Reigning in Righteousness

Nineteenth-century philosopher John Stuart Mill, in an address at the University of St. Andrews, said: “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” This famous quote (a version of which is sometimes attributed to Edmund Burke) has been adapted and repeated since, from Tolstoy to John F. Kennedy, by those who warn that complacency toward evil is dangerous for any society.

The Lord kicks Israel’s complacency toward evil right in the gut. He will come to establish His own righteousness where His children have been at ease. He will open eyes, ears, and hearts to see injustice in the land, and He will open up the mouths of the righteous to speak up on injustice (vv. 3–4). The people will cease to view corrupt people as noble and honorable. Mistreatment of the poor will disappear from the land.

According to Isaiah, proclaiming the good news of God’s salvation includes the work of justice in society. Isaiah’s message of deliverance also condemns the nation for mistreatment of the poor. The condemnation of sin (which is spiritual) concerns the treatment of members of society (which is social). Without a gospel that addresses social concerns, we could not fight for the lives of the unborn or care for the elderly, for such fights are against unjust laws and murderous practices (both of which are social). The battles take place in social locations, such as women’s clinics and courtrooms, not only in the spiritual locations of our prayer closets and sanctuaries.

Jesus’ message of righteousness is consistent with the one proclaimed by Isaiah (see Matt. 7:12; James 2:1–13): Believers cannot be complacent toward society’s disregard for the poor and the vulnerable.

Pray with Us

As we continue to pray for Moody Distance Learning’s Product Development, we praise God for the graphic and web design skills of Philip Brown, Richard Lin, and Sandra West who maintain and develop web pages of the MDL courses.

BY Dr. Eric C. Redmond

Dr. Eric C. Redmond serves as a professor of Bible at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and as associate pastor of adult ministries at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Ill. He is married to Pam and they have five children. He is the author of Say It!  Celebrating Expository Preaching in the African American Tradition (Moody Publishers), Where Are All the Brothers? Straight Answers to Men's’ Questions about the Church (Crossway), a commentary on Jonah in the Christ-Centered Exposition Series (B&H Publishers), and a study guide on Ephesians in the Knowing the Bible series (Crossway).