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CHAPTER
32
CHAPTER
THIRTY TWO
THE
JUDGE
Let
the LORD, the Judge, decide the dispute this day------
(Judges
chapter 11, verse 27).
Millions
today cry out for justice, and see none. Evil runs rampant
and increasingly unchecked in every land. People literally
do ‘get away with murder’, and many killers who do end
up in prison are released after ludicrously short sentences
to repeat their heinous offences. But, it is not only
murderers who escape justice; from cold-blooded killers
all the way down to children who abuse their parents,
neighbours, teachers or the elderly we see justice failing
miserably. And the Bible warns us this state of affairs
will continue to get worse right up until the Lord’s
return. How different if the Lord was our Judge. Well,
the fact of the matter is that He is; and He is our
Lawmaker. He gave us the Ten Commandments and other
rules for living and doing right:
And
what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and
to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
(Micah
chapter 6, verse 8).
All
of these commands and entreaties are grossly flouted
every minute of every day all around the world. Yet
some will surely say, ‘Well I act justly and I love
mercy. I just don’t believe in God. What can be so wrong
with that?’ This is a case where two out of three is
certainly not good enough, because if we believe we
can be truly just and merciful without also walking
humbly with God we are very deceived. To do these things
on a purely human level and all from our natural self
taints them with pride, arrogance, vanity, and conceit.
And while even Christians are not exempt from
such
failings, the greatest of sins is unbelief. Whoever
refuses to believe in God will be refused eternal life
and a place in heaven. Someone else might argue that
people of other faiths act justly and mercifully and
even show a humble belief in god---I write ‘god’ here
with a small ‘g’ since, as we have seen repeatedly throughout
this book, there is only one true God, and He does not
allow for any other. When He says ‘walk humbly with
your God’, He means Himself, the God of the Bible.
Although
the God of the Bible may not be our God of choice, He
will certainly be our Judge:
Rise
up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what
they deserve.
(Psalm
94, verse 2).
Though
the earth is filled with evil and injustice, it is God’s
intention to bring true justice to, and for, everyone;
not man’s pathetic notion of justice, but God’s infinitely
high, holy and righteous sentence on every soul who
has ever lived or who yet will live. Not one single
human being will escape judgement---the terrible, wonderful
justice of God. The many lawyers who try to get their
clients, whom they know to be guilty, ‘off the hook’
at all costs will not receive the same treatment when
they meet their heavenly Advocate and Judge---He is
not open to bribes, nor will the desire for fame, fortune
and power cause Him to let the guilty go free and unpunished.
Neither will the guilty obtain a desultory sentence,
which would make God’s justice seem easy to bear and
toothless---the justice of God burns like fire, the
unquenchable fire of hell!
We
can rest assured, we will not be punished for something
we did not do; we will face a righteous Judge:
God
is a righteous judge------.
(Psalm
7, verse 11).
And
the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God himself
is judge.
(Psalm
50, verse 6).
Say
among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”----------he will
judge the peoples with equity-------he comes to judge
the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his truth.
(Psalm
96, verses 10, 13).
But
what of God’s mercy? He commands us to love mercy;
what of His own love of mercy? Will He not show mercy
to we who are guilty of sin?
God
is creating a moral universe, a just and righteous universe;
all wrongdoing must be punished, all offences must be
paid for. So where is God’s mercy? If you want to see
the mercy of the righteous Judge---look to the cross!
There in the face of the dying Son of God you will find
infinite mercy; there in the blood running from His
wounds you will find plentiful payment for every sin.
Abraham once asked God,
“Will
not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
(Genesis
chapter 18, verse 25).
And
of course He will do right. He has caused justice and
mercy to meet and embrace in the death of His Son. He
has given His all, that those guilty ones, those dead
in trespasses and sins, you and I, might look on Jesus
and realise that our Great Judge has paid for our offences
with His own life’s blood; that He has shown such mercy
as to fill our hearts with undying gratitude and a true
desire to walk humbly with our God.
Justice
has been satisfied; the sinner who used to love his
sin, who was held fast in its grip, and who was heading
for judgement and condemnation, now loves his Saviour,
and is held fast in His mighty hand, he will not face
condemnation, but has everlasting life; his name will
be found in the book of life. If we reject what the
Judge has done for us on the cross, we have rejected
both Him and His mercy, then we will stand before Him
to be condemned:
Then
I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on
it----------And I saw the dead, great and small, standing
before the throne, and books were opened.----------The
sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and
Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person
was judged according to what he had done. Then death
and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake
of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not
found written in the book of life, he was thrown into
the lake of fire.
(Revelation
chapter 20, verses 11-15).
Dear
brother or sister in Christ be encouraged that the whole
of creation will soon bask in all that is just, true,
pure, lovely, holy and righteous; not a hint of injustice
or wickedness. And, best of all, the Judge we meet will
be a loving Saviour.
Dear
unconvinced reader do not reject what the Judge of all
creation has done for you and made available to you
through Jesus Christ, rather, be among those of whom
He says:
“They
will be mine,” says the LORD Almighty, “in the day when
I make up my treasured possession--------And you will
again see the distinction between the righteous and
the wicked, between those who serve God and those who
do not.”
(Malachi
chapter 3, verses 17-18).
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