God’s Justice: How It Works (Part Thirteen)

Grace Thoughts

God’s Justice: How It Works (Part Thirteen)

Social justice was fairly simple in the days and years following the Flood because there was only one society. It was based on the singularity of one family – Noah’s family. That lasted for a short period of time, maybe 100-150 years, before God confused the unified language of Noah’s family at the Tower of Babel. Families scattered from each other and set up their own villages and cities across the world. The language and ethnic differences have separated families and nations since that time.

A “mighty” man named Nimrod, a great-grandson of Noah through the lineage of Ham and Cush, built a vast kingdom made up of several city-states throughout Mesopotamia (Genesis 10:8-12). [LINK] Families with lineages to Shem and Japheth went in different directions and developed new social orders. It wasn’t long before families developed writing as part of a new method of communication and preserving both their language and history of social justice.

What we find in most ancient writings are attempts to bring justice to societies.

Ancient Written Social Justice

Language scholars believe Sumerian was the first written language. The ancient Sumerian civilization was located in southern Mesopotamia. That lines up with where King Nimrod built some of his earliest kingdoms.

And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city). Genesis 10:10-12

Nimrod built his kingdom in Mesopotamia based on two great rivers – the Tigris and the Euphrates. In fact, the name Mesopotamia means “between rivers.” The word meso means “between” or “in the middle of.” The word potamos means “river.” It makes sense from an ancient kingdom building perspective that the various city-states that made up Nimrod’s huge kingdom would be near rivers. Water was necessary for life, growing food, finding wild game to kill and eat, etc. Look at each of the cities that made up Nimrod’s kingdom and you’ll see them located near those rivers. Sumer was located in the southern part of Mesopotamia. Assyria was located in the northern part of Mesopotamia.

It appears that Nimrod controlled most, if not all, of ancient Mesopotamia. That would mean Nimrod’s language, the language he and his family received from the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel, was most likely what we know as ancient Sumerian – the first written language.

The earliest written records in the Sumerian language are pictographic tablets from Uruk (Erech), evidently lists or ledgers of commodities identified by drawings of the objects and accompanied by numerals and personal names. Such word writing was able to express only the basic ideas of concrete objects. Numerical notions were easily rendered by the repetitional use of strokes or circles. However, the representation of proper names, for example, necessitated an early recourse to the rebus principle—i.e., the use of pictographic shapes to evoke in the reader’s mind an underlying sound form rather than the basic notion of the drawn object. This brought about a transition from pure word writing to a partial phonetic script. Thus, for example, the picture of a hand came to stand not only for Sumerian šu (“hand”) but also for the phonetic syllable šu in any required context … The earliest Sumerian writing is almost exclusively represented by texts of business and administrative character. Britannica.com

Scholars believe the written Sumerian language began about 3000 BC. Sumerian cuneiform writing continued to be the basis for many other language writings for centuries. Those included Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Elamite, Hittite, Urartian, Old Persians, Hurrians, and several others. You can see some examples of ancient cuneiform writing here.

As writing developed through the centuries, writers shared insights to what was important to their civilizations. Many of the ancient writings documented wars, laws, business, trade, and family life. Social justice was also addressed in ancient documents as members of ancient civilizations presented their cases for being right and just in both their decisions and lifestyles. Societal laws and reasons for going to war would certainly be at the top of social justice issues of those ancient times.

Familial oral laws would be the oldest since they were based on family structures before and and shortly after the Flood. However, the confusion of languages, scattering of families, and introduction of kingdoms like Nimrod’s developed written legal codes of justice that were based on the will of monarchs.

The various collections of cuneiform laws developed by the several nations and kingdoms have certain features in common: (1) The text of several collections contains a prologue and an epilogue in which the prince emphasizes the importance of his actions, explains the object of his work, and commands its observance by blessings or threats. (2) Although written as if inspired by the gods, the legislation is secular, composed of dispositions fixed and codified by the temporal lord. (3) Although the laws may derive from different sources—custom, judicial decisions, or deliberate legislation—the fact that they are introduced by the prince gives them all the character of legislation or enactment. (4) In contrast to modern codes, these ancient “codes” do not systematically treat all the rules applicable to a given area of law; that is, they treat a variety of matters but often ignore many highly important rules, simply because such rules were grounded so deeply in custom that they went unquestioned. (5) Because legal customs were generally known, the collections focused on explaining individual cases, using them as examples or precedents, and did not attempt to present general, abstract formulas. (6) Because of this absence of doctrinal intent, the arrangement of cases seems erratic and often defies modern interpretation. Britannica.com

While King Nimrod may have written some of his laws in Sumerian cuneiform, none have been found so far. However, one of Nimrod’s successors, Ur-Nammu, did codify laws concerning a variety of social justice aspects toward the end of the third millennium. The Code of Limit-Ishtar was written in the early days of the 2nd millennium and included specifics about human rights. The famous Babylonian legal document known as the Code of Hammurabi was written on a stone monument. A relief at the top of the stele shows the king praying to the god of justice. The code addresses a variety of legal issues concerning people, families, property, business, and trade.

