Tuesday: How Long Will You Judge Unjustly?
Daily Lesson for Tuesday 6th of February 2024
The Lord has endowed Israel’s leaders with authority to maintain justice in Israel (Psalms 72:1-7, Psalms 72:12-14). Israel’s kings were to exercise their authority in accordance with God’s will. The leaders’ central concern should be ensuring peace and justice in the land and caring for the socially disadvantaged. Only then shall the land and the entire people prosper. The king’s throne is strengthened by faithfulness to God, not by human power.
Read Psalms 82:1-8. What happens when the leaders pervert justice and oppress the people they are tasked to protect?
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In Psalms 82:1-8, God declares His judgments upon Israel’s corrupt judges. The “gods” (Psalms 82:1, Psalms 82:6) are clearly neither pagan gods nor angels because they were never tasked with delivering justice to God’s people and so could not be judged for not fulfilling it. The charges listed in Psalms 82:2-4 echo the laws of the Torah, identifying the “gods” as Israel’s leaders (Deuteronomy 1:16-18, Deuteronomy 16:18-20, John 10:33-35). God questions the “sons of men” whether they judge justly, and their punishment is announced because they have been found unrighteous. The leaders totter in darkness without knowledge (Psalms 82:5) because they have abandoned God’s law, the light (Psalms 119:105).
The Scripture unswervingly upholds the view that the Lord is the only God. God shares His governance of the world with appointed human leaders as His representatives (Romans 13:1). How often, however, have these human representatives, both in history and even now, perverted the responsibility that they have been given?
Psalms 82:1-8 mockingly exposes the apostasy of some leaders who believed themselves to be “gods” above other people. Although God gave the authority and the privilege to the Israelite leaders to be called the “children of the Most High” and to represent Him, God renounces the wicked leaders. God reminds them that they are mortal and subject to the same moral laws as all people. No one is above God’s law (Psalms 82:6-8).
God will judge the entire world; God’s people, too, shall give an account to God. Both the leaders and the people should emulate the example of the divine Judge and place their ultimate hope in Him.
What kind of authority do you hold over others? How justly and fairly are you exercising that authority? Take heed.
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We often look at the scriptures in today's lesson and point them at national and church leadership. But, the author asks a pertinent question:
Applying it to ourselves is much harder than pointing out the faults and foibles of others. All of us at some time have some responsibility over others and we need to ask ourselves have we acted fairly, justly, and consistently in our itneractions with them. I am the parent of two very different children. They are adults now, but when they were growing up it was hard work ensuring that both children were treated fairly and given the same amount of attention. That was very difficult considering one child was an extrovert and the other an introvert.
The same is true of being a teacher in a classroom. Students have very different personalities and in a class like maths where students need and expect a lot of individual help, it is easy to be ambushed by the bright interactive students and ignore the quiet struggling students.
I mention these situations because while we all have a perspective on how injustice and social inequality should be handled in the nation and the church, it is important to understand that these issues confront us in the home and the workplace every day.
When the Angel spoke to Zacharias about his forthcoming son, John, He said:
If it is our task to prepare our modern world for the returning Jesus, what better place to start than in our own families, and by extension our community, treating one another with fairness and equality.
I had the same reaction to the authors question as you but about my dealings with my grandchildren. After all, we are teaching them how to deal fairly and compassionately with others. God help me to do this faithfully.
That's key. We are all tasked with the responsibility of overseeing and "ruling" over another. It is our job to constantly ask God for wisdom and allow him to guide us so that we reflect him as the True and Faithful One. May he perfect this area in my life daily. Amen
“ How long” is a question we ask when we need more information, when we have been waiting for a long time, when we are tired, when we are eager to get to a destination or when we are overwhelmed by everything that is happening..
We have been hearing that Jesus is coming soon for a long tim(>20 years), but rest assured that His coming is closer than it has ever been. Hold on! Our righteous God will come.
Hl,brothers and sisters,greeting.I have been reading these comments for some time now,but the first time commenting.my soul have been richly blessed.but there are many food for thought,as we would say.I thank God for blessing us trough others.I do like the practical application of Maurice toughts,blessings.
2 Peter 3:9 gives us how long. Millions maybe billions have not had a chance to turn their hearts to Christ for various reasons. God in His loving kindness is always good for His word, "I will come again and receive you unto my self. Where I am there ye will be also."
I can wait, I'm waiting and watching for Him.
