Tag: God’s justice

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Joshua Devotionals

Whether hard or pleasant

Your Word is Life

Joshua read aloud all the words of the law—the blessings as well as the curses…There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read. (Joshua 8:34-35)

Those words struck me today.

Joshua didn’t just read the parts of God’s word that he liked. He read the parts that were hard to read too.

Not all places in the Bible are pleasant, talking about God’s love and mercy.

Some places are hard, talking about God’s justice and judgment.

Forgetting that can lead us to treat sin, and more importantly, God, lightly as Achan did (Joshua 7).

But beyond that, whether hard or pleasant to hear, all God’s words are for our good.

So let’s not just read the parts of the Bible we like and which are easy to read. Instead, like Joshua, let’s read all of it, not failing to read a single word.

Categories
Psalms

Angered by the evil around us

Psalms

How often do you get angered by the evil that you see around you?  That’s how the psalmist felt.

What did he see around him?  Lying lips.  Deceitful tongues.  (2)  And people who not only disrupted peace, but caused war because of the evil in their hearts.   (Psalm 120:6-7)

And so the psalmist moaned,

Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar! (Psalm 120:5)

According to Charles Spurgeon, these were basically wandering tribes that went around plundering the peoples around them.

Whether the psalmist literally lived among them, or he was saying that the people around him were like these people, I don’t know.

The interesting thing, though, is this a song of ascent.  Namely, it was a song that people sang as they made their pilgrimages to Jerusalem.

It seems a bit strange that one would be singing this kind of song as they’re turning their faces towards God to worship him.  But then again, maybe it’s not so strange.

Life is not always pleasant.  And when we look at the world around us, it’s easy to get depressed.  To wonder where God is.  To wonder if he’s doing anything about the evil we see.

But as this psalmist turns his eyes towards God, he reminds himself that God will ultimately bring justice, and that all will be made right.  He writes,

What will he do to you, and what more besides, O deceitful tongue?

He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom tree.  (3-4)

So let us not get discouraged by the evil we see on the news.  Instead, let us remember our God is good and that he is just.

Take your eyes off of the evil that you see, and put them on the God who will someday make all things right.

Categories
Psalms

Rejoicing in our King

Psalms

This is another psalm that rejoices in the greatness of our King.

The psalmist starts by shouting out,

The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;
let the distant shores rejoice.  (Psalm 97:1)

“Let the earth be glad.”

In a perfect world, all would rejoice in our King, and the fact that he reigns.

They would rejoice that he reigns in righteousness and justice (2).

They would rejoice in his power (3-5).

And they would rejoice in awesome glory (6).

But the truth is so many do not.  Instead, they cling to their idols, whether it’s literal ones, or the “gods” of money, possessions, sex, or whatever it may be.

And the day will come when they will be put to shame (7).

I suppose the question is what do we rejoice in?  Do we rejoice in the greatness of our King?  Or do we rejoice in that which ultimately brings shame?

If we truly rejoice in God, the psalmist tells us,

Let those who love the LORD hate evil.  (10)

It’s impossible to love the Lord and embrace evil at the same time.  And so if we really love God, we need to learn to hate what he hates, and to put what is evil away in our lives.

For those who do, the psalmist says,

[The Lord] guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.  (10-11)

He then concludes,

Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name. (12)

What do you rejoice in?

Categories
Psalms

The God who is just

Psalms

If there is one theme in Psalm 9, it’s God’s justice.

David says of God,

You have sat on your throne, judging righteously.  (Psalm 9:4)

And again,

He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.  (8)

And yet again,

The LORD is known by his justice.  (16)

This is not to say that we do not see evil in this world.  We do.  But David says of God,

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.

Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations what he has done.

For he who avenges blood remembers;
he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted…

the needy will not always be forgotten,
nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish. (9-12, 18)

In other words, justice may be delayed in our eyes, but it will come.  And though we may go through times of trouble, we can know that God is still there and has not abandoned us.

Though we may suffer and it seems that God is distant, he is not ignoring us, but he hears each cry we make.  He has not forgotten us, but he will rise up to act on our behalf.

And when he does, let us remember to thank him for what he has done, as David did, who at the end of his trial sang,

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonders.

I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.  (1-2).

Categories
Job

God’s justice, our arrogance

Job

Many people today dispute God’s goodness, if not his existence, by saying, “If God exists, and if God is good, then why is there evil in this world?  Why doesn’t he just wipe out all evil from this world?  Since he doesn’t, either he doesn’t exist, or he isn’t good.”

It was an issue that Job touched on in chapters 20, 21, and 24 where he complained that many evil people do not get what they deserve here on earth.  But Elihu answers here,

It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice.  (Job 34:12)

And he makes a very salient point in verses 14-15 as he notes that if God were to exact perfect justice right now, no one would survive  (34:14-15).

As it is, we do see evidence of him punishing the evil.  And God shows no partiality to anyone.  All who sin will eventually pay for what they’ve done.

But if he does, in his mercy, remain silent for a time, how can we criticize him for that, when we too would have to be destroyed?  (34:18-29)

He then compares the humble man who repents before God for his sin, with Job who instead questions God’s justice.  And he says, “Should God reward you for this attitude?  You’re speaking like the wicked.”

