Battleground Earth 1: Justice in the Earth - David Mitts
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We live in a time of increasing oppression. There are many voices rising up in protest against the draconian governments that are bringing the nations into greater subjection. Elected officials have lost their mandate to serve the people and have replaced it with tactics and threats rooted in domination. There is a cry for justice and liberty in the land. Our natural tendency since we were children has been to look outside ourselves for justice. We argue and post and cry out to God for what we know and believe to be right. Yet in the midst of all of the noise and confusion, somewhere beyond the confusion, there is a voice calling us to go higher, to see from a bigger perspective, to be just ourselves.
"For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" 1Pe 4:17 (NASB)
What is justice? The Bible has a whole book devoted to justice, the book of Judges. The book is named Sefer Shoftim. The Book of Shafat or justice. What is the theme of the book and why did it receive that name? In the book of Judges, we see God sending deliverance for Israel after times of entanglement with the world around them. There are twelve periods of entanglement and twelve judges or deliverers.
The word shafat is composed of 3 Hebrew letters. The first is the letter “shin” which is the picture of teeth and represents chewing or destruction. The second is the letter “pey” or “fey” which is a word picture for open mouth. The final letter is the letter “tet” which is the word picture for a snake which is interpreted sometimes as encircling. The interpretation that I came away with that is that judgment is the process of chewing, which if we think about it, is the action of separating things. When we chew on something, we are mulling it over. If we think of digestion as the taking of something that is “not us” and making it part of us, then the process of chewing over some information is an essential component to deciding what to keep and what to not keep as a part of our thinking.
Judgment is all about separation. Actually, judgment is only needed when separation has to occur. Entanglement requires judgment.
"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” Heb 12:1 (NASB)
The Book of Judges is probably one of the most relevant to where we are today. In Judges, Israel has been brought into the Land of their Destiny. They don’t have a present king, yet. They rely upon following the Word of God as presented by Moses and walked out by Joshua. In this way Moses and Joshua represent as their names indicate the bringing or drawing out from the slavery of the world system, Moses, and the salvation into an inheritance which was promised through covenant, Joshua. Eventually they would have a time of kings Saul, David, Solomon but at this point they are in the very vulnerable time of trying to figure out how to live in a world hostile to their identity and destiny.
At the core of this challenge is the idea of a just God.
"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You." Psa 89:14 (NASB)
God’s throne is founded upon His justice and His Righteousness. The throne is the symbol of authority. A King rules from his throne. This is the Hebrew word “kiseh”. It is the place of authority. Yeshua is seated on the kiseh at the right hand of God.
"which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places," Eph 1:20 (NASB)
The throne is the seat of authority and being seated at the right hand is at the place of the power of authority. Think of the phrase, He’s my right-hand man. It’s who the authority turns to for accomplishing His will. A right-hand man is the one who is as the King. He carries the justice of the King.
""I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." Joh 5:30 (NASB)
As Believers, we also are seated with Him.
"and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus," Eph 2:6 (NASB)
This means our authority is also founded on being just.
If we look at the judges in the Book of Judges, we can begin to see in the Word, how to access our authority.
"Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly). These nations are: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. They were for testing Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses. The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, so that He sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. When the sons of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the sons of Israel to deliver them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother." Jdg 3:1-9 (NASB)
The first justice quality that we need in these times was displayed by the first deliverer judge of Israel, Othniel. His name means, “my strength is from God”. This is an alignment with God as the true source of power in our lives. Because God alone is good there can be no justice when we draw our power from man’s sources, money or sex, or even physical power. What is amazing about Othniel, is that he was Caleb’s nephew. Caleb whose name is “With heart” is connected to the first deliverer who as the first is the greatest.
The word roots of Othniel give the picture of a burning passion for God. There is a love connection that is consuming. Notice that the anger of the Lord burned against Israel. This is a jealous fire. It can only be quenched by the fires of true love in return.
This then is the beginning of the foundation stone for justice. Justice is built upon love. Until we have the Othniel, burning love that gives us power and strength then our sense of justice will be vulnerable.
Othniel was anointed in this love by the Spirit of God which gave him the heart of the Lord. In this place Othniel became Israel’s’ first judge. In that place true justice came to the Earth and peace reigned in the Land for a complete generation, 40 years.
"The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. When he went out to war, the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, so that he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. Then the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died." Jdg 3:10-11 (NASB)
Cushan-rishathaim is translated as the darkness of wickedness doubled. This is the oppression that comes from being entangled with the world. Double wickedness is other side of the two-edged sword that is the double blessing to the new man we receive in due time. To spoil our old man and expose our decrepit spiritual condition both our heavens (mind) and our earth (deeds, actions) will be made wicked by the Potter to bring us low and to a place where repentance can be granted.
When both our minds and deeds are sold into captivity of King Cushan-rishathaim, we are being caused to err from the Lord’s ways and our every step is ordered of the Lord.
We live in times when the wickedness of darkness is leading people into the errors of compromise with the fear-based wisdom of the world.
"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, "He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS"; and again, "THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS."" 1Co 3:19-20 (NASB)
It’s time for God passion to arise and to direct our actions. This is the true warfare of the spirit. Stir yourself up in the Halal!
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