God as King is the Lover of Justice

This meditation is based on a passage for August 24, 2010 in the Daily Lectionary Year 2 from the Book of Common Worship for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (1993).

Text: Psalm 99

Reflection and Question: I was lamenting with a Christian friend about the debasement of the word “justice” in the past few years. She agreed that it has become more equated with revenge than the meaning held in the Hebrew of defending the rights of the less powerful. My friend then added the central point here: that God’s justice and mercy are inseparable. As the psalmist says, “You were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoing.” And the poet is referring to the sins of Moses, Aaron and Samuel — among the most powerful men in all Israel. How do you understand “justice”?