We are watching for Him, sounds like if we are truly watching for Him, we need not to be indolent. Proverbs 6:6-11.
I love to read 2 Peter 3.
Even though things seem the same as everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation, God is not slack concerning His promise! Jesus is coming again!
We may not sleep for a day. With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years. He is not sleeping! He can go a thousand years without sleeping because He never sleeps.
What kind of people ought we to be?
Looking forward to the day of God and speed its coming.
(Spread the gospel of the Kingdom into all of the world)
Make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.
Grow in grace in knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
May our prayer be that we accept our part in this wonderful plan of salvation. I am sad to think that there may be millions of people dying BEFORE the message goes into all of the world as a witness to all people. We, too, ask How Long/
Thankfully, it's all in God's hands. He is the righteous Judge.
What kind of authority do you hold over others? How justly and fairly are you exercising that authority?
The word authority also means power. There are different powers that are used in our workplace:
Coercive power is the power someone gains through threat or force. For example, a higher-ranking manager forcing a lower-ranking employee to perform tasks.
Legitimate power ensures that everyone within an organization knows what their tasks are. The higher the position, the greater the responsibilities.
Both these powers comes with the positions. I have sometimes find myself abusing these to accomplish Organizational goals due to the pressure from the top which I have to push down.Though everyone is clear on their objectives and responsibilities but there are also times when we have to put pressure.
In secular world there is abuse of power and since we work in this world we are in danger of falling to that trap. Someone once said, "being a great leader means pissing people off". Excuse my language but I do not agree with that school of thoughts. I am using this example because some of us are Leaders in our workplace. Our challenge as Christians in the workplace is that there is always a deficiencies between the world principles and the Kingdom principles. It is sometimes difficult but we have to always try and find the balance.
Today's lesson is a reminder to keep ourselves in check and balancing the truth. At times this will mean defending the people that we are leading but with truth and facts.
It is so unfortunate that when many of us are appointed to serve in secular offices where we wield tremendous authority we forget that we were placed there to do justice as Christ's ambassadors. How many times do our Christian leaders follow the dictates (articulated or implied) of the earthly "bosses" even when they run contrary to God's laws of justice?
Let us remind ourselves at all times that our first allegiance is to the King of Kings and no other authority supersedes His. If it comes down to that, it's better to lose our
position in the earthly domain and do what Christ commands than to lose our place in His Kingdom.
Shalom🩷
Treat others as you'd wish to be treated..I think I buy that thought.
Maurice’s comments are powerful .I am no longer teaching but I was a struggle to treat all students fairly . The not so bright took more time and often led to frustration when they found it difficult to understand what to the rest of the class very simple.. In such times I needed the Holy Spirit to help me. At 85 I have no authority but continue to try my best to persuade our members to support our church schools.
Why would it be important to God for Israel’s judges in particular and the people in general to judge justly? Is it not because He is just? How can the world know their God if His people do not live according to His guidelines? His justice was not only applied in the courts of Israel, it was and still is applied every minute of every day in the hearts and minds of His people - the Ecclesia!
What is the purpose of God’s work for the benefit of mankind? Is it not to reform our heart and mind toward being able to live our life's original design? How can the world know the God we believe in if we do not live according to this born-again, new nature? Justice is not a set of 'rules' in the heart and mind of God – justice-harmony-perfection is the paradigm of His creation’s design.
Nothing He created can exist outside of the perfect design God appointed it to be. Man’s design is the reflection of our Creator’s Image. The lesson writer states – “The leaders totter in darkness without knowledge because they have abandoned God’s law – the Light.
We received His Light again through His Son, Jesus Christ, as we are hid in Him and called to be His children. It is an honor bestowed on mankind from the beginning of the creation of this earth; man was made just a little lower than the angels but able to walk by His Light – Heb.2:7-9.
Regardless the influence of “… rulers of the darkness of this world, authorities and spiritual wickedness in high places Eph.6:12 KJV, we ought to walk worthy of being called His Children. When dealing justly and fairly in all that man is engaged in, we demonstrate to the world the heart of God to be loving and kind – just!
…sometimes when we’re being supported financially and physically by some dignitaries/ decorons/ pastors/ chiefs, we plight down our conscience to their knees on sound judgment. We become great to them when we condemn and rebuke their weaknesses.
…Let’s remember God is ever ready to set another great redeemer to vanquish the old one.
…remember you stand for God for the vulnerable.
Stand firm in your belief. He will uplift you and make you stronger.