DAY – 34
GOD – THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE
For You have maintained my right and my cause; You sat on the throne judging in righteousness. (Ps 9:4)
Dear God's Children, the Bible declares that our God is a Righteous Judge and that the final judgment belongs solely to Him. God's kingdom has judicial, legislative, and executive powers, just like any other functioning government. He is a just and fair judge who is always on the right side of the law (Ps 7:11). We could see that righteousness and justice are the pillars upon which God's throne stands. (Psalm 84:19) Furthermore, according to the Bible, the Lord is the Judge, the Lawgiver, and the King of all Humankind. (Exodus 33:22) Above Him, there is no King, no Kingdom, no Power, no Authority, and no Laws. What is it about God's government that makes it so unique? God does not abuse His authority in the same way that the worldly government does. He does not accept bribes or favors. He sees and understands everything, including Heart's "thoughts and intentions." The Lord is incomparably qualified to serve as Judge, Lawgiver, and King because of His holiness, justice, knowledge, wisdom, love, goodness, mercy, and power.
Let's take a look at Sarah's life.
Sarah, Abraham's wife, had not given birth to any children at the time of God's promise, and Sarah was past child-bearing age. As a result, she sent Hagar, her maid or slave, to Abraham to bear a child for him. Hagar began to despise Sarah after she became pregnant. Sarah, the mistress, was humiliated by Hagar, her maid. Hagar took advantage of her pregnancy and began making fun of Sarah. She would have attempted to replace her governess. Sarah, who had not anticipated the maid's behavior, rushed to Abraham and said, "May the Lord judge between you and me, for my maid has ignored me after learning that she is pregnant." (See Genesis 16:5) God, seeing everything that was happening to Sarah, renewed the covenant He had made with Abraham and blessed Sarah with a son, Isaac.
In Genesis 21, Hagar and her son Ishmael were unconcerned about the birth of Isaac. However, Isaac's development exacerbated the family's problems. Ishmael began to mock Isaac as he grew older. (See Genesis 21:9) This means that Ishmael was persecuting Isaac in the biblical sense. Ishmael would have mistreated or injured Isaac. God even considered Ishmael's persecution of Isaac to be the start of His people's 400-year persecution. Acts 7:6; 15:13). As a result, "persecution" can be interpreted as "slavery" in this context. Ishmael dominated Isaac in all aspects of life, including their birthright. He attempted to enslave Isaac. Ishmael's mockery was serious because Isaac was God's ordained (established) seed and Ishmael was the forger (fake). The ordained are always despised by the counterfeit. The counterfeit despises us, the ordained seed. "But as then he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to Spirit, so it is now," Paul says in Galatians 4:29. That persecution was sparked by Isaac's growth.
Sarah, who represented grace, would not put up with Ishmael's mockery of Isaac and said, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac." Genesis 21:10 Many of us will disagree with Sarah and believe she was jealous and unjust because she was the one who proposed to Abraham that he have a son with Hagar and now she tells him to cast Hagar and Ishmael out. But, rather than our judgments, we must learn to adopt God's perspective as the righteous Judge. It was painful for Abraham to send his son Ishmael away. When things were falling apart in Abraham's life, God, the righteous Judge, appeared and said to him, "Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah has said unto you, hear her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called." (21:12) The heavenly Judge made the final decision, instructing him to carry out Sarah's request. Only Isaac was to be counted as the seed, not Ishmael.
God makes decisions based on His wisdom to discern the truth. The concept of justice is linked to the concept of merit: those who engage in morally corrupt behavior will be punished, while those who engage in morally upright behavior will be rewarded. God is the author of justice, and God is without flaw. He shows no favoritism to anyone. (See Acts 10:34.) As a result, His judgments, ways, and the justice He administers are all flawless. He not only enforces justice, but He also loves it: "For the LORD is righteous, and he loves justice; the upright will see his face." (Psalm 11:7) God promised Abraham that the generations would be multiplied only through Isaac. So, when Isaac's life was in danger, God intervened and served justice to both Isaac and Ishmael.
God is the same God who is with us and for us. He never allows our adversaries to mock us. He never puts us down. He will rightfully intervene and resolve our issues. Even when the entire world accuses us, keep in mind that God, our Judge, looks into our hearts. He will not only bring us justice but also justify us. He will walk in your ways if you walk in His commandments. Amen!!
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