Articles
Sweet Justice, Bitter Justice
roverbs 11:8 - “The righteous is delivered from trouble, but the wicked takes his place.” Justice is sweet! Especially ironic justice when a bad guy has the tables turned on him in the end. We see it with Haman in the book of Esther. Haman is a jealous, conniving, morbidly twisted worm! Though he constructed a gallows to hang innocent Mordecai on, Mordecai was delivered and Haman was hanged on it instead! (Esther 6:10). Sweet irony! Sweet justice! When the wicked Persian satraps sentenced righteous Daniel to death in the lion’s den on a phony no-prayer law, God rescued Daniel! Then King Darius cast the satraps into the lion’s den in his place. They were dead before they reached the bottom (Daniel 6:24). Sweet justice!
When Barabbas was arrested and thrown in prison for murder, he was delivered! Then Pilate threw Jesus in prison in his place (Mark 15:15)! Sweet jus—wait, what? That’s not right! That’s not Proverbs 11:8! In Barabbas’ case, the wicked was delivered and the righteous took his place! Sadly, yes. The truth is, we’re all Barabbas, sentenced to death for our sin and well deserving of it. Yet perfectly innocent Jesus volunteered to take our place. It’s still justice because the penalty was paid, but it’s not sweet at all. The cross was an act of bitter justice, so that God could be “both the just and the justifier of the one who has faith Jesus.” (Rom. 3:26). Praise God for sweet justice! Praise God even more for the bitter justice of the cross!