For the societies of the ancient Near East, social justice typically meant maintaining the existing socio-economic hierarchy. Thus, those who had lost some measure of their status within that hierarchy could appeal to the king for redress. Other restorative mechanisms, such as the right of redemption, time limits on debt-slavery, and royal debt-cancellation decrees were of particular use in helping households to regain their financial footing and avoid the most extreme consequences of economic misfortune and oppression. Social Justice in the Ancient Near East

As we read through the many social justice documents of the ancient world, we are struck with the strong desire of people from various societies with a similar goal – fairness. That does seem to be what social justice is at its core – a sense of fair play between people, among families, and within civilizations. Social justice was believed to be based on a sense of right and wrong. Fairness was viewed as right – unfairness was viewed as wrong. However, the view of fairness was in the eye of the beholder – fallible humans who by natured struggled with a true knowledge of real justice. Those who followed God’s revealed will were in a better position to mete out real justice. Unfortunately, the number of people who wanted what God wanted dwindled to almost no one. That’s because they made their own gods out of wood and stone. Ancient people liked to worship what they could control. The same is true of modern human societies. People still want to be in control. God’s will has little, if any, place in their lives.

God’s Written Social Justice

God demonstrated His desire for social justice, true fairness, from the beginning of time. We know about that because God inspired the “writing” of the historical events for all to read. We see that in the lives of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and the earliest families prior to the Flood. It was because of a lack of fairness (social justice), and a refusal to worship and obey God, that God served up justice on the world. God was “fair” when He flooded the world and saved only one family and representatives of other creatures (e.g. animals, birds). It was after the Flood that God reintroduced the idea of social justice (fairness) to Noah and his family (Genesis 9). Even though Nimrod and other kings who followed in his footsteps attempted to effect their own particular view of social justice, God worked quietly to bring justice back to the earth.

God called a man named Abram, a worshipper of idols, to leave his home in southern Mesopotamia and go where God sent him (Genesis 12). Abram, along with members of his family, settled in the land of Canaan. That was located south and west of the Euphrates River, near the Mediterranean Sea. Some scholars believe the name “Hebrew” may have meant “other side,” and possibly referred to Abram’s crossing to the other side of the Euphrates River.

In Genesis 15, God made a covenant with Abram and said – “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates.” The “river of Egypt” most likely referred to the Nile River. That was south of where God led Abram. The River Euphrates was to the north of where Abram stood when God made His covenant with him.

As we continue reading the Book of Genesis, we find Abram (Abraham) and his descendants interacting with many people groups. As with Nimrod, these people were ruled by kings. Here are the names of some of those kings and their “nations” —

Amraphel king of Shinar
Arioch king of Ellasar
Chedorlaomer king of Elam
Tidal king of nations
Bera king of Sodom
Birsha king of Gomorrah
Shinab king of Admah
Shemeber king of Zeboiim
the king of Bela (that is, Zoar)

Genesis 14 details an ancient war among these kings and their armies —

In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar. Genesis 14:5-7

The reason I mention this is that we need to remember that even as God was working through the lineage of Shem to bring about the Hebrew people, other people groups were living their lives, fighting wars, and attempting to mete out social justice. Abram believed in a particular social justice system based on his 75 years living as a pagan in Ur. His perspective on social justice changed radically when he met the True and Living God and moved to Haran, then to Canaan. It was in Canaan that Abram learned God was going to give the land to his descendants —

To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. Genesis 15:18-21

Israel’s Written Social Justice

The language that Abram spoke in Ur was probably a Chaldean dialect that may have come from the language Nimrod and his family received at the Tower of Babel. Many language scholars believe the language Abram spoke in Ur would have been an ancient form of Aramaic. A large portion of the Book of Daniel was written in Aramaic, beginning in Chapter Two —

Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, ‘O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation. he king answered and said to the Chaldeans, ‘My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap. However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation. Daniel 2:4-6

Daniel continued to write in Aramaic until the end of Chapter Seven —

This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I kept the matter in my heart. Daniel 7:28

The other portions of Daniel were written in Hebrew. It’s interesting to follow the usage of languages among the Jewish people. Daniel spoke and wrote in Hebrew and Aramaic. Jesus and His disciples also spoke Hebrew and Aramaic centuries later. Some scholars think that the Galilean dialect of Aramaic may have been slightly different than the Samaritan and Judean Aramaic, but people were able to understand each other because of the similarities.

Hebrew and Aramaic are viewed by linguists (language experts) as sister languages – from the same language family. Hebrew and Aramaic appear to have descended from the same root language. Root languages would have come from the confusion of language at the Tower of Babel. Those root languages would divert through familial and tribal usage through the centuries. We only have to look at the history of the English language to see how it has changed during the past several hundred years (e.g. Old English to Modern English).

We have an early evidence in the Book of Genesis of members of the same extended family speaking Aramaic and Hebrew —

So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. Then Jacob said to his brethren, ‘Gather stones.’ And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap. Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. Genesis 31:45-47

Laban used an Aramaic name (Jegar Sahadutha). Jacob used a Hebrew name (Galeed). They both understood each other clearly. Sister languages. Some differences, but same root.

Jacob was Isaac’s son and Abraham’s grandson. Laban was the brother of Isaac’s wife, Rebekah. Genesis 24:15 tells us that Rebekah was related to Abraham through the wife of his brother Nahor. We learn earlier in the same chapter that Abraham asked the oldest servant of his house to go back to his country and family, “and take a wife for my son Isaac” (Genesis 24:4). It was very important to Abraham that Isaac not marry a Canaanite woman. God gave Abraham that desire because the Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15) would come through the lineage of Isaac.

It’s interesting to note that Abram was able to converse with the people of Canaan as well as the people of Egypt. Many language experts believe that Aramaic is the oldest continuously spoken and written language in the Middle East. That might explain why Abram and his family were able to easily communicate with many different people groups of the time.

Next Time

In the next part of our series, we’ll continue to look at social justice from both a biblical and secular historical timeline. We’ll see what God taught Israel about social justice at the same time earthly rulers were telling their people what to believe.

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God’s Justice: How It Works (Part Thirteen)