Contemplative Bible Reading

Isaiah 9:7 (New Living Translation)

His government and its peace
will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!

The prophet is relaying from God what the future will hold. He, the Messiah, will rule. The ruling will have justice, i.e., law.

What is more, and what I think is more important, the ruling will have fairness. Some translations use the word “righteousness” instead of “fairness.” The concept is the same. The ruling will be by the letter of the law. The ruling will also be by the spirit of the law. What we used to call “technicalities” won’t determine rulings.

“I didn’t cheat my neighbor. I used the footnote to the sub-clause of the clause on page 237 of the contract addendum that states…”

No. You cheated your neighbor.

“If God didn’t want me to take advantage of ignorant fools, He wouldn’t have create…”

No. You cheated that person. That was unrighteous and unfair.

I don’t cheat people. I am fair. Sure, I read things carefully and remind people of the fine print and don’t miss any chances to point out the… Is that righteous? Perhaps not.