Breaking The Cycle Of Injustice

Everyone experiences injustice at some point. Whether it’s bullying, corrupt leadership, or family struggles, unfair treatment is part of life in a broken world. The Bible teaches that trouble, persecution, and injustice are common in our fallen world (Job 5:7; John 16:33; John 15:20).

The real question isn’t if we’ll face injustice, but how we’ll respond when it happens.

Injustice Is Inevitable

The Bible speaks openly about injustice. God’s people have often suffered because of those who do not know or respect Him.

• Daniel was thrown into a lion’s den simply for praying to his God, breaking a law that went against his faith.

• David was chased, slandered, and hunted by King Saul, who was driven by jealousy and fear.

• Herod ordered the killing of baby boys in Bethlehem in a desperate attempt to get rid of the newborn King.

This pattern repeats throughout history. Since the Fall in Eden, injustice has been part of human life, often leaving deep wounds that don’t feel normal at all.

When Injustice Comes From Home

Injustice is especially painful when it comes from people who are supposed to love and protect us. Many people carry scars from unfair parents, abusive relatives, or betrayal within their own families.

Joseph understood this kind of pain. His father Jacob favored him and gave him a special coat, making him the target of his brothers’ jealousy. The Bible says Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons, and the coat showed that favoritism every day. Eventually, the brothers’ resentment led them to strip Joseph of his coat, throw him into a pit, and sell him into slavery for twenty pieces of silver.

Family injustice is especially hard because it breaks our God-given expectation of safety and loyalty. Still, Joseph’s story shows that even deep family betrayal can’t stop God’s plan for someone who trusts Him.

How Injustice Takes Root

Injustice doesn’t just happen suddenly. It often grows from deeper issues that, while they don’t excuse wrong actions, help explain them.

One cause is ongoing unfair treatment. Jacob’s obvious favoritism toward Joseph made his brothers jealous until they acted out in anger. Children often treat others the way they’ve been treated; if they grow up with injustice, they may repeat it. Today, people sometimes excuse bad behavior by saying, “He came from a dysfunctional home,” or “She was abused, so she can’t help it.” While past hurts can strongly affect people, they never make it right to continue injustice.

Another cause is not trusting God’s plan. Rebekah had a clear promise from God that “the elder shall serve the younger,” but when she saw Isaac about to bless Esau, she panicked and took matters into her own hands. She and Jacob tricked Isaac to get the blessing, which left Esau bitter. When people forget about God’s goodness and control, they often try to fix things themselves and end up spreading more injustice.

Your Response Changes Everything

Injustice can make life feel like it’s stopped. After betrayal, slander, or mistreatment, many people feel stuck and unsure how to heal or avoid letting injustice shape their future. The Bible offers two main ways to respond.

One is the natural response: react out of anger and seek revenge. People often justify this by saying, “That’s how I was treated, so that’s how I’ll treat others.” It might feel fair, but it only keeps the cycle of hurt going.

The other is the supernatural response: respond like Christ. When people insulted Jesus, He didn’t insult them back. When He suffered, He didn’t threaten anyone but trusted Himself “to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). This is important; Jesus trusted God to judge fairly in His own time.

Like Joseph, everyone has to take personal responsibility. Joseph’s brothers might have blamed their father’s favoritism for their actions, but God still held them accountable. Joseph could have used his suffering as an excuse to do wrong, but he refused Potiphar’s wife, saying, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). He knew that even when he was treated unfairly, he was still responsible for his own choices.

Breaking the Cycle Through Forgiveness

The key moment in Joseph’s story isn’t just his rise to power, but how he responded when he faced his past. After years in slavery and prison, God made Joseph second-in-command in Egypt and used him to prepare for a famine. When the famine hit, Joseph’s brothers came to him for food, not knowing the powerful leader was the brother they had betrayed.

From a human perspective, Joseph could have taken revenge. But instead of punishing his brothers, he forgave them. He explained it with one of the Bible’s strongest statements about injustice: “Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good” (Genesis 50:20). Joseph didn’t ignore their sin—he called it “evil”—but he saw that God used it to put him in a place to save many lives.

Forgiveness didn’t change the past, but it stopped the cycle. Joseph chose not to live as a victim but to serve God’s purpose. He cared for the brothers who sold him, comforted them, and spoke kindly to them. By doing this, he showed that injustice doesn’t have to shape the future for those who trust God more than human wrongdoing.

Trusting God’s Sovereign Goodness

Recognizing God’s work doesn’t mean pretending injustice isn’t serious. The Bible never makes light of evil. But it does teach that evil can’t stop God’s ultimate plan for His people. Romans 8:28 promises that all things, not just good things, work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

Joseph’s life is a good example of this. Being sold led him to Potiphar’s house. Being falsely accused sent him to prison. In prison, he met the butler, who later spoke about him to Pharaoh. Standing before Pharaoh, Joseph was promoted and helped save many people from starvation, including his own family. Every step involved injustice, but God was in control the whole time.

This doesn’t mean people who do wrong aren’t responsible. Joseph’s brothers carried guilt for years, afraid he would get back at them even after their father died. God’s control means He can use their sin for good, but it doesn’t excuse it. It also means His people never suffer for no reason. Even when God seems silent, He is working behind the scenes for His glory and their good.

Leaving Justice in God’s Hands

When we suffer, it’s tempting to get even. But the Bible says, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19). If believers take revenge, they take on a role that belongs to God and lose the peace that comes from trusting His justice.

David showed this both when he was under authority and when he was in charge. When Saul was hunting him, David refused to kill Saul, even when he had the chance. He left Saul’s fate to God. Later, when his son Absalom rebelled and took his throne, David told his men to treat Absalom gently. Out of Saul, David, and Absalom, only David always refused to attack, and God kept him and his kingdom safe into old age.

Not taking revenge doesn’t mean putting up with ongoing abuse or not seeking safety. When Saul tried to kill David, David ran away. The Bible makes it clear that physical and sexual crimes, especially against children, must be reported, and believers don’t have to stay in dangerous situations. The point is not to suffer in silence under crime, but to avoid a spirit of personal revenge.

Resting in God’s Faithfulness

Forgiving and not seeking revenge isn’t easy. It takes real trust in God’s faithfulness. David showed this when Shimei cursed him and threw stones as he fled from Absalom. Instead of punishing Shimei, David said, “Let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD hath said unto him, Curse David” (2 Samuel 16:10). David trusted God to protect his reputation and future, believing God would defend him at the right time.

That same kind of faith is possible today. Believers aren’t asked to pretend injustice doesn’t hurt, but to bring their pain to a faithful God who sees, knows, and promises to use everything for His purpose. In the end, those who trust Him often find that their deepest wounds become places where His grace is most visible.

Injustice will be part of life until we reach heaven. But it doesn’t have to control a believer’s life. What matters most is not what happens to us, but how we respond. Like Joseph and, even more, like Christ, those who trust God with their pain can break the cycle of injustice and find the good He brings out of even the worst situations.