How would you define justice? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, justice is “conformity to truth, fact, or reason: correctness.” With that definition in mind, have you ever been treated unjustly? Many years ago, I was accused of being abusive and harmful to a child and ultimately was placed in a “probationary” status by a court of law. I was shocked by the severity of the charges and the unwillingness of the judge to listen to the facts. I will say that my particular actions on that day was an act of discipline in which I grabbed a boy’s arm just before he hit my son for a second time. One piece of background information is that the boy lived next door and had often been placed in our care and supervision by his caregiver grandmother.

This was so unfair and really got out of hand quickly; but in a small way it contributed to our decision to move from Rhode Island to North Carolina. The takeaway for me was one of great blessing and an opportunity to grow in the Lord. First, I had to learn to forgive; I did. Next, I had to learn obedience to the Lord; I did. And lastly, I had to learn my justice is not necessarily God’s justice.

As you read these three chapters of Genesis, please read the account with an eye toward justice. Who is the recipient of justice; is it Jacob? Remember, he was told by his sons that Joseph had been killed. Was there justice for Judah, as he was denied the opportunity for an heir? Was there justice for Tamar as she was denied full participation in Judah’s family? And finally, was there any justice for Joseph within these three chapters? 

Let me give you a hint, the answer to each question is YES. Okay here’s another hint, justice is not always found in our human search but always found in our godly search. So, I leave you with a challenge, not “Where’s Waldo” but more importantly, where’s the justice in the Scriptures of Genesis 37–39?

“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

David Blythe, Lenoir, N.C.