In Deuteronomy 1 we hear how Moses was not able to bear the whole of Israel alone.
In Exodus 18 we hear the story of how Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, advised Moses to appoint elders to judge. Easy cases could be handled locally – but when a hard case arose, they could send it up for Moses to deal with.
This pattern of having "appeals courts" has long been followed – both in civil and in ecclesiastical courts.
In Acts 15, when the elders in Antioch were having difficulty, they sent the case to Jerusalem for adjudication.
We sing of how this pattern is supposed to work in Psalm 72. The King is the court of final appeal. And he is to judge with God's judgment. "Give the king your justice, O God"!
The King is to deliver the needy from those who would use the courts to oppress.
Courts have always been used by the powerful to squash the helpless – and look like they are just "following the law"!
The helpless often do not understand court procedure, and since they cannot afford good lawyers, they are just as helpless before the law as they are before their oppressors!
But the Lord's anointed "has pity on the weak and the needy" - he delivers the one who has no helper!
That's who Jesus is! And that's how are we are called to be...
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