Thus says the LORD: “Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand
of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor
shed innocent blood in this place.”
Jeremiah 22:3
Today we complete our study of Question 135 of the Larger Catechism, which asks, “What are the
duties required in the Sixth Commandment?” The final part of the answer states, “The duties
required in the Sixth Commandment are, all careful studies, and lawful endeavours, to preserve
the life of ourselves and others by…comforting and succouring the distressed, and protecting
and defending the innocent.” Last time we examined the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts
and saw how true obedience must be sincere. Today we consider how we are especially required
to give aid to those most in need of it.
Notice how the Westminster divines apply God’s Word to the inner man where it reveals “the
thoughts and intents of the heart,” (Heb. 4:12). Their exposition of the sixth commandment in
Question 135 presented first, our duty to resist evil thoughts and passions and avoid situations or
occasions that might excite them. Next, they set forth our responsibility for godly self-defense in
order to protect life, all the while trusting in God’s sovereignty and wisely maintaining good
mental and physical health. Then, with sound exegesis they established the positive aspect of our
obedience; proving from Scripture that true compliance to “Thou shalt not murder,” obligates us
to form and maintain such godly thoughts, intentions, words, and practices that would promote
and safeguard human life. Finally, in the last section of the Answer given above, we see our duty
to carefully be on the side of equal justice for all.
Many times Scripture expresses a particular concern for the stranger, the orphan, or the widow as
in the text from Jeremiah at the head of this article. This emphasis is not because God plays
favorites, but it is due to the fact that in the society of ancient Israel, these particular categories of
people often had the least ability and power to defend themselves or their possessions from the
unscrupulous. Thus, our perfectly just God repeatedly declares that those who strive for equal
justice for all by protecting the plundered and punishing the plunderers are doing His work, and
will be blessed and rewarded by Him. For whenever we stand against evil and strive to do what is
right (according to truth and not according to our own biases) we are doing the Lord’s work.
Consequently, the primary duty of the king of Israel—who was to rule according to the will of
God—was to establish and execute equal justice for all throughout the land. Justice demands
treatment according to our actions, not according to our economic status or political power: “You
shall do no injustice in judgment.You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the
mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor” (Lev. 19:15). Because every human life is
equally valuable, all human life is to be judged equally under the same standard. Any difference
in treatment denies this equality.
Apart from God’s gracious influence, sinful human beings will often take what they have not
rightly earned if they think they can get away with it—whether by breaking laws or using political
power to create unjust laws. Thus, the king of Israel was to enforce justice by holding everyone
equally accountable under the same legal standard. You and I are not kings. God does not
require us to establish justice in the land. However, it is our duty, wherever we are and with
whatever power and influence we have, to stand against unjust oppression. Today’s oppressors
often wield power by claiming victimhood or that they are on the side of “justice.” And yet it is
clear from their actions that they are the ones who are exercising an unjust bias. If we are to truly
keep the sixth commandment, we must value each human life equally, by treating all people
according to their own actions under the same just standard according to the Word of God.