In chapter 35, he then points out the contradiction in Job’s words.

On one hand, he’s claiming God will clear him if he could only face him.  But on the other hand, he questions God’s justice.

Either God is just and will clear Job if he’s innocent.  Or he’s unjust and won’t care if Job is innocent or not.  (35:1-2)

He then addresses the arrogance of those who would say, “If God’s unjust, why do good?”

Job, I must say, never actually said this in so many words, but Elihu points out that if what Job said is true, that the evil are not punished for their sin, that would be the logical conclusion.

But Elihu points out to Job that when God calls us to be righteous and flee wickedness, it’s for our good, not for his.

While he will judge us for our deeds and our sin does affect our relationship with him, our deeds affect us and the people around us much more than they do him.

And so when we choose to disobey his commands, we only end up hurting ourselves.  (Job 35:6-8)

On top of that, Elihu notes that though people often cry out in their suffering, many nevertheless don’t turn their hearts to God.  They remain arrogant in their attitudes in toward God and so God doesn’t respond to their cry.

He then criticizes Job for this very type of attitude, saying, “Should God answer you when you question his justice?”  (35:9-15)

Then in chapter 36, he reaffirms that God will repay the wicked according to their deeds, and that though people may be afflicted and the righteous suffer (something Job’s friends refused to admit), that God would eventually lift them up.  (36:6-7)

He then gives Job warning.  That if God is using this time of suffering to chasten him, God will not be silent as to the reasons.

(I think Elihu does indirectly acknowledge here that God has been silent towards Job as to why he has been suffering).

But he tells Job that if God does tell him that he needs to repent, that he should not be arrogant and harbor resentment for God’s discipline lest he perish for it.  (36:8-13)

He further warns him that his attitude of criticizing God’s justice could lead him into sin.  (36:17-21)

Finally, he closes by telling Job, “You are in no position to judge God and why he’s allowing your suffering.  He says,

God is exalted in his power.  Who is a teacher like him?  Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?  (Job 36:22-23)

And again,

How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.  (Job 36:26)

He continues,

God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.  (Job 37:5)

He then concludes by saying,

Tell us what we should say to him; we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.

Should he be told that I want to speak?  Would anyone ask to be swallowed up?

Now no one can look at the sun, bright as it is in the skies after the wind has swept them clean.  (Job 37:19-21)

In other words, “You want to confront God?  Your understanding is so small and darkened, you wouldn’t be able to make a reasonable case.  You’d be swallowed up by a wisdom and understanding that is far beyond yours.  By a holiness that is much greater than yours.”

What do we get from this?  It is sheer arrogance on our part to question God’s justice.  We know too little and are too sinful to question a holy God.  We are simply in no position to demand any answers from God.

So what do we do with our questions?  Hard though it may be, we need to humbly put them aside and put our faith in God.

Believe in his goodness.  Believe in his justice.  Trust in his wisdom.

And know that if we do these things, our faith will ultimately be rewarded.  As Elihu says to close his speech,

The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.

Therefore, people revere him, for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?”  (Job 37:23-24)

Categories
Malachi

Where’s the justice?

Malachi

Many times people ask, “If God is good, why is this world so bad? If he’s so just, where’s the justice?”

It’s not a new question. People were asking it in Malachi’s day. God told them,

You have wearied the Lord with your words.

“How have we wearied him?” you ask.

By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?” (Malachi 2:17)

How did God answer this charge?

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.

Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3:1)

In other words, “You’re asking where I am. You’re wondering why I don’t do anything about the injustice in this world.

Well, I will be coming soon. I will appear in your midst right in your very temple.”

This was fulfilled when Jesus came, while the messenger who prepared the way for him was John the Baptist.

But then, God asks a very piercing question.

But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. (Malachi 3:2)

Here he’s saying, “You’re waiting for me to come and bring justice and are complaining that I am long in coming. But when I come, will you be ready?

Because when I come, I will be like the fire that purifies gold and silver. I will be like the soap that washes away all the sin that I see.

Can you stand when I come with this cleansing fire? Can you stand when I come to wash away all the evil in this world?”

For those who belong to him, his priests, he said that he would purify and refine them. (Remember that as Christians, we too are called his priests).

But then he said,

“So I will come to put you on trial.

I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3:5)

In short, the time of judgment will come. And all who have done evil will be condemned. So the question again is, will you be able to stand before him when he comes?

When people challenge you on the justice of God, that’s the question you need to put to them.

“Think about what you’re asking. You’re asking him to wipe out all evil now. But that means that if there’s any evil in you at all, you need to be wiped out too (unless you’re going to claim to be perfect). Is that what you really want?”

The only reason God hasn’t come to bring judgment yet is simple. He’s waiting for as many people as possible to repent. And so he closes this passage by saying,

I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.

Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. (Malachi 3:6–7)

In other words, “I should have wiped you out a long time ago because you have broken my laws and commands.

It is only because I am unfailingly patient and merciful that you have not been destroyed.

But don’t mistake my patience for injustice. Because the time of judgment is coming.”

The question is, are you ready?