God is Our Judge

Isaiah 33:22  For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king  he will save us.

Psalms 75:7  But God is the judge:  he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

Psalms 96:13  Before the LORD:  for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth:  he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

If we are going to get to know God better, we truly must look at the fact that He is Love.  When we agree that He is the purest form of Love, we can accept the truth that He is also the Judge.  The two qualities are inseparable if you are going to study them.

My childhood pastor recently gave a sermon illustration about God's love for us.  He said that whenever there is a cliff beside a road there will be warning signs to keep cars from falling off the edge.  They aren't there to be oppressive or mean, but rather because all human life is precious, people need to be warned of impending danger.

As I thought about that illustration and how he related it to God's love towards us, I realized how we can be so wrong in our thinking about God.  We view Him as a cold, hardened "divinity" unable to understand our human flaws.  But that could not be any further from the truth!  It is because God is a loving, warm and compassionate God that He is the Righteous Judge that He is!  He can see both sides and has weighed His own love in the balance instead of my sin.  And guess what?  Love does win!

God is not an old bearded man upstairs.  He is not a calloused hard faced man in long black robes just waiting to hammer down the gavel and pronounce the death sentence on you either.  God is Righteous.  That means He can't go too soft and He can't go too hard, He will be perfect in His judgement every single time.  As you became His child you were pronounced adopted, free rich, powerful, and loved by the Judge of Judges.  He didn't condemn you, and your sins could no longer condemn you because the Lord God has given you eternity with Him instead.  That's it.  It is final.  You can't change it, no one can.

And it is that love that the Judge shows that will constantly present itself in your life through His care that sometimes come in the form of warnings.  He will care for you in your sorrows; He will bind your broken heart and soothe your hurts.  But He will also sound the alarm when danger is near. Danger to your salvation?  NO!  But danger to the JOY of your salvation.  Anything that threatens to rob you of that personal relationship you have with Him is subject to the Judge blowing the whistle and pointing out the harm it can cause.

Are you viewing God as an angry man holding an anvil over your little head?  He isn't.  He is holding YOU in the palm of His hand!  By His Righteousness He will do all He will do in perfection and for His glory.  Let Him rule your life, no one can do it better.  Serve Him as your Lord.  Walk in His judgments and allow Him to protect you from potential harm.  If something looks good and the Lord tells you "NO!", listen to Him.  He is the Perfect Judge and He will not withhold good from you.

Until next time, Lord willing,
Sheri