Discovering Justice in the Old Testament: A Small Group Bible Study

By Bruce Reed Pullen

Before the Constitution, before the Magna Carta, before the Roman Empire and its Senate, there was the Covenant revealed on Mount Sinai by God and proclaimed by Moses. It includes the Ten Commandments. Interpretation of these laws soon followed. What evolved laid the foundation for community. Over the years it has influenced the world view which led eventually to the creation of our constitution.
Discovering Justice is about justice and the way it is defined, enacted and promised in the Bible. The call for justice is the call to set right what is not right (injustice). It is a call for fairness and equity in our relationships with God and each other.
This small group Bible study, student edition, is divided into three parts. Part One: Justice Defined begins with the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and ask, What Is Justice? And then, What Does God Require of Us? Chapters one through four include: 1. What Is Justice? 2. Love People 3. A Second Chance. 4. Love God.
Part Two: Justice Enacted continues with how some of the kings did or did not implement these laws. Saul, David, Solomon, Joram, and Jehoshaphat reveal by their actions how they interpret God’s command for justice. Chapters five through nine highlight the kings: 5. Saul and Samuel. 6. David. 7. Solomon. 8. Joram and Elisha. 9. Jehoshaphat.
Part Three: Justice Promised closes with the promise of justice as proclaimed by the psalmist and the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Chapters ten through thirteen are called: 10.
the Promise of Justice. 11. The Promise of Hope. 12. The Promise of Just Leadership. 13. The Promise of Peace.
The book closes with a brief recommended reading list on justice. A leader's guide edition will soon be available with additional background and Biblical commentary plus suggestions for group actions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bruce Reed Pullen
• Release date: Mar 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310305979

Bruce Reed Pullen

Dr. Bruce Pullen holds degrees from Rutgers University, Colgate Rochester Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary. and Palmer Theological Seminary. He has served parishes in Hopewell, New Jersey; Burlington, Iowa; Alton, Illinois; Westfield, Massachusetts; Williamstown, Massachusetts; New London, New Hampshire; Wyben, Massachusetts; and Warrenville, Illinois. Dr. Pullen was born in Princeton, New Jersey and ordained nearby in 1970. Judith and Bruce Pullen have been married for over fifty years. The Pullens now live in Elgin, Illinois. Dr. Pullen's hobbies include: travel, photography; classical music; and model railroading. He first joined Rotary International in the 1960's. One of its goals is to eradicate polio.

Book preview

1Discovering Justice in the Old Testament

Ten Kings You Should Know

A Small Group Bible Study - Student Edition

Bruce Reed Pullen

Discovering Justice in the Old Testament – Student Edition

By Bruce Reed Pullen

Copyright 2017 Bruce Reed Pullen

Smashwords Edition

ISBN (eBook): 9781310305979

This eBook is licensed to you for your personal enjoyment only. Please do not resell or give it away to other people. If you desire to share this book with others, please ask them to purchase their own copy from Smashwords or their favorite book store. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please go to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. The author thanks you and appreciates your financial support.

Sections of this document may be quoted in a review. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations in this eBook are based on The Poverty and Justice Bible, Contemporary English Version, copyright 1995 by the American Bible Society and are used by permission.

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Contents

Author - Bruce Reed Pullen

Preface – Decalogue (Ten Commandments)

Part One: The Torah – Justice Defined

1. What Is Justice? (Exodus 23)

2. Love People (Leviticus 19)

3. A Second Chance (Leviticus 25)

4. Love God (Deuteronomy 6 & 10)

Part Two: The Kings – Justice Administered

5. Samuel and Saul (I Samuel 8, 9)

6. David (2 Samuel 23 & I Chronicles 18)

7. Solomon (I Kings 3)

8. Joram and Elisha (2 Kings 8)

9. Jehoshaphat (II Chronicles 19)

Part Three: The Prophets - Justice Promised

10. The Promise of Justice (Psalm 146)

11. The Promise of Hope (Isaiah 9)

12. The Promise of Just Leadership (Jeremiah 33)

13. The Promise of Peace (Ezekiel 34 & 45)

Recommended Reading

14. Four books about justice

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The Author - Bruce Reed Pullen

