Judgment by John

I read the Books of Hebrews and James yesterday, and I am impressed by how much they speak of our judging others. Romans does, too, of course. I began thinking how little importance today's Christians place on false judgment. My wife added to my thoughts with an excellent editorial on the subject. I want to do something succinct here, and I hope it is something all of us will consider.

Judgment is God's business, not ours. That does mean we are to decide who we want to lead our nation, but we need to walk a narrow path in doing it. Remember the children of Israel in the wilderness. God chose Moses to lead them, and there could be no doubt about it, but doubt did arise. Miriam and Aaron, Moses older sister and brother, began to speak against Moses in Numbers 12:1ff. They were upset with him because he had married a Cushite wife! That made their complaint racial!

God struck Miriam with Leprosy on the spot, and Aaron cried out to Moses, "Please, my lord, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother's womb with its flesh half eaten away." (vv. 11,12). Moses prayed, and God heard his prayer, but Miriam apparently had to bear the leprosy for seven days outside the camp, and the entire nation remained where it was until she was well.

It's dangerous to judge and I think particularly by race if you are a Christian! Romans was written to Christians, and 2:1 says, "You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things." We are all sinners, and you can only condemn others for sin real or imagined. Either way, it is wrong. The second is doubly wrong because it is not true.

If I understand the Bible correctly, there is a very fine line between vengeance and judgment. In Deuteronomy 32:35, God told the people that vengeance belonged to Him, and He would exact it. They did not have to do it themselves. In fact, the wording shows that they would be usurping God's right if they did. All through history, he human race has disregarded that, but that only shows how ungodly it is, and how wrong.

Romans 12:19 and Hebrews 10:30 both recall that word from the Lord. Hebrews 10:31 adds that it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!

How big is God? I see Him as bigger than anything and more powerful than anything I've ever seen or encountered. How big is He to you? He is the Creator of all we see and all we are; yet, so many seem to think they have to defend God!

I believe with all my heart that God can take care of all my family and me, don't you? I am concerned about world affairs as were all of the Old Testament prophets, but I know God does not need me to protect Him. Again, trying to protect Him would put me in His place, and that's sin! In fact, we believe that was sin, according to Isaiah 14:12-14, that Satan committed and caused him to cast out of heaven. He made himself equal with God, but he wasn't! It should be a lesson to us that we cannot usurp God's authority.

It is time for us to stop worrying and to start really trusting in God. It's on our coins and scrip, but is it really in our minds and hearts?

I'm not suggesting who should be elected President, but I am saying we should stick to the truth, not fables. We should pray for God's will to be done. We should seek His will for us constantly and momentarily. We should trust in His goodness and mercy, and rely on His infinitely great and wonderful intellect to guide the people of this planet.