Ezekiel 34:16 "I will feed them with justice."

What an interesting way to think of justice, namely, as something that 'feeds' us.  Usually, we think of justice as a consequence we must endure or a hard-earned prize we won.  But rarely do we see it as something that nurtures and builds up.  But here, as the prophet addresses both those who have been abused and those who have abused, he sees it as a healing balm that can satisfy hungry hearts.  It is God's justice that will seek the lost, bring back the strayed, bind up the injured, and strengthen the weak.  This same justice will 'destroy' the fat and the strong.  A good shepherd, who loves sheep, will use justice to give to both the abused and the abuser what they both most desperately need: the goodness of God made manifest in their lives.  They need to feel God's justice in order to, as Ezekiel is fond of saying, "know that I am the Lord."  Whether you're a parent or the Sustainer of the universe, justice well administered is good for communicating one's character.  To the 'fat' and the 'strong' who deep down in their soul know that they're getting away with murder, justice will nourish inasmuch as it confirms their inner God-given sense of right and wrong.  To the 'weak' and the 'injured' who know that in the grand scheme of things they are being wronged, justice feels good.  Either way, as sheep looking for good ways to live lives, we need the food of justice to sustain us.  Man does not live on bread alone; neither does he live on miracles, good worship, mountaintop experiences, or even a deep sense of the presence of God.  No, he lives on the word of God, a word that tells him how to live and what sort of good God it is that will inevitably judge him.