S1 E17: Righteousness and Justice, Part 1
Brad and Nathan kick things off with a shocking quote from the Melian Dialogue (Thucydides, Peloponnesian War):
“The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.”
That’s the world’s idea of justice. But God gave Abraham a higher standard, before Moses, before Sinai, before any written code. Genesis 26:5 says “Because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
How? The law was written on his heart (Rom 2:15) and revealed in creation (Rom 1:20). No one is without excuse.
This episode launches a 3-part series on righteousness (tsedeq) and justice (mishpat), the twin pillars of God’s covenant plan.
We explore:
- Abraham’s faith counted as righteousness (Gen 15:6)
- God’s purpose: “that he may command his children… to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice” (Gen 18:19)
- Ancient parallels:
- Phoenician gods Sydyk & Misor
- Babylonian Kittu & Misharu (justice of the sun god Shamash)
- Egyptian goddess Ma’at (cosmic balance via the heart)
- Greek Dikē (order → punishment) vs. biblical covenant faithfulness
The Bible’s answer? Righteousness is God’s standard. Justice is living it out.
And only faith in Christ makes it possible.
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