RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT!

RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT!

John 7:22

24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

I’ll bet you were expecting to see this well-worn verse. Matt 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. Well, that would have been too familiar for me. Let’s take a look at the reforming heart of the King of Judah, Jehoshaphat.

2 Chron 19:4-7

4 And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again through the people from Beer-sheba to mount Ephraim, and brought them back unto the LORD God of their fathers.

5 And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city,

6 And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.

7 Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.

Jehoshaphat had just come from a battle against the King of Syria. He had been in alliance with the King of Israel who had been killed.

2 Chron 18:33

33 And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: therefore he said to his chariot man, Turn thine hand, that thou mayest carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.

Jehoshaphat returned to his throne in Jerusalem and continued his reform, part of which was a reform of the judicial system. One of the facets of his reform was to acknowledge that human judgment is partnered with the Divine. Therefore the judges were not to favor any man, fear any man nor be influenced by bribes or gifts from any man.

2 Chron 19:6

6 And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.

Deut 1:17

17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.

Now, the problem with our judging others is that we are often judging a “snap shot” instead of a video.  You see, the Lord Jesus never judged a person by what they were but by the TREND of their life, or their potential. The Lord points this out when He told the story of the Pharisee and the Publican in the Temple. At the moment the Pharisee was a fine example of right living, except for his consuming pride, and it was that pride that determined the direction his life would take. The Publican was everything a Publican was proverbially known to be – except for his humility and repentance – and this would determine the direction of his life.

Luke 18:14

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Many who judge you today will not know where you have been or in which direction you are going. The same is true with the many we will judge. Rather than being tolerant of sin we must allow for the possibility that the sinner is in a repentant trend, that his life is about to change. We must also be alert to the possibility that the saint today may be tilting in a disastrous direction. Do you know which way YOU are leaning?

Dear Lord, help me to align my judgment with your own. Help me to flavor my pronouncements and decrees with your mercy and your grace. AMEN