“Bed bugs equal no justice,” said the podcaster I was listening to. They were vehemently telling listeners about a situation that happened to one of their employees; the employee had gotten bed bug bites all over their body and their toddler’s body when they stayed at a certain hotel. The podcast employee told the hotel manager about the bed bugs but was met with an uncaring attitude. So, the podcast host exercised “vigilante justice.” She called out the hotel’s name and location and recounted the whole story for her national audience. 

We love it. We love it when the wicked, the villains, the oppressors get their comeuppance. We love it when the people who were on top suddenly and painfully find themselves on the bottom. Justice? Some call it revenge. Let’s not confuse the two. They are vastly different things. 

You have to appreciate the short Book of Habakkuk. It’s a simple outline. Habakkuk wonders things aloud and God answers him. It’s awesome. 

In the first chapter, in verse 13, Habakkuk asks a question we all wonder about justice. “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?” (Habbakkuk 1:13, NIV) Habakkuk asks God the question we all ask, “Why?” Why, God, do you let the wicked win? Why do people get oppressed? Why is there slavery? Why do the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer? Why are you silent, God, when these wicked people doing wicked actions seem to thrive? This “why” is a great question. 

Let’s look at basic Truths. God gave man the ability to choose how he lives. Even if that means that man will use that freedom to better himself and exploit another? Yes. 

The Lord answers Habakkuk’s question. “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay” (Habakkuk 2:3, NIV).  

In this verse, the Lord says Justice is coming. It may linger, giving the wicked, the oppressor, the opportunity to repent and come home to Jesus. But just because it lingers, that doesn’t mean it’s not coming. I always imagine justice to be like a mighty wave that comes rolling in. It is surely coming, and we are powerless to stop it. This justice wave is coming, sure as Jesus is, and it will roll over them all. It’s the Lord who will set it all right one day. “It will certainly come and will not delay.” 

So, what do we do about justice in the meantime? Build friendships with people who look different from you. Give a few bucks to help with a world project going on in a different country. Small things add up to a mighty wave.

Dig Deeper:

Research how justice and revenge are different.

Check out a Salvation Army Yearbook or The Salvation Army World Service Office to see how The Salvation Army is fighting for people all across the globe. 

• April 1: Proverbs 21:15
• April 2: Amos 5:24
• April 3: Isaiah 1:17
• April 4: Micah 6:8
• April 5: Isaiah 30:18
• April 6: Psalm 33:5
• April 7: Isaiah 61:8
• April 8: Psalm 106:3
• April 9: Leviticus 19:15
• April 10: Romans 12:19
• April 11: Zechariah 7:9
• April 12: Proverbs 28:5
• April 13: Jeremiah 22:3
• April 14: Psalm 82:3
• April 15: Proverbs 24:23-25
• April 16: Deuteronomy 27:19
• April 17: Proverbs 29:7
• April 18: Hosea 12:6
• April 19: Luke 18:1-8
• April 20: Isaiah 56:1
• April 21: Galatians 6:7
• April 22: Amos 5:15
• April 23: Psalm 89:14
• April 24: Matthew 7:12
• April 25: Psalm 140:12
• April 26: Romans 13:4
• April 27: Proverbs 31:8-9
• April 28: Hebrews 10:30
• April 29: Luke 6:37
• April 30: 2 Chronicles 19:7