they would not have inserted the impeachment clause therein -- Article II, Section 4 allows for the impeachment, conviction, and removal from office for high crimes and misdemeanors – justice for all, even for the highest elected officials. Lest we be despairing, like Job, when it seems as if justice delayed will consequently be justice denied, Americans can be encouraged by our own history. Theodore Parker was a minister in pre-Civil War America who advocated for slavery’s abolition. One of his sermons, entitled “Of Justice and Conscience”, spoke of the eventual triumph of right, and even though human eyes cannot oftentimes see its approach, one’s conscience can. A condensation of what Parker said was repeated many times hence, including some 100 years later in 1958 and 1964 by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. -- The Arc of the Moral Universe Is Long, But It Bends Toward Justice – Quote Investigator® ‘Can a criminal’s occupation of high office endure for long’?, some of us might say in exasperation. We won’t know, until God makes up His mind that His will has been accomplished, that a lesson has been learned. Until then, keep standing for justice, and be reassured that God does hear and care that this basic characteristic of Himself is reasserted and reaffirmed in our age.
See information on the work of art-image here: File:Elie Marcuse saul.jpg - Wikimedia Commons. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer. {{PD-1996}} – public domain in its source country on January 1, 1996 and in the United States.
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