Justice and Kindness Aren’t Enough
From New York to Michigan, Kansas, and beyond, voters in the US midterms elected candidates whose faith inspires their public service—including figures like Representative-elect Brad Lander (NY), Senator-elect Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (MI), and Senator-elect Pastor Adam Hamilton (KS).
In his post-election interviews, Pastor Hamilton quoted the prophet Micah:
“He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do justice (עֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט),
And to love kindness (אַהֲבַת חֶסֶד),
And to walk humbly with your God. (הַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת עִם אֱלֹהֶיך)”
(Micah 6:8)
Why the third demand? Why aren’t justice and kindness enough on their own?
Because justice and kindness without humility can become instruments of cruelty.
Without humility, we might do justice only for our own people and show kindness only to those who share our beliefs. Righteousness becomes self-righteousness, and compassion is compartmentalized.
We do not own God. To “walk humbly” means to internalize that others may walk different paths—or no religious path at all. They, too, deserve our justice and kindness.
Related Topics
Related Posts
