"[The LORD] defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing."
~Deuteronomy 10:18 [NIV]

"Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice..."
~Deuteronomy 24: 17 [NIV]

One of Yahweh's main concerns in making his covenant with Israel, after worshipping him alone, was maintaining social justice. Throughout Deuteronomy and subsequently in Jeremiah, we see the cry for mishpat, "justice," for the orphan, the widow, the poor, and the alien. Yahweh cares about these groups that cannot care for themselves, and he expects those in a right relationship with him to care as well. In Jeremiah's day, this key aspect of the covenant had been forgotten by Israel; injustice joined with idolatry and religious formalism to complete the indictment against the stubborn nation. The following discussion will trace the theme of mishpat throughout Jeremiah in light of...