Abraham George - God of Justice: The IJM Institute Global Church Curriculum

While pointing out the reason God was not responding to the prayer and fasting of the people, the prophet Isaiah also names the very essence of what God really requires:

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injustice

and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free

and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry

and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter

when you see the naked, to clothe them,

and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? (Isaiah 58:6-7)

In this passage, the prophet highlights the religious practice of fasting and redefines it in rather non-religious terms. It is not about the foods one can eat but rather the actions taken on behalf of and in connection with the marginalized. All of Isaiah 58 shows a connection between worship of God and acts of justice on behalf of the most vulnerable. The nation of Israel is challenged to see that their relationship with others, particularly those who have been cast aside in their community, affects their relationship with God.

This is indeed the mandate that we, as Christ-followers, have been given: to loose the chains of injustice, to untie the yoke, to set the oppressed free, to break every yoke, to share food, to provide shelter, to clothe the naked and not turn from our own flesh and blood! This is what God requires from his people. In the verses immediately preceding these, the prophet emphasizes that it is not even prayer and fasting or sackcloth and ashes God requires, but instead that we free those who are abused.

International Justice Mission (IJM), a human rights organization of Christian lawyers, social workers, investigators, advocates and educators, began its work in 1997. IJM began by taking seriously these words in Isaiah. And so the organization started to actively work to loose the chains of injustice for people caught in human trafficking, forced labor and other forms of violent injustice.

Since its beginning, IJM recognized that the church is a key part of Gods work of justice. As IJM joined in a growing justice movement, we experienced some concern. Does this justice movement have the rootsthe biblical groundingto maintain a long-term, sustained engagement with these hard issues?

In 2010, IJM began helping churches in the Global South fight injustice in their communities. We quickly realized our mission was not going to be as easy as we had initially expected. In so many places, the church was far from embracing the prophets definition of true religion.

As we worked in the Global South and elsewhere, we noticed a pattern for why churches did not easily embrace the prophets description of true religion. First, there was either a significant lack of awareness of the injustices in their communities, or there was just a lack of awareness of adequate responses to these injustices. We thought this was best addressed through awareness-creating efforts. However, the second reason was a little more disconcerting to us. Just as in the passage from Isaiah, churches seemed to put more emphasis on certain religious observances, rituals and traditions instead of allowing justice [to] roll on like a river (Amos 5:24). Centuries of theological formulations and traditions had formed a thick cover on what was the essential kernel of Gods mandateat least in terms of the churchs roles and responsibilities in this worldthat needed to be peeled off. A spotlight needed to be shined on the core of Gods heart.

This Bible study is our attempt to peel back those layers of traditions and skewed theologies and put the spotlight back on a core essential. It is also our attempt to deepen the roots of justice into its strong biblical foundation. We felt the need to journey with churches around the world and grapple with the ultimate divine plan to set things rightshalom.

But what is this shalom God intends, really? The prophet Isaiah again offers us a rather vivid picture of this vision of shalompeace at last:

And he will delight in the fear of the L ORD .

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

or decide by what he hears with his ears;

but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;

with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Righteousness will be his belt

and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

The wolf will live with the lamb,

the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling together;

and a little child will lead them.

The cow will feed with the bear,

their young will lie down together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

The infant will play near the cobras den,

and the young child will put its hand into the vipers nest.

They will neither harm nor destroy

on all my holy mountain,

for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the L ORD

as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:3-9)

First articulated in the Old Testament poetic and prophetic literature and then expressed again in the New Testament, the idea of shalom places justice prominently at its core. Shalom is present when people live in harmony with God, and it is present when they live in harmony with nature. In addition, there is another key relationship that shalom encompasses. We also believe it is critically important to recognize that shalom is present when a person lives in perfect harmony with his/her fellow human beings. As people working with the victims of violent abuse around the world, this takes on special poignancy.

The prophet Isaiah introduces shalom in the previous passage with the following words, drawing a clear line of connection between Gods plan for shalom and Jesus mission in the world:

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the L ORD will rest on him

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of might,

the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the L ORD . (Isaiah 11:1-2)

The picture Isaiah paints of shalom is directly connected to the mission of this branch from Davids familyJesus. It is impossible to miss the conclusion that shalom is not only Gods cause but that we, as followers of Christ, must engage in the work of shalom.