Bruce Reed Pullen is a graduate of Rutgers University (B.A.), Colgate Rochester Divinity School (B.D.), Princeton Theological Seminary (Th.M.), and Palmer Theological Seminary (D. Min.). He has served as senior pastor in churches in Hopewell, New Jersey; Burlington, Iowa; Alton, Illinois; and Westfield, Massachusetts, and as an interim pastor in Williamstown, Massachusetts; New London, New Hampshire, and Warrenville, Illinois. Bruce, and his wife, Judy, are retired and live in Illinois. He is the author of several books, including:

Discovering Celtic Christianity – Ten Celtic Saints You Should Know

Discovering Baptist Beginnings – Ten Early Baptists You Should Know

Discovering the Prophets in the Old Testament - Student and Leader Editions

Advice from Paul - from his Letters to the Thessalonian and Philippian Christians

Discovering Joy – Reflections on Paul’s Letter to the Philippians

Discovering Justice in the Old Testament - Student and Leader Editions

Preface

The Covenant

Before the Constitution, before the Magna Carta, before the Roman Empire and its Senate, there was the Covenant revealed and ratified by God through Moses on Mount Sinai. It included the Ten Commandments among the laws we are to observe. Interpretation of these laws soon followed. What evolved laid the foundation for peace within the community. Over the years it has influenced the world view which led eventually to the creation of our constitution.

Decalogue - The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-17; and Deuteronomy 5: 1-21)

God said to the people of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves.

Do not worship any god except me.

Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. Don’t bow down and worship idols. I am the Lord your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations. But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations.

Do not misuse my name. I am the Lord your God, and I will punish anyone who misuses my name.

Remember that the Sabbath Day belongs to me. You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day - not you, your children, your slaves, your animals, or the foreigners who live in your towns. In six days I made the sky, the earth, the oceans, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That’s why I made the Sabbath a special day that belongs to me.

Respect your father and your mother, and you will live a long time in the land I am giving you.

Do not murder.

Be faithful in marriage.

Do not steal.

Do not tell lies about others.

Do not want anything that belongs to someone else. Don’t want anyone’s house, wife or husband, slaves, oxen, donkeys or anything else."

The Constitution

In the summer of 1787 fifty-five men representing twelve states gathered in Philadelphia to create a constitution. The delegates were well educated with vast practical experience. Most desired a strong government. Edmund Randolph from Virginia proposed a national government patterned after a plan Virginia was using which called for three branches: Legislative, Executive and Judiciary. By the end of the summer the new constitution had taken form with James Madison being responsible for most of the actual drafting. It outlined an original form of government, more national than federal, derived from both ancient and contemporary forms. The main criticism of the document was it had no Bill of Rights. The constitution was finally adopted when New York, Virginia, and Massachusetts all ratified it after being assured one would be adopted.

These reflections in Discovering Justice in the Old Testament are about justice and the way it is defined, enacted and promised. The call for justice is a call to set right what is not right (injustice). It is a call for fairness and equity in our relationships with God and each other.

Part One: Justice Defined. The Torah (the first five books of the Bible) defines justice and then asks what does God require of us?

Part Two: Justice Enacted. Israel’s leaders, Saul, David, Solomon, Joram, and Jehoshaphat reveal how they interpret God’s command for justice.

Part Three: Justice Promised. The promise of justice is proclaimed by the psalmist and the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.

Dr. Bruce Reed Pullen, May 2017

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Part One: Justice Defined - The Torah

Chapter 1 - What is Justice?

Scripture Study: Exodus 23: 1-9

Focus Verse: Make sure that the poor are given equal justice in court. (Exodus 23:6)

What Is Justice?

An answer lies in the Old and New Testament writings which mention the word justice over a thousand times. We all have a strong intuitive sense of what justice is. Even young children have an innate sense of justice. How many times have you heard them complain, That’s so unfair.

Jesus calls us to love God and love people. We can affirm that principle, but how do we put it into practice? Aristotle considered slavery to be an essential part of a just society, while British and American abolitionists declared slavery was the highest form of injustice. We all know justice is important in our lives although we may disagree on what it means to do what is just.

1. How do you define justice?

2. What are some examples of the justice system at work as seen in the news?

And So We Have Rules

And so we have rules to define what we have agreed is a just and fair way of living. In the first part of this book we will review some of the codes or rules for living that are found in the Torah. Do rules make you uncomfortable? Ever quote, as I have, Rules are meant to be broken? Even when I know they may be good rules, rules often bother me because they limit my