Jacob 3-4

(August 15, 2013)
As I struggle to deal with my personal weaknesses on an ongoing basis, I grow to love mercy more and more.  But, as a consequence, I have become less enamored with justice.  Justice frightens me as a concept – if justice is applied, I feel I will be lost.

This isn’t an appropriate way of looking at things, however.  We do not deny justice through our love of the mercy of Christ.  Instead, the demands of justice are met through the Atonement and mercy does not rob justice.  Instead, mercy satisfies justice through Christ’s Grace to us.

I bring this up because I found Jacob’s words jarring in the very beginning.  He stated that we should pray to the Lord for protection and that the justice of God would be applied to our enemies.  I felt confused to read that, thinking that we shouldn’t call for justice against anyone, because of the dangers justice posed to each of us.  But as I thought about it, I understood better that justice does apply and will apply to us, just as it will to those who hurt us.  Crying for justice can mean punishment, but it can also mean crying for the Atonement to be applied to our enemies such that Christ meets the demands of justice and they are brought to repentance.  Each of those are valid ways of looking at the justice due our enemies, and we do no wrong asking for justice in that way.