In a certain sense these two attributes are but the manifestation of the holiness of God. They are His holiness manifested in His just dealings with men. Holiness has to do with the character of God in a more particular way; righteousness and justice are but the expressions of that holy character. God is what He is; therefore He must deal with men as He does, that is, by the strictness of His justice. Some men declare they only want God to be just and fair with them when they stand in the judgment, but that’s because they do not understand the Holy disposition of God. Men who know the disposition of God do not cry for “what’s right and fair;” they cry for mercy. Space does not provide, but if you will open your Bibles and read carefully the 16th chapter of Numbers you will see both righteousness and justice acted out of the true and living God. God, because of His righteousness, could not allow Korah and the faction he formed against Moses and Aaron to be usurped. They unjustly charge Moses and Aaron with taking the honor they had to themselves. Actually their protest was against the righteousness God who had established the priesthood (Hebrews 5:4). Moses appeals to them to still the mutiny before it came to God’s tribunal, His justice. They were unreasonable; they unjustly charged Moses and Aaron with taking too much upon themselves, though they had done no more than what God put upon them. Therefore their mutiny was a rebellion against God. Judgment is set and the Judge taking the tribunal threatens to give sentence. The appearance of the light and fire showed God to be angry with them. Nothing is more terrible to those who are conscious of guilt than the appearances of divine glory. God threatened to consume them all in a moment. He showed what their sin deserved, and how very provoking it was to Him. He in justice left the rebels to the obstinacy and hardness of their own hearts The earth cleaved asunder, opened her mouth and swallowed them up, [Korah, Dathan, Abiram, their families with all their goods], and then closed the earth upon them (vs. 31-33). Christ tells us of “two men who went up to the temple, one wanted what was fair and could boast of great things he had done; the other could only lament his sin and cry for mercy.” It was the later that “went down to his house justified” while the former stood condemned in his great self-righteous works. The eternal ruin of sinners who die unrepentant, will be to sink down into the pit (Psalm 9:15) and to go down quickly into hell (Psalm 55:15). When David sank in deep mire he prayed in faith to a Holy God for mercy, not justice, even though justice would have displayed God’s righteousness. Seek the words of the song writer as she wrote… Pass me not, O gentle Savior, Hear my humble cry; While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.
Let me at a throne of mercy Find a sweet relief; Kneeling there in deep contrition, Help my unbelief.
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