Justice and Equity

Day 129.

So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people. (2 Samuel 8:15 ESV)

This chapter tells about David’s many victories that secure Israel. This verse shows David’s kingdom to be a type of the coming king talked about in the psalms, particularly Psalm 96 which says,

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.” (Psalm 96:10 ESV)

This speaks of the completion of the Old Testament redemption that was promised to Abraham and carried out through Moses, Joshua, and now David. God’s people would be brought to a land where they will dwell in peace, with their king ruling with “justice and equity.” As great as the Old Testament redemption was, it was only a shadow to the greater one still to come. The Psalmist anticipates this greater one when he writes, “the world is established…”

This challenges our present day understanding of salvation which is very personalized and individual and primarily has to do with escaping hell and leaving this world to go to heaven, which we only envision in our imaginations. The story of salvation isn’t a about a personal and private experience that leads to an escape, but the story of a new earth and a new people – one people – that will have a King ruling them with “justice and equity” so that they might live in peace. That peace is not just a political peace but an emotional and spiritual peace. Our hearts will finally have the rest they crave because our relationship to God will no longer have any barriers. We will see God face to face rather than only in shadows. The satisfaction that we long for now, will be met in this peace allowing us to live and work and rest and delight as we were created to do. No curse will cloud our activities and leave us feeling the discontent that lingers in the back of our minds and hearts now. This is salvation!