Thursday, October 20, 2011

Psalm 98:9 NASB

...He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

To speak of God as Judge is not generally a part of our conversation these days.  God as Love, yes, but we usually steer away from anything that portrays Him as making any absolute and final ruling concerning our lives, or anyone's life, as far as that goes.  This is usually "judged" as too negative when talking about God.  Certainly, some have used the "judge" word in the wrong way, expressing a harshness and hardness against people who don't fit their "christian" mold, but that's no reason to dispose of the word.  When the Psalmist wrote, "He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity", he was not thinking negatively, but positively.  Leading up to this promise, he says, "Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth, break forth and sing for joy and sing praises...Shout joyfully before the King, the LORD.  Let the sea roar and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it.  Let the rivers clap their hands; let the mountains sing together for joy before the LORD..."  WHY?  "for He is coming to judge the earth;  He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity."  The best thing about this life is that there is more to it than we can see!  "God", as Steve DeNeff has described, "wants to shift us from seen to unseen".  And when this happens, we see that God is still in the picture!  In fact, He dominates the picture.  He has never been out of it and never will be!  So, whatever injustices you may witness, or whatever wrongs you may suffer, He is actively, aggressively and decisively bringing it to an end. The word "righteousness", in the phrase "He will judge the world with righteousness", is the word justice.  It has to do with doing what is right/just for all people. No wonder the Psalmist says to "shout joyfully...sing for joy!"  A lot is happening!  Hang on tight.  We have an incredible ride ahead of us. Enjoy the beautiful sights and sounds of our God in motion, judging the world with righteousness